Association of Leaders in Volunteer Engagement

Last updated
Association for Leaders Volunteer Engagement
Formation2007
Type Professional association
26-2600409
Legal status 501(c)(3) [1] [2]
HeadquartersSan Francisco, CA [1] [2]
Region
United States
Official language
English
Website volunteeralive.org OOjs UI icon edit-ltr-progressive.svg

The Association for Leaders Volunteer Engagement (AL!VE) was created in 2007. It is a professional association for managers of volunteers. It is a nonprofit organization.

Contents

History

Following the demise of the Association for Volunteer Administration (AVA) in 2006, discussions were held during the Points of Light Conference in Seattle in June 2006 by former AVA members about what kind of new organization might serve the needs of people that work with and support volunteers. Various people at this meeting expressed interest in creating a new professional association, and created a group called the Congress of Volunteer Administration Associations (COVAA) to explore the idea. [3] COVAA launched a web site at www.covaa.org by August 2006. [4]

The COVAA organizers held an event in December 2006 in Denver. About 90 people attended, representing local associations of those managing volunteers, commonly called DOVIAs (directors of volunteers in agencies), from cities large and small; state associations of volunteer administrators; affinity groups such as health care settings, volunteer centers, museums, local government, and animal shelters; and networks within national organizations such as volunteer program managers at the American Red Cross and Volunteers of America. At the end of three days, a COVAA Steering Committee was elected to continue to seek involvement and input from the widest range of colleagues working with volunteers, and to explore the creation of a permanent new association to serve as a professional network for such. [5]

A year later, based on feedback to COVAA organizers and discussions during a town hall meeting at the 2007 National Conference on Volunteering and Service in Philadelphia, the COVAA Steering Committee proposed the launch of a new professional association for people that work with volunteers, and the name of this association to be "ALIVE." It would stand for the "Association of Leaders in Volunteer Engagement." The organizers proposed the following mission ALIVE: "to enhance and sustain the spirit of volunteerism in America by fostering collaboration and networking, promoting professional development, and providing advocacy for leaders in community engagement". [6] AL!VE received a grant from the Volunteer Impact Fund to be used as start-up funding. The Founding Board was formed at a facilitated retreat in Denver in February 2009. AL!VE went live with its own web site in November 2009. [7]

Programs

Now abbreviated as AL!VE, the association serves both professionals and volunteers that work in the management of volunteers and volunteer engagement. It advocates for the recognition and appreciation of volunteer management, and works to be a resource for and provide a link to tools, research, and best practices regarding volunteer engagement. The association has published 21 online newsletters that chronicle its activities. [8] The association also provides a web page of web-based resources regarding the management and support of volunteers. [9]

AL!VE participated in the first national conference for managers of volunteers since the demise of AVA in July 2017, hosted by the Minnesota Association for Volunteer Administration. [10] [11] As volunteerism expert Susan J. Ellis noted, "It has been 10 years since we had a national event designed exclusively for people whose work centers on engaging volunteers. At one time we relied on what was the Association for Volunteer Administration (AVA) for such an annual gathering, but when AVA died, so did the conference... This is do-or-die time for AL!VE, the Association of Leaders in Volunteer Engagement." [12]

See also

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References

  1. 1 2 "Association Of Leaders In Volunteer Engagement". TaxExemptWorld.com. Retrieved 2 August 2018.
  2. 1 2 "Association of Leaders in Volunteer Engagement". Guidestar.
  3. COVAA Final Report, published December 2006
  4. "COVAA home page". Archived from the original on 2006-08-31. Retrieved 2016-08-20.CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link), accessed June 27, 2016
  5. Congress Highlights, accessed June 27, 2016
  6. December 2007 Update, accessed June 27, 2016
  7. "About us". Archived from the original on November 27, 2009. Retrieved 2017-04-24.CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link), accessed June 27, 2016
  8. AL!VE Newsletters, accessed June 27, 2016
  9. AL!VE website resources Archived 2016-05-28 at the Wayback Machine , accessed June 27, 2016
  10. "2017 National Summit on Volunteer Engagement Leadership"., accessed May 8, 2017
  11. "VolunteerALIVE tweet"., accessed July 28, 2017
  12. "Three Great Days: Reflections after the Summit on Volunteer Engagement Leadership". Energize., accessed August 1, 2017