Click here to join the community and participate in our upcoming meeting.
Communities of Practice are an AL!VE member benefit; however, anyone is welcome to attend their first meeting with out being a member. Email info@volunteeralive.org for a free trial. You can learn more about membership here.
Education & Reading Programs Community of Practice is a group of professionals with the interest of improving reading levels for youth and adults. We convene bimonthly to offer support, share best practices, provide a safe space for discussion, and networking.
For more information contact Brandy Tolbert, Facilitator. Register from our calendar on the next available date.
2025: January 6, March 3, May 5, July 7
*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
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.
Leaders in non-profit organizations and community groups increasingly understand that volunteers can be a critical resource for delivering on a mission. Effective people management and community engagement is imperative – whether they be paid or unpaid. As a result, employers expect that those individuals tasked with mobilizing and coordinating volunteer engagement demonstrate a thorough knowledge of effective practices and an understanding of how to apply that knowledge in support of real-world organizational priorities.
What You Don't Know is Holding You Back:
The Case for Professional Development (at any stage)
Date: Wednesday, July 9, 2025 Time: 11:00am - 12:00pm Mountain Daylight Time (MDT) / 1:00pm – 2:00pm Eastern Daylight Time (EDT)
Presented by: Nicole R. Smith, CVA, Executive Director, Association of Leaders in Volunteer Engagement
Are you coasting in your comfort zone?
Whether you're new to your role or decades into your career, there's always more to discover—and it's often the things we don’t know that limit us the most.
Join Nicole R. Smith, CVA, Executive Director of the Association of Leaders in Volunteer Engagement (AL!VE), for a powerful session on why professional development isn’t just a “nice-to-have” — it’s a career necessity.
In this session, you’ll learn how to:
- Uncover the knowledge gaps that could be slowing you down
- Create a realistic, personalized career growth plan
- Understand why saying “I don’t have time” can be a death blow to your career
- Understand that when we grow individually, the entire profession grows exponentially
Why Attend?
You’ll leave this webinar feeling empowered, equipped, and energized to take the next bold step in your professional journey—no matter where you're starting from.
Reserve your spot today to learn from a dynamic leader in volunteer engagement, walk away with actionable strategies to fuel your professional growth, and connect with like-minded peers during a lively, interactive Q&A session!
Upon registering, we will email you the meeting log in information (and a reminder, too).
(All times Noon E)
2025: Jan 9, Mar 13, May 8, Jul 10, Sept 11, Nov 13
January topic: The Cost of Volunteering
March topic: Volunteer Appreciation Week
May topic: Summer Student Opportunities
July topic: Including DEI in Volunteer Onboarding
September topic: Terminating a Volunteer
November topic: Making the Worst Volunteer Role More Appealing
Click here to register for the next meeting.
Not an AL!VE Member? Join Now
Want to try before you buy? Email info@volunteeralive.org to try your first session free.
For more information about this COP, please contact Marie Howell, Health Care COP facilitator.
Look forward to seeing you there!
To learn more about AL!VE Community of Practice, visit our website.
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. Learn more about membership here.
Building a Lasting Foundation for Volunteer Engagement
Brought to you by:
Better Impact and Verified First
Date: Thursday, July 10, 2025Time: 2:00pm - 3:00pm Eastern Daylight Time (EDT)
Guest Speaker: Angela Williamson, Volunteer & Community Relations Specialist, Blood Bank of Delmarva
Strong volunteer programs aren’t built overnight, they’re built with intention.
Like a well-built house, lasting engagement takes strategy, structure, and purpose.
Join us live on July 10 for a new episode of Face to Face featuring Angela Williamson, Volunteer & Community Relations Specialist at Blood Bank of Delmarva. She’ll unpack her powerful “house of volunteers” analogy – a fresh, practical framework for transforming volunteer programs into mission-aligned pillars of your organization.
You’ll learn how to:
- Build a solid foundation for long-term volunteer success
- Align volunteers and systems with your mission
- Gather and tell stories for real, lasting impact
Don’t miss this opportunity to gain actionable tools, fresh inspiration, and proven strategies you can apply right away.
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.
About Our Presenter
Joshua Braverman Ph.D (He/Him/His) presently serves as the Director of Data and Research Support in the Department of Biology Teaching and Learning at University of Minnesota, Twin Cities. Previously,Joshua attended University of Minnesota's Social Psychology PhD Program where his academic research interests focused on the development and utilization of psychological theories to understand when people help (or not). Most of his past projects have centered on "non-traditional examples" of formal volunteering including identifying predictors, experiences, and outcomes of identification as intellectually gifted, volunteerism, service learning, medical pro bono work as well as skills-based volunteerism more broadly. In the future, Joshua hopes to get back into the nonprofit research space.
AL!VE Academies are a paid member benefit.
Not an AL!VE Member?
Join Now!
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.
2025 Dates are January 15, March 19, May 21, July 16, September 17, and November 19.
Click here to join the community and participate in our upcoming meeting.
Communities of Practice are an AL!VE member benefit; however, anyone is welcome to attend their first meeting with out being a member. Email info@volunteeralive.org for a free trial. You can learn more about membership here.
Click here to join the community and participate in our upcoming meeting.
Communities of Practice are an AL!VE member benefit; however, anyone is welcome to attend their first meeting with out being a member. Email info@volunteeralive.org for a free trial. You can learn more about membership here.
This is an AL!VE Communities of Practice for those managing volunteers in museums, galleries, cultural and arts centers. Join us as we discuss and share insights and experiences that we are all having in the arts education/enrichment communities. COVID has posed certain challenges and changes for us all so let’s rely on each other for ideas and inspiration! This will be a time for networking, sharing ideas, asking questions, and brainstorming with your peers. This COP is hosted by AAMV (American Association of Museuem Volunteers) members; all AAMV members may attend.
*Note, new dates & times*
2025: Jan 13 (only one at noon EST), Mar 19, May 21, July 16, September 17, November 19- all dates 4pm Eastern
Click here to register for the next meeting!
COPs are an AL!VE member benefit.
Not a Member yet? Click here to join.
Want to try before you buy? Email info@volunteeralive.org to try your first session free!
From Recruitment to Readiness:
How Volunteer Lethbridge Built a Community Volunteer Management Model That Works
Date: Thursday, July 17, 2025 Time: 11:00am - 12:00pm Mountain Daylight Time (MDT) / 1:00pm - 2:00pm Eastern Daylight Time (EDT)
Presented by: Sandi Davis, Executive Director at Volunteer Lethbridge
Back by popular demand!
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.
What you’ll learn:
- How the Community Volunteer Management Model (CVMM) centralizes and simplifies the volunteer recruitment process Ideas to adapt a similar approach in your own community or organization
- Key steps in Volunteer Lethbridge’s intake process, including interviews, references, and background checks
- Benefits of shared volunteer screening for nonprofits, volunteers, and the community
- Real-world outcomes and lessons learned from implementing the model
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.
Review the Call for Breakout Session Proposals webpage and consider submitting your proposal today!
Contact Alli Zuel, CVA with questions about the Call for Breakout Session Proposal.
Leaders in non-profit organizations and community groups increasingly understand that volunteers can be a critical resource for delivering on a mission. Effective people management and community engagement is imperative – whether they be paid or unpaid. As a result, employers expect that those individuals tasked with mobilizing and coordinating volunteer engagement demonstrate a thorough knowledge of effective practices and an understanding of how to apply that knowledge in support of real-world organizational priorities.
It will be led by facilitators who have earned their CVA certification.
On July 23, 2025 @ 12 PM EST we will review the study resources and an overview of chapters one and two of the textbook, Volunteer Administration: Professional Practice, 4th edition.
Register here by July 21st.
In this 30 minute call, we will highlight:
- Member benefits
- Resources & where to find them
- Association goals for 2025
- Discuss what's happening in the field on a regional or national level
- Bring your own topic - have a question you need to discuss? We're happy to connect.
Click here to register for the next meeting!
We look forward to seeing you online!
Those working at a national level face different issues than those operating on a local or regional level. Often national level leaders are engaged in big picture, strategic or policy decision-making. Sometimes those operating at a national level don’t work directly with volunteers, but rather help empower others in their organizations who do. Join the discussion to connect and learn from others working nationally. We invite anyone looking to brainstorm around the unique issues facing volunteer leaders on a national level. This COP group will be a chance to network, share expertise, ask questions, and solve problems with your peers.
All times 2:30 Eastern
Jan 27, Mar 24, May 26, July 28, Sept 22, Nov 20
Click here to join the next meeting!
If you have any questions, please contact Lisa Mooney or Laura Gray, COP Facilitators.
Communities of Practice are an AL!VE member benefit;
Not a member? Click here to join AL!VE.
Want to try before you buy? Email info@volunteer AL!VE to try out your first session free.
Leaders in non-profit organizations and community groups increasingly understand that volunteers can be a critical resource for delivering on a mission. Effective people management and community engagement is imperative – whether they be paid or unpaid. As a result, employers expect that those individuals tasked with mobilizing and coordinating volunteer engagement demonstrate a thorough knowledge of effective practices and an understanding of how to apply that knowledge in support of real-world organizational priorities.
To submit your event, click on the link below.