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.
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.
Better Impact presents:
The Journey from Program to Strategy: Organizationally and Professionally
Date: Wednesday, September 3, 2025Time: 11:00am - 12:00pm MDT Mountain Daylight Time (MDT) / 1:00pm – 2:00pm Eastern Daylight Time (EDT)
Presented by: Beth Steinhorn, Sarah Sukhram, CVA and Wendy Johnson, MPA, CVA
While engaging volunteers can be a powerful strategy for organizations to fulfill mission, most still position it as a program rather than a strategy. Join this panel discussion to hear how colleagues in the field have successfully shifted their organization’s approach from program to strategy, using solid data, change management, innovations, technology, and more. Plus, gain insights on how each has also embraced their roles as strategic leaders. Come with questions and leave with inspiration!
What you'll learn:
- How to identify when it’s time to shift from a programmatic to a strategic volunteer engagement approach
- Real-life examples of what a strategic volunteer engagement model looks like in action
- Tips for influencing leadership and gaining internal support for change
- The role of technology and innovation in driving transformation
- How your own professional growth can support organizational change
- Practical advice for starting or accelerating your strategic engagement journey
This dynamic session is designed for nonprofit leaders and volunteer managers looking to reposition volunteer engagement as a strategic asset—both organizationally and professionally. Don’t miss the chance to learn from and connect with leaders who are redefining what volunteer engagement can look like. Bring your questions and get ready to leave inspired!
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.
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!
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.
Board service is a chance to grow personally and professionally, to develop skills, gain unique experience, and make lasting connections with a team of other passionate and motivated professionals throughout the country. Becoming a board member is an opportunity to share your professional knowledge, expertise, and passion to help AL!VE craft and forge the future of the profession.
It is our hope that our Board will be as diverse as the communities our members serve, with the perspectives, skills, and experience needed to enact our strategic plan and advance our mission.
If you are passionate about AL!VE’s mission, click here to register for an information session to learn more about becoming an AL!VE Board Member.
All Volunteer Engagement Professionals are welcome to attend a networking social event, quarterly at 4 PM Eastern for 45 minutes. Feel free to leave early or come late as your schedule allows. Connect and network with your peers for live discussions - ask questions and let us know what's on your mind!
All times 4:00-4:45 PM Eastern
- March 28
- June 17
- September 12
- December 4
Open to all in the field of volunteer engagement. We look forward to seeing you!
It is our hope that our Board will be as diverse as the communities our members serve, with the perspectives, skills, and experience needed to enact our strategic plan and advance our mission.
If you are passionate about AL!VE’s mission, click here to register for an information session to learn more.
If your organization relies on volunteers for its ongoing operations, this comprehensive course is for you. It is specifically designed to help solve the biggest challenges for new volunteer coordinators and get answers to these questions …
- Where do I find the right volunteers for my nonprofit?
- How do I increase volunteer satisfaction and reduce turnover?
- How do I track and communicate the impact volunteers are making?
- Where should I focus my limited time and energy to get the best results?
- What can I do to help my co-workers understand that committed enthusiastic volunteers are so much more than free labor?
Learn the Essential Frameworks for Attracting and Engaging Enthusiastic, Committed Volunteers with Less Stress and Greater Confidence
What you'll get:
- Five live group coaching sessions to get answers & advice directly from an expert (5 full hours)
- Access to the pop-up community for the duration of the program
- Lifetime access to the course, & all future updates, for as long as it exists
- Half-page course slides for note taking
- Worksheets, checklists, swipe files, & guides to convert learning into action
- Comment sections in each lesson where students can post questions & get quick answers directly from the instructor
- An automatic completion certificate (worth 10 CVA Hours) at the moment all coursework is complete
Don't miss out! Register Today!
As an affiliate partner with VolunteerPro, when you use this affiliate link to enroll, AL!VE may receive a commission to help support our organization at no additional cost to you. Thank you for helping to advance the Volunteer Engagement profession!
We are in a friendly competition with VMPC to see who can recruit the most host sites! Learn more here! https://www.betterimpact.com/vmhc-site-registration
September 16, 1:00pm Est for 60 minutes
This interactive workshop invites nonprofit professionals to engage in strategic visioning through the lens of somatic awareness. Participants will explore how embodied practices—such as breath work, movement, and guided reflection—can clarify values, surface organizational tensions, and foster alignment between mission and action.
About our presenter:
Haley Breese, CVA, ACC is a leadership coach and organizational development consultant with over 15 years of experience in the nonprofit and government sectors. As the founder of Breese Wellness, she supports mission-driven teams in making values-aligned decisions that foster sustainable community growth, health, and healing. Haley integrates somatic practices into strategic planning to help leaders reconnect with their bodies, clarify their vision, and lead with integrity. Her work bridges the gap between personal transformation and systemic change.
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.
Take the next step in your career as a leader of volunteers and become Certified in Volunteer Administration (CVA)
Date: Wednesday, September 17, 2025Time: 1:00pm - 2:00pm Eastern Standard Time (EST) / 10:00am - 11:00am Pacific Standard Time (PST)
Presented by: Council for Certification in Volunteer Administration (CCVA)
- Do you work with volunteers?
- Do you want to feel more confident in your role as a volunteer engagement professional?
- Do you seek visibility and credibility within your role, agency, and profession?
Earning your CVA (Certified in Volunteer Administration) – an international professional certification in the field of volunteer resources management – may be just what’s needed in your professional journey.
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 are 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.
In this webinar you’ll learn:
- About the CCVA
- Why certification may be right for you
- How the exam is created
- What the application, preparation, and certification process is
- When you will be ready
Join this info session to learn more about what it takes to become a CVA.
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!
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.



