Blog
Get tips about design and facilitation
The way Generation X volunteers: informally
In the last couple of weeks I've been spending time developing an e-portfolio, which essentially showcases my resume online with expanded and interactive content. It's been a really valuable exercise to go through for a number of reasons. One reason has been that I've...
What bad online courses look like, and how to avoid them
It seems like I've been teaching online non-stop since the end of April. Oh wait, I have. I had the good fortune while I was doing a contract as an Instructional Designer at Royal Roads University this past year to co-facilitate their Instructional Skills Workshop...
I don’t count
When I was growing up, one of our family's jokes was about how "we don't count in our family." It was usually a phrase that cropped up after someone ate the last of the cookies, squares, or freezer peaches that we had put away for the winter (yes there absolutely is a...
Oh where oh where has the volunteer screening cycle gone?
Oh where or where has the volunteer screening cycle gone? Oh where or where could it be? Last month when I was preparing to co-facilitate Volunteer Victoria's "Leading Volunteers: Foundations in Volunteer Management" course for Volunteer Burnaby, I spent some time...
Five tips for using secret shoppers at your nonprofit
Have you ever seen the TV show "Undercover Boss"? If you haven't, it's essentially a program that features CEOs from different high profile companies going undercover within their own operations to see what and how things are really done by their employees. In most...
Gratitude
Since January my mother and I have been emailing back and forth to each other a daily gratitude journal, picking three things from each day to tell each other that we are thankful for. Our emails stack up upon each other, creating one very long string of the best...
What does volunteer engagement look like?
The other week I was in Burnaby facilitating the first day of the "Leading Volunteers: Foundations in Volunteer Management" course, our blended model course in volunteer management. We have a small but mighty class of 11 people going through this 30-hour course, with...
Developing thought leaders in volunteer management
I just spent the last three and a half days immersed in thinking about volunteer management. The bi-annual conference for my professional group - the Administrators of Volunteer Resources British Columbia (AVRBC) was here in Victoria at the beautiful Delta Ocean...
Yes, volunteer management is a profession!
A few weeks ago I taught a half-day workshop called "Vital Volunteer Management" with a group of about 20 participants. It was a very interactive introduction to Volunteer Canada's volunteer screening cycle. I began the day introducing some of the major resources that...
An upcoming transition, and projects galore!
I've been a little irregular on this blog lately so I thought I better post about why. There are several reasons! One is that I've been involved in planning and preparing for a work transition. Another is that I've been gearing up activities as Workshop Program Chair...