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.
4:30pm ET / 3:30pm CT / 1:30pm PT
2025: Feb 13, Apr 10, Jun 12, Aug 14 and Nov 2
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
AL!VE will be hosting a virtual celebration brunch featuring Melissa Rhodes Carter from the Walmart Foundation, Senior Manager, Community Resilience, for the Caring and Connected Communities portfolio. Invite your teams and supervisors to attend. We will have an hour full of purpose, fun, and recognition!
We proudly announce the celebration of International Volunteer Managers Day (IVMDay) 2025, observed every year on November 5. This year's global theme, “Be BOLD. Make Change.”, encourages volunteer managers, volunteers, volunteerism enthusiasts, and community members to advocate for meaningful change, embrace innovation, and strengthen the impact of volunteer programs in communities across the country.
Click here to save your spot!
November AL!VE Academy: This is a Profession! The Importance of Creating a Strategy and Advocating for our Professional Selves with Advocacy Committee Programs Chair, Alicia Morris November 11, 2025 12:30pm Est - 90 minutes
Volunteer management is more than coordination. It's a profession rooted in strategy, leadership, and impact. In this webinar, you'll learn how to shift your language to reflect the strengths-based capacity of your role, affirm the professional identity of volunteer management, and explore strategies to advocate for the field in today’s evolving nonprofit landscape.This is a Profession! The Importance of Creating a Strategy and Advocating for our Professional Selves.This is a Profession! The Importance of Creating a Strategy and Advocating for our Professional Selves.This is a Profession! The Importance of Creating a Strategy and Advocating for our Professional Selves.
Whether you're new to the role or a seasoned leader, this session will equip you with tools to elevate your voice, validate your expertise, and champion the profession with confidence
Learning Objectives:
Apply strengths-based language to describe the value and impact of volunteer management.
Recognize and affirm volunteer management as a skilled and credible profession.
Explore strategies to advocate for the profession in today’s evolving nonprofit landscape.
The "Financial Management in Volunteer Administration" workshop is an hour-long online learning session designed to enhance participants' understanding of key financial management concepts relevant to volunteer programs. The workshop covers essential learning objectives, including the basics of financial management, the application of cost principles to budgeting, the importance of diversifying funding sources, and the effective valuation and utilization of in-kind contributions. The agenda includes an introduction to the role of financial management and a discussion of key concepts such as cost principles and budgeting with an interactive activity for the practical application of these principles. There is time set aside following the presentation for Q&A to address participant inquiries.
The Speaker:
Jamie S. Dent, MCL, MHA (and a former CVA), is a dedicated professional specializing in research administration, leadership, and financial management within the nonprofit sector. Currently serving as the Research Operations Director in the Department of Emergency Medicine at Stanford University, Jamie oversees active research awards to emergency medicine physicians (faculty) exceeding $40 million annually, providing strategic leadership to administrative staff and enhancing the research administration infrastructure.
Jamie served as a Senior AmeriCorps Program Officer for Volunteer Tennessee, where they directed a comprehensive grant making process, managing over $4.5 million annually in federal funds for impactful community-based programs. His experience in financial resource management was further demonstrated as the Administrative Services Manager for the Department of Health in Tennessee, where they successfully wrote and directed grant application processes totaling over $19 million annually and co-wrote the first funded opioid substance use disorder program grant for the state.
With a strong background in financial oversight, grant development, and capacity-building training for nonprofit agencies, Jamie is committed to fostering sustainable operational efficiencies and maximizing the impact of social initiatives.
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.
Join us for a chat about passion and calling featuring Adam Janes, CVA — former religious leader and now a volunteer engagement professional with nine years of experience. Through building and rebuilding communities, careers, and worldviews, Adam has come to see volunteer engagement not just as a job, but as a true calling and a lifelong journey of learning what healthy community truly means.
Adam will draw on some illustrations, not for profit history, macro narratives and personal experiences to show how your work is more than a cog in the nonprofit wheel. It’s a force for generosity, connection, and care within your organisation and beyond. He will make the case for why you have one of the greatest jobs in the world and helping convince others of its importance is a challenge best built through building a passion for the profession.
The session will be moderated by Nicole R.Smith, CVA a leading voice in volunteer engagement, who will guide the conversation and pose thought-provoking questions along the way.
Click Here to Register
Date: Friday, November 14, 2025
Location: Cleveland Foundation — 6601 Euclid Ave, Cleveland, OH 44103
Valet parking: Complimentary valet parking required on site.
Format: In-Person or Virtual
Get ready for a dynamic day exploring how volunteerism is evolving and how we, as leaders, can change the game to strengthen our communities. Expect fresh ideas, practical strategies, new connections, and engaging conversations to inspire your work.
Save the date and register today: Conference Registration
Member and non-member rates will be posted within the registration page.
8:00 AM – 8:30 AM — Registration Check-In • Coffee & Continental Breakfast
8:30 AM – 8:45 AM — FVA Welcome / Begin Virtual Session
8:45 AM – 10:00 AM — Keynote: Advancing Servant Leadership in the Age of AI
Mr. Stephen White, Esq., Chief Strategy Officer & General Counsel, COSI
10:00 AM – 10:15 AM — Break / Raffle Drawing
10:15 AM – 11:30 AM — Session #1: Reverse Volunteer Recruitment
Angela Williamson, CVA
11:30 AM – 12:15 PM — Lunch & Networking
12:15 PM – 12:45 PM — FVA Annual Meeting & Update • Presentation of the Volunteer Administrator of the Year Award
12:45 PM – 1:00 PM — Break / Raffle Drawing
1:00 PM – 2:15 PM — Session #2: From Management to Momentum: Leading Volunteers with Strategic Clarity
Houston Goodwin, CEO, Better Impact
2:15 PM – 2:30 PM — Break / Raffle Drawing
2:30 PM – 3:45 PM — Session #3: The Evolution of Employee Communication & Engagement
Michael McGrath, Executive Vice President, McGohan Brabender
3:45 PM – 4:15 PM — Wrap-Up, Final Announcements & Raffle Drawing
Game Changer: Advancing Servant Leadership in the Age of AI
Stephen White, Esq. inspires organizations to “dream more, do more, and become more.” He is Chief Strategy Officer and General Counsel at the Center for Science and Industry (COSI), a multi-award-winning science center recognized by USA Today and the Institute of Museum and Library Services.
Stephen founded the theory of Servant Learning and leads the Learning Lunchbox initiative — a global STEM outreach model developed in partnership with the White House, NASA, and the U.S. Department of Energy that has distributed 350,000+ educational kits. His work blends servant leadership, partnerships, and practical solutions to workforce and education gaps.
Stephen’s talk will explore how servant leadership and innovation can shape volunteer engagement in a rapidly changing, AI-infused world.
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.
