Notes from the Nonprofit Human Resources Management Symposium in San Diego

I am pleased to report that the Nonprofit Human Resources Management Symposium in San Diego was a success!! This was the first event that I planned from beginning to end and it was such a rewarding experience. I am thankful for the amazing human resource management experts who took the time to come and present at our event. I feel lucky to know such talented people in the nonprofit sector -- Lisa Morton, Laura Gassner Otting, Emily Davis, Joe Brown, Sherri Petro, Christopher Olmsted, Ann Shanklin, and Karen Horning -- you all rock!!!

I also want to thank my wonderful co-workers for helping with the event and most of all I want to thank my boss Laura Deitrick (director of the Caster Family Center for Nonprofit and Philanthropic Research) who let me run with this idea. Laura, thanks for always believing in me and my ideas!!

I am happy to report that many of the speakers allowed us to post their presentations on slideshare for your viewing pleasure. We also had volunteer note takers capture key points from the breakout seminars. These notes are posted on the Institute for Nonprofit Education and Research's blog.

Please take a moment to refresh your HR skills by viewing the blog posts and presentations from the event.

If you are interested in more professional development opportunities in nonprofit human resources management, please register for the Nonprofit Human Resources Management Conference (October 3-5 in Washington D.C.), organized by Nonprofit HR Solutions.

Confessions of a Forth-Year Doctoral Student: Persistence Pays Off!!

As I enter the LAST year of my PhD program and dive into my dissertation research, I am contemplating the future and reflecting on my past. One thing is certain, my persistence has paid off! When I entered this PhD program three years ago, I was eager to succeed and thought I could conquer the world. I soon found out that I had A LOT of learning to do. I'm still learning every day but through this program I've developed into a better writer, presenter, teacher, co-worker, and friend and the path to get here hasn't been easy.

This may be shocking to many of you, but school does NOT come easy to me. Throughout my years of schooling I never made the honor roll and I never won any academic awards. I've ALWAYS worked hard in school, studied hours and hours, yet I've struggled to get good grades.

Why do I share this? Because....many people who start their PhDs never finish them because its too hard. They give up because they cannot handle the constant critiques and feedback. Sure, I've had my share of challenges in this program, yet I keep going and I keep persisting. I wouldn't be like this if school had been easy for me. So if you're a student and you're feeling down and out and want to quit--DON'T! Keep going, keep persisting and things will turn around. I know this is corny to say but, if I can earn my PhD, you certainly can!!

Keep persisting!!

New to Volunteer Management: Here's a Brief Overview

Did you know that the majority of nonprofits do not have a volunteer manager, yet most use volunteers on a daily basis?

In my previous jobs I learned the hard way how to create volunteer applications, volunteer screening procedures, and volunteer management best practices; but this shouldn't have been the case. There is an abundance of volunteer management resources available on the web, many which are free. Here's a brief overview of these resources:

Awesome volunteer management websites

• Idealist.org's Volunteer Management Resource Center
• Service Leader.org -- Specialized resources for Volunteers, Leaders and Managers of Volunteers, and Instructors and Thought Leaders
• National Service Resource Center -- Tools and Training for Volunteer and Service Programs
  
• Volunteer Match -- Find your next volunteer, or search for a volunteer opportunity
  
• Volunteer Today.com -- Pertinent information on recruiting and engaging volunteers; and promoting professional development opportunities for those who work to engage volunteers
• Points of Light Ideas and Insights -- Research, analysis, tools and training to support the creation and management of volunteer programs.
  
• Energizeinc.com -- Volunteer Management Resources for Directors of Volunteers in a Volunteerism World.
  
• National Youth Leadership Council -- Resources on service-learning
  
• Servenet (Youth Service America) -- Volunteering Opportunities
  
• Innovations in Civic Participation -- Works with individuals, organizations, and groups around the globe to support the development of innovative approaches to national youth service and service-learning.
• National Commission on Service Learning -- A national initiative to engage more young people in service to others as part of their academic studies.
• Corporation for National and Community Service

Selected Volunteerism Books and Research

• Starting and Maintaining a Quality Internship Program -- by Michael True
• 12 Key Actions of Volunteer Program Champions -- by Betty Stallings
• 55 Minute Volunteer Management Training Series -- by Betty Stallings
• Strategic Volunteer Engagement: A Guide for Nonprofit and Public Sector Leaders -- by Sarah J. Rehnborg.
• From the Top Down: The Executive Role in Successful Volunteer Involvement by Susan Ellis
• Journal of Volunteer Administration
  
• Center for Information and Resource on Civic Learning and Engagement -- A nonpartisan research center studying youth participation and civic engagement
  
• The Unpaid Intern, Legal or Not, New York Times 4/2/10
• Volunteer Management Capacity in America's Charities/Congregations -- by Mark Hager
  

This was compiled by the wonderful and talented Wanda Bailey. She is the former ED of Volunteer San Diego and she provided me this list of when we met to discuss my dissertation which deals with episodic volunteering. Thanks Wanda!!

Nominate a young, transformative leader for the American Express NGen Leadership Award!

From the Independent Sector:

Independent Sector is pleased to announce that nominations are now open for the inaugural American Express NGen Leadership Award. This award will honor one under-40 nonprofit professional who has had a transformative impact on addressing society’s critical needs.

All nominees must be under-40, work for a U.S.-based nonprofit or non-governmental organization, and have had a transformative, measurable impact within his or her field, beyond just one organization. The winner of the American Express NGen Leadership Award will be announced in late August, and will be recognized during the IS Annual Conference in Atlanta, October 20-22. Nominations will be accepted through Monday, June 14. Self-nomination is not admissible for this award.

This award extends Independent Sector’s commitment to encouraging emerging leaders in the nonprofit and philanthropic community through the NGen: Moving Nonprofit Leaders from Next to Now program. We encourage all under-40 nonprofit professionals to join us for the NGen Program at the IS Annual Conference in Atlanta this October, which will offer expanded programming for emerging leaders, including targeted workshops, an advanced practice institute, speed networking, and other opportunities to interact with leaders of all ages. Registration for IS Annual Conference in Atlanta is now open.

We look forward to seeing you at the IS Annual Conference this year, and we hope you will nominate a young, transformative nonprofit professional for the inaugural American Express NGen Leadership Award.