The best kept secret in professional development is the Texas Volunteer Management Conference!  It provides opportunities to learn and network with colleagues from around the region at an affordable price.  Sound like a sales pitch?  In a way it is, but I wanted you to know about the chance to learn from the best trainers in the field, including Martin J. Cowling and many other experts.  Often, we don’t have the budgets to accommodate the pricey conferences.  Here is an option that you can easily access.

So what is so hot about Martin?  First of all, after 20 years in the nonprofit sector, he knows what he is talking about.  Second, he’s funny!  You’ll learn in a entertaining environment.  Lastly, he understands that people are the key to success or failure in the nonprofit sector.  He is committed to ensuring that professionals understand how to successfully engage human resources to their full potential.

About two years ago, I had lunch with Martin in a burger joint in Dallas.  I was amazed by his breadth of knowledge but also his humble accessibility.  What a fun time of sharing and mutual learning.

So here is your chance.  The conference will be held on March 4, 2011.  For information on how to get involved, please visit www.texasvmc.org.

So when you show up at the conference, be sure to say hello!

Celeste

Finding truly affordable professional development opportunities can be tough.  That’s why I wanted to remind you about the Texas Volunteer Management Conference.

Registration is currently open for the 20th Texas Volunteer Management
Conference, March 3-4, in Grapevine TX. This is a great opportunity for
excellent education and unparalleled networking for all people working
with volunteers. Internationally known trainer, Martin J Cowling, of
Australia, is the keynote speaker and guest trainer. Martin, along with
Bono and Jim Collins, was named as one of 67 leading speakers on
philanthropy by Philanthropy 411 in 2010. Visit www.texasVMC.org
<http://www.texasvmc.org/>

See you there!

Celeste

For a disaster volunteer resources manager (VRMs), the most important aspect of any response operation is the safety of volunteers and staff.  The hazards surrounding disaster response vary with the nature of the response operation.  This article outlines a few of the issues that disaster response VRMs should consider to protect the volunteers they manage. Read the rest of this entry »

Medical volunteers offer their skills in a number of ways.  Social service agencies engage them for their professional expertise and knowledge of the medical community.  During disaster planning, response and recovery, the Medical Reserve Corps volunteers provide valuable assistance to their communities by supporting public health initiatives and supporting medical operations during a disaster. Read the rest of this entry »

“The use of volunteers has proven critical to emergency management.  Both individual volunteers and established volunteer groups offer a wealth of skills and resources that can be used prior to, during, and after an emergency.  Mobilizing the private sector can add significantly to emergency management programs.  As an emergency management professional, your ability to work with volunteers before, during, and after an emergency can literally affect the lives and well being of the local citizenry.  Volunteers can impact – for better or worse – the ability of response agencies to do their jobs and can make a difference in how quickly the community is able to respond to and recover from a disaster.”  (FEMA) Read the rest of this entry »

Large volunteer projects have many inherent hazards.  Often these projects involve large numbers of volunteers with limited or general knowledge in construction, home repair and landscaping.  It is important that every Volunteer Resources Manager (VRM) address these safety considerations with volunteers to ensure that everyone has a safe and productive time at the agency. Read the rest of this entry »

As we read the newspapers each day, stories describe avian flu cases in countries such as China and Turkey.  While these cases seem to be located far away from American shores, American professionals have watched it coming closer and began to pose the question, ‘When will it reach America and how will we respond?’  The next question should be how will the US nonprofit community respond?

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You may remember a commercial a few years ago that depicted cat herding.  While the commercial humorously depicted modern management in general, it reminded volunteer resources managers (VRMs) about their work.  VRMs bring together information, ideas, and people and direct them where they need to go even when it seems that everyone is going in a different direction.

Read the rest of this entry »

Recently, the following question was posed on CyberVPM, “How do you interface with government officials responsible for disaster response if you are volunteer professional?”  The following answer is deceptively simple: “How do you interface with other nonprofit or business professionals?” Read the rest of this entry »

As operations have become more complex, teams have become more important than ever.  Systemically building highly responsive teams is a very specific skill that volunteer resources managers (VRMs) should master to operate more effectively in their agencies and communities.  It’s as easy as learning to R.O.C.K.

Read the rest of this entry »