The 2025 Central Illinois Volunteerism Conference is happening on Friday, July 11 at the University of Illinois Springfield in Springfield, Illinois. This year’s theme is Strategic Volunteerism: Connecting Passion with Purpose. Whether you work with volunteers, lead a nonprofit, or just care about strengthening your community, this one-day conference offers fresh insights, actionable tools, and meaningful connections to help you make an even greater impact.
July AL!VE Academy: A Person-and-Situation Approach to Skills-Based Volunteering: Lessons From the Psychology of Volunteerism with Joshua Braverman Ph.D. - Tuesday, July 15th, 2025 @ 12:30 PM - 90 minutes
Many people are familiar with the “typical” forms of volunteerism where people receive training or orientation after signing up for the volunteer opportunity. The present dissertation focused on Skills-Based-Volunteerism, where volunteers use their pre-existing skills or talents to volunteer. As Skills-Based Volunteers may have a larger impact within their organization(s), it is important to understand how different they are from Non-Skills-Based Volunteers. Using the Current Population Survey (United States Census Bureau, 2017), Study One examined the characteristics of Skills-Based Volunteers, and the ways that they differ from Non-Skills Based Volunteers. Study One found that Skills-Based Volunteers reported more frequent volunteering (and doing so for more hours) and were more involved with a diverse subset of other prosocial behaviors (e.g., voting, attending community meetings, and working with one’s neighbors to improve their community) than were Non-Skills-Based Volunteers. In Studies Two and Three, I collected original data to understand whether considering the Skills-Oriented nature of volunteerism may lead to divergence from the findings from the existing psychology of volunteering, specifically whether the psychological characteristics known to predict volunteerism extend to Skills-Based Volunteerism. In Study Two, I found that for the most part, the psychological constructs known to predict volunteerism (e.g., personality, motivations, and social norms) tended to function similarly for Skills-Based and Non-Skills-Based Volunteering. In a follow-up survey, Study Three extended this result by finding that the psychological constructs also predict future volunteerism similarly for Skills-Based and Non-Skills-Based Volunteering (three to six months later). Overall, this program of research made it clear that the existing psychology of volunteering does extend to Skills-Based-Volunteering. Volunteer managers can use the present research as evidence to apply existing volunteer management practices to Skills-Based Volunteering. However, future research should continue to investigate whether there are novel psychological characteristics relevant to Skills-Based Volunteering, especially surrounding one’s education, profession, and/or workplace.
This virtual Community of Practice supports volunteer engagement professionals managing programs in and across rural communities. These monthly peer-to-peer sessions address some of the challenges that come with operating in geographic areas with lower population numbers and that are located outside of more suburban and urban areas. Members use these sessions to troubleshoot issues, to give and receive support, and to share strategies, best practices, and resources for effective volunteer program management.
2025 Meetings will be held (All times 2 PM Eastern):
January 21, February 18, March 18,
April 15, May 20, June 17,
July 15, August 19, September 16,
October 21, November 18, December 16
Click here to join the next meeting.
COP's are an exclusive AL!VE member benefit. Anyone is welcome to attend the first COP meeting, but after the first meeting we ask you become a member. Learn more here.
Enhance your professional development and support the profession of volunteer engagement at the same time! Join us for an AL!VE New Volunteer Information Session! This session is your opportunity to learn more about AL!VE, our mission, and how you can get involved. Whether you’re interested in sharing your skills, learning new ones, or connecting with a community of like-minded professionals, we have opportunities for you! Don’t miss this chance to join a dynamic organization that supports leaders in volunteer engagement nationwide. We can’t wait to meet you and explore how we can make an impact together!
Join Sandi Davis, Executive Director of Volunteer Lethbridge, as she builds on last year’s powerful introduction to the Community Volunteer Management Model (CVMM). In this next chapter, Sandi will walk you through the inner workings of CVMM—Volunteer Lethbridge’s flagship approach to volunteer recruitment and intake. The model involves multiple levels of screening and preparation, including applications, interviews, reference checks, and Criminal Record or Vulnerable Sector Checks when required.
Whether you're a volunteer centre, municipality, or nonprofit, this session is your opportunity to see how a shared intake model can create meaningful efficiencies, improve volunteer readiness, and strengthen collaboration across the community. Learn how CVMM supports a more consistent and connected approach—while still honoring the unique needs of every organization and volunteer.
Don’t miss this opportunity to learn from an experienced leader in community volunteer coordination, gain practical ideas you can put into action, and connect with others passionate about making a difference through volunteering.
Volunteering New Zealand (VNZ) released new Volunteering Best Practice Guidelines in 2023 — a comprehensive resource designed around the full volunteer lifecycle, from first contact through to the volunteer’s departure.
The guidelines focus on seven key practice areas and come with practical tools and resources. But having guidelines isn’t enough — putting them into action is where real change happens.
Join us for a 60-minute interactive webinar with Michelle Kitney, Chief Executive of Volunteering New Zealand, to learn how VNZ is helping organisations move from theory to practice.
Meetings will be held bimonthly (every 2 months). Following meetings will be 10 AM Pacific, 1 PM Eastern:
2025: February 13, April 10, June 12, Aug 14, Oct 9, Dec 11
The COP - Animal Welfare is designed to include a broad range of animal welfare organizations such as animal shelters, rescue groups, foster-based programs, sanctuaries, direct care for animals, and humane education programs. The objective of this COP is to connect volunteer engagement professionals within these organizations to share resources and best practices. This informal venue encourages open discussions for anyone seeking or offering advice in tackling the unique challenges facing volunteer leaders in the animal welfare field.
Communities of Practice are an AL!VE member benefit; however, anyone is welcome to attend their first meeting with out being a member. After your first meeting, you must join as a member to attend subsequent meetings. You can learn more here.
Let's talk about Government volunteer programs. This community of practice discusses the challenge and successes of operating a volunteer program within a government structure.
All times 2 PM Eastern for 1 hour.
2025: Feb 13, Apr 10, Jun 12, Aug 14, Oct 9, Dec 11
Communities of Practice are an AL!VE member benefit; however, anyone is welcome to attend their first meeting with out being a member. NAVPLG members can attend anytime for free as part of our partnership
After your first meeting, we request you join as a member to attend subsequent meetings. Learn more about membership here.
*note* When you register, you will automatically be registered for all the future COP dates (listed below) and reminders will be sent - the COP will use the same zoom link.
You may opt out by emailing manager@volunteeralive.org
This virtual Community of Practice supports volunteer engagement professionals managing programs in and across rural communities. These monthly peer-to-peer sessions address some of the challenges that come with operating in geographic areas with lower population numbers and that are located outside of more suburban and urban areas. Members use these sessions to troubleshoot issues, to give and receive support, and to share strategies, best practices, and resources for effective volunteer program management.
2025 Meetings will be held (All times 2 PM Eastern):
January 21, February 18, March 18,
April 15, May 20, June 17,
July 15, August 19, September 16,
October 21, November 18, December 16
Click here to join the next meeting.
COP's are an exclusive AL!VE member benefit. Anyone is welcome to attend the first COP meeting, but after the first meeting we ask you become a member. Learn more here.
Recruiting new volunteers and retaining existing ones remain two of the most significant challenges for nonprofit volunteer programs. As nonprofits strive to bring in new supporters and build long-term commitment, corporate volunteer programs (including volunteer grants + volunteer time off) offer an innovative - yet often overlooked - way to address these challenges!
In this session, we’ll explore the current volunteerism landscape and discuss common obstacles that many nonprofits face when it comes to volunteer recruitment and retention. We’ll also zoom in on corporate volunteer programs and share actionable tips for incorporating volunteer grants and volunteer time off in your nonprofit’s volunteer recruitment and retention strategies!
Join us on August 20 at 1 PM ET to:
Can’t join for the live session? Register anyway to receive a copy of the recording!
