Please note: this course is offered as a three-part series with individual sessions taking place on January 16, 23, and 30, from 10 to 11 a.m. It is recommended that participants engage in all three sessions.

You only need to purchase ONE ticket per person for the entire series!

For a busy nonprofit professional, effectively managing volunteers can seem challenging, even daunting. This series will provide a helpful framework for developing or enhancing your volunteer program. After watching a series of short videos, reflecting upon your volunteer program’s goals, and joining in peer discussions, you will gain insight and ideas that you can immediately use!

Each week you will watch three twelve-minute videos at your leisure along with handouts to support self-reflection. The prep work shouldn’t take more than an hour to complete but is important to ensure that you and your peers get the most out of the live sessions!

Thanks to generous funding from United Way of King County, the entire series is offered to organizations serving King County for $15, and to the larger community for $45. A limited number of scholarships are available. If the fee is a barrier for you, please contact Jan@501Commons.org for more information.

Session 1 of 3 | Volunteer Management Strategy | Live Discussion on January 16, 10-11 a.m.

Effective volunteer engagement begins with a strong strategy. We will explore the importance of aligning your volunteer program with your organization’s mission and creating a philosophy statement for volunteer involvement. We encourage you to share the videos with your organization’s leaders and to discuss the purpose of volunteers before the live session.

Session 2 of 3 | Effective Volunteer Recruitment | Live Discussion on January 23, 10-11 a.m.

We build on the first session by discussing how to develop clear volunteer position descriptions, as well as recruit, match, and set volunteers up for success.

Session 3 of 3 | Volunteer Engagement Session 2 of 3 | Live Discussion on January 30, 10-11 a.m.

With a solid foundation in place, we dive into supervision, recognition, and evaluating your volunteer program.

About the Presenters

The online videos are conducted by Nancy A. Gaston, CVA.

Nancy is a consultant with Gifts Differing and 501 Commons. She has been the executive director of a volunteer-staffed crisis line, a county-wide volunteer center, and a volunteer chore service organization. As a trainer, she has presented sessions on volunteer engagement at local, regional, national, and international conferences.

Nancy holds a degree in English and journalism from Eastern Michigan University and a graduate degree in theology from McGill University in Montreal. She is a Certified Volunteer Administrator (CVA) through the Council for Certification in Volunteer Administration and a certified trainer with Oregon Volunteers. Nancy has served on many boards of directors, including the Clark County YWCA, the Nonprofit Network of Southwest Washington, Evergreen Habitat for Humanity, Assistance League Southwest Washington, and the Fort Vancouver Regional Library Foundation. She volunteers regularly with her faith community and is a lunch buddy at a local elementary school.

The live discussions are facilitated by Jan Burrell, 501 Commons Consulting Services Manager.

Jan Burrell has spent the last 25 years helping volunteers make a difference in their communities. She holds a degree in organizational communication from Chico State University and a certificate in volunteer management from Washington State University. As 501 Commons’ Consulting Services Manager, Jan works with skilled volunteers to boost the capacity of nonprofit clients. She is adept at ensuring that nonprofit clients’ and volunteers’ expectations are mutually achieved.

For more information:

Questions about this series? Contact 501 Commons.

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