OAVR Newsletter - July 2019
“Remember that the happiest people are not those getting more, but those giving more.” ―H. Jackson Brown Jr.
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Our Summer Social is fast approaching and we hope to see you all there! Please RSVP to membership@oavr.ca if you haven't done so already.
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We are both so excited to work with all of you for the next few years. We have a dynamic team working with us and we are excited about what the future holds for OAVR.
On June 27, 2019, we hosted a Board planning/retreat day. Our agenda was a full one and involved discussions on the following:
- Goals and objectives
- How we can serve membership better
- Summer Social plans (July 25 – we hope to see you there!)
- Membership renewal
- Planning for the Hybrid Conference in October (October 23 – save the date!)
- Establishing criteria and processes for board member participation
- Promotion and evaluation of our Excellence in Volunteer Management Award
- Improving our website
OAVR is a great resource for networking, professional development and leadership opportunities. Both of us joined OAVR 4 years ago as members and then as board members. We have become good friends, met many amazing people in our field, had opportunities to attend conferences and keep up to date with Volunteer Resources Management field.
We appreciate and value the opportunity that OAVR provides in supporting members when needing advice, sharing difficult situations and seeing the incredible responses from our group.
We personally love hearing about your best practices and successes – it’s so inspiring!
Please feel free to get in touch with us if you have any questions, concerns, or ideas on how we can best support you. We can be reached at chair@oavr.ca.
Denise Hawken and Ulyana Osorio
Co-Chairs
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Final Decision:
Volunteers Will Pay for Police Record Checks
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Ulyana Osorio co-chair, and Alexandria White vice-chair, attended Ottawa’s police services board meeting last week on behalf of OAVR.
After studying the issue the OPS board decided upon an online survey for feedback in regards to potential changes - 77% of respondents said they did not want to see volunteers charged for background checks.
Staff presented 3 options for the board to vote on: Option A would keep the status quo, with an employment background check costing $90 and a volunteer background check remaining free. Option B would lower the cost of an employment background check to $75 and keep the volunteer background check free. Staff said $400,000 was set out in the 2019 budget for background checks and would be used to reduce the cost of background checks for employment. Staff recommend option C, which would charge volunteers $20 for a background check. This would result in the background check fee for those seeking employment reduced from $90 to $65.
At least 8 organizations who rely on volunteers had an opportunity to speak and they all recommended option B, and stated that fees might discourage or even prevent people from volunteering.
The board voted option C. This means that starting September 1st they will start charging volunteers $10 fee and it will go up to $20 in January 2020.
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We want to hear from you!
How are you planning on dealing with volunteers now being required to pay for police records checks?
Send response to newsletter@oavr.ca
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Hospice Care Ottawa is a community based organization providing high quality end-of-life care for terminally ill people living in Ottawa.
They are currently looking for a Bilingual Coordinator of Volunteer Services to join their team on a part-time basis. This position is responsible for the recruitment, screening, orientation, training, management, appreciation, coaching and support of volunteers who provide HCO services.
Deadline for applications is Monday July 22, 2019
For more information on how to submit an application, click here.
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Save the date!
The Volunteer Management Hybrid Conference is happening
October 23, 2019.
Registration details coming soon.
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Want to go down memory lane?
You can check out past OAVR newsletters here!
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Webinar - July 16
When it comes to aging volunteers there are many questions and challenges that can arise. How can we work with our aging volunteers to modify placements to keep them involved? How do we determine when it may be time to end their involvement?
The Volunteer Management Professionals of Canada are here to answer some of these questions and opens the discussion to you.
To learn more and register for this webinar discussion on Aging Volunteers (Part 1), click here.
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Webinar - July 18
Choosing to leave a job that you really love because of the toxicity of the work environment can be very tough decision.
Sylvia Plester-Silk is sharing her story. From her personal experience she now assists nonprofits to shift their team from conflict to collaboration and cooperation. Use her tools to get your team on the right track.
To learn more and register for this webinar I Survived a Toxic Workplace: Insights to Shift your Leadership Practice, click here.
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Webinar - July 25
Are you being pulled in various directions? Feel like you don't have anytime for yourself?
Join Beth McKay as she guides you in identifying and designing a unique self-care practice. By learning to take care of you, you’ll be equipped with better resources to take care of what matters to you, avoiding burn out or loss of passion. You will be more present both personally and professionally.
To learn more and register for this webinar on A New Approach to Self-Care, click here.
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Webinar - July 30
Do you struggle with keeping volunteers interested, involved and engaged?
This webinar presented by VolunteerMatch will help you think about new strategies and help you evolve your program to include new roles and responsibilities for volunteers, pathways for more involvement and various other ways to keep your volunteers engaged.
To learn more and register for this webinar on Where Do I Go From Here? Engage Volunteers in New Ways, click here.
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Webinar - August 6
Want to learn how to create a connection between the work volunteers do and the mission of your organization? In this webinar you'll learn how to design volunteer opportunities with real impact, and how to tell the story of that impact both within your organization and to your community. Attendees will leave with sample mission-driven position descriptions and a worksheet to help craft their organization's story of volunteer engagement.
To register for this webinar on Re-Energize your Volunteer Program by Designing Mission-Driven Opportunities, click here.
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Webinar - August 7
Check out part two of Volunteer Management Professionals of Canada webinar discussing a Hot Topic: Aging Volunteers.
Get ready to participate in the session as it is all discussion based. You will have the opportunity to hear from others and get the answers to the questions you have in regards to aging volunteers.
To learn more and register for this webinar discussion on Aging Volunteers (Part 2), click here. |
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e-Volunteerism Free Articles of the Month
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S#%& Words We Need to Stop Saying: Words and Phrases to Erase from the Lexicon of Volunteer Management
Rob Jackson and Erin R. Spink present their thoughts on the words and phrases that no longer serve the volunteer engagement profession -- and, in fact, may actually hurt us. They review and present new ways to communicate about our field.
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In this Research to Practice, Canadian researchers Benjamin H. Gottlieb, Scott B. Maitland and Wes Sheraa explore four factors that predict job satisfaction and affective commitment for community-based paid managers of volunteers. These factors include; closeness with volunteers, the value-expressive nature of the work, perceived supervisor support, and perceived co-worker support.
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Interested in reading more? Subscribe to e-Volunteerism to get access to current volunteer management articles in each quarterly issue, and 18 years of archives!
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OAVR's Mandate:
 To promote professionalism in volunteer resource management To support our members in the pursuit of their goals To provide a forum to share information and resources To network with peers
OAVR's Goals:
Exchange ideas and resources
Share information and concerns
Networking
Socializing
Offering support and encouragement to members
Liaising with organizations involved with volunteers
Promoting professionalism among our members
Assisting our members with their professional development
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PDU Reminder:
Don't forget that Professional Development Units can be applied to written submissions to this newsletter!
If you're working towards or maintaining your CVA or a similar certification, part of the application process requires a minimum number of PDUs.
So get writing and share your expertise with your fellow volunteer managers by submitting your articles to newsletter@oavr.ca!
Publishing:
Writing related to volunteer resources management (blogs, articles, research reports, website content, etc.)
500 words = 2 PDUs
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