Engage

08/19/2025

Why do volunteers leave?
This ETHICS article tackles volunteer endings and how to prepare for them.
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If you were training to become a train driver, would you learn how to start the train and travel along the tracks without learning anything about how to stop? Of course you wouldn’t. So, why would we start a volunteering journey and continue that journey without any consideration for how to slow d...

08/19/2025

"The Citizen Story imagines people as active participants in the world around them."
🌍 What does this new model mean for the future?

If volunteering is really in crisis, why are so many volunteer-led organisations flourishing?

08/18/2025

"income inequality and economic stagnation may undermine civic life by reducing individuals’ capacity to engage in and eroding the trust and solidarity needed for collective action."
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Rebecca Nesbit, Ph.D. and Laurie E. Paarlberg, Ph.D. initiate a discussion on the decline of volunteering in the United States

08/18/2025

Transformational volunteer roles keep volunteers engaged. What are the basics for creating these roles?
🌍 Always adhere to the mission statement
🌎 Consider the emotional outcome of the work
🌏 Make it about people not tasks
🌍 Cultivate feedback that shows the impact on those served
🌎 Make roles about community
Something else?

08/17/2025

It's ! A time when we'll spotlight authors, volunteers or friends of Engage who carry the CVA credential.

Joy Parker, CVA in the U.S. wrote a high level piece for our Ethics section, "Professional Ethics and Decision Making: How to Reach a Decision You Can Defend."

https://engagejournal.org/article/april-2022/professional-ethics-and-decision-making-how-reach-decision-you-can-defend
* this article is for Engage members, low cost monthly membership are available.

Studying for the CVA exam? We wish you good luck and hope you are inspired by the many CVAs around the world who write for and about the profession of volunteer management.

08/15/2025

NEW article in our latest issue!

Struggling with conversations around volunteer retention at your organization? Is retention a talking point you have not been asked to dive into? Is it one you avoid? Or perhaps retention is something you have not previously considered for your volunteer roles?

To many Leaders of Volunteers, volunteer retention is a known challenge. But in this Engage feature, Volunteer Management professional Lisa Marie Mooney, CVA isn’t referring to the work that Volunteer Leaders put forth to retain volunteers in meaningful service with organizations and their missions. Instead, she is referring to HOW we talk about retention. These conversations, she notes, are often a huge challenge for Volunteer Leaders who frequently must deal with the misrepresentation of volunteer retention through statistics shared within organizational leadership.

No matter where you are in the conversations about volunteer retention, Mooney’s article will provide some guidance. And her tips and insights on some new tools to help guide you in defining the retention metric will no doubt be meaningful for both your organization and your volunteers.

https://engagejournal.org/article/july-2025/everyone-welcome-volunteer-retention-defined-todays-volunteers
* this article is for Engage members, low cost monthly memberships are available

08/15/2025

How will we engage Gen Z?
🌎 Read "Generation Z: The Volunteers Who Will Change the World," for insights into how Gen Zers want to help.
https://buff.ly/txMcwhp

08/11/2025

Those crucial first questions. What matters?
🌍 How did you hear about us?
🌎 What brought you here today?
🌏 How do you feel about our mission?
🌍 Have you volunteered before?
🌎 How do you want to make a difference?
Something else?

08/10/2025

It's ! A time when we'll spotlight authors, volunteers or friends of Engage who carry the CVA credential.

Adam Janes, CVA in Canada wrote a great piece for our Feature Articles section, "Blood and Volunteering."

https://engagejournal.org/article/january-2023/blood-and-volunteering
* this article is for Engage members, low cost monthly membership are available.

Studying for the CVA exam? We wish you good luck and hope you are inspired by the many CVAs around the world who write for and about the profession of volunteer management.

08/08/2025

"If you want to inspire us, actually include us in solid structures of your organization"
🌏 Are we willing to embrace Gen Z's direction?

It's the latest example of how organizations are trying to empower and encourage Gen Z to get involved in philanthropy.

08/08/2025

Watch Dana Litwin, CVA and Jennifer Bennett, CVA discuss in-depth the Idealist and Volunteer Match merger, and the recent Points of Light conference.
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Welcome back to Priceless Advice with leaders of volunteers! I'm very excited to feature my good friend and colleague Jennifer Bennett, CVA, in a lively conv...

08/08/2025

Conference alert!
Our own Betsy McFarland, CVA will be presenting at this years Colorado Conference on Volunteerism in Denver with keynote, Severina Ware, CVA. You will also find our Marketing Manager, Corina Sadler, CVA in the audience.

The last day to get your ticket is August 15. Find out more with DOVIA Colorado at https://www.doviacolorado.org/annual_conference.php