Volunteer Management Camp!
Learning, networking, and collaboration: We are thrilled to share that the 2023 Maine Volunteer Leadership Conference will be a camp for Volunteer Managers, October 11th!
Click Here to register!
Agenda (subject to change)
8:00 am – 9:00 am: Registration Opens
9:00 am – 9:45 am : Welcome and Keynote
10:00 am – 11: 15 am : Session 1
11:15 am – 12:00 pm: Networking
12:00 pm – 1:00 pm: Lunch
1:00 pm – 1:45 pm : Expert Panel
2:00 pm – 3:15 pm : Session 2
3:30 pm – 4:45 pm : Session 3
4:45 pm – 5:00 pm : Closeout
- Sessions
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Keynote: Daniel Iván Zamarrón
Daniel Zamarrón is an architect and the director of parks and gardens for Ciudad Juárez. He oversees the foresting of parks and street medians in the city, donation of trees, and environmental education for better practices of tree planting and vegetation in urban environments. Throughout his career, he has been an environmental activist working on educational projects regarding water management, plastic recycling, and opposing mining projects near urban areas. He has also been a social and political activist and worked with vulnerable communities to improve public spaces and promote citizen participation. Prior to his current role, Daniel worked in the private sector and as a university professor for ten years. Daniel will share his expertise with audiences in Maine and bring back ideas and connections to his work in Juarez.
A1. Program Evaluation
Presenters: Susan Wiggin and Dr. Brenda Zollitsch
How do you know that your program is a success?
This session will go over to look at your program, what to measure, and how to decipher what your data means.
A2. Volunteer Management 101
Presenter: Jared McCannell
If you are new to volunteer management or have suddenly found yourself in charge of a group of volunteers in your organization, this session will help you get the cornerstones to managing volunteers and the start of creating a great volunteer program.
A3. Creating Sustainable Academic Internship Programs
Presenter: Tom Mullin
Let's get a college intern to help us out! A phrase that is heard at many a nonprofit or governmental agency staff meeting. But how to make it a successful AND sustainable program. That is the question. Learn the best practices on how to create and manage a college/university intern program at your agency/organization through this facilitated discussion session. Featured with be an overview best practices, small group discussion, and case study examples with a robust Q and A session. At the end of the concurrent session, the attendees will be invited to be on a peer network for consultation in the future.
A4. Recruitment: It's all About the What, Who, How and What If
Presenter: Jen Lobley
In this session we will look at some current trends that could be impacting your volunteer recruitment efforts and learn how to write a role description. We will explore different recruitment methods and participants will practice "making the ask".
B1. Leading the Future!
Presenter: Deidrah Stanchfield
Are you passionate about solving social problems and want to inspire young people to do the same? This is the workshop for you! Managing volunteers can be difficult, especially when the goals are lofty and the participants are hard to wrangle. The presenters for this workshop have real-life experience with this task and are eager to share some lived experiences while also helping you learn more about yourself. By creating a personal mission participants will drill down into their role and then work outward, developing strategies to keep youth interested and engaged in volunteer opportunities.
B2. Who's in Charge if I Get Hit by a Bus?
Presenter: Lloyd Ziel
Volunteers want to step into their greatness. And that is extremely powerful, and great for our organizations. Magical things happen when leadership steps back from firewalling our volunteers, their talents and their passion, and directs their talents into a satisfying and mission-driven experience. In this workshop, we'll talk about creating a culture in which your volunteers will thrive and promote the mission and the values or your organization. You will be called upon. Full Stop. Bring your volunteer engagement statistics, what you're doing now, and be able to articulate what you hope your volunteer program to be. Aim high. Don't hold back. Your volunteers are as committed to your organization as you are. More so. They're not getting paid. Your responsibility to a "volunteer's heart" of giving is to make their experience "excellent." Let me show you how to build, require, foster, and maintain an "Excellent Volunteer Experience."
B3. Risk Management
Presenter: Michael Ashmore
You're thinking about starting a new volunteer program, or maybe you've been asked to evaluate the risk of your current program. You want to know what kinds of risk may arise, what resources you could use, and what kind of steps you can take to mitigate your risk.
C1. Emotional Intelligence - Why Connection, Care & Belonging Begins With Us
Presenter: Kellie Ballie
This workshop provides all adults with the 5 key elements and foundational understanding of Emotional Intelligence (EI) and how this is necessary for us as adults when helping to guide, mentor and care for children. Mind, brain and social science supports the premise that when the adults in children’s lives are integrated, regulated and “trauma informed” and provide a consistently safe, inclusive learning environment where every child can thrive optimally, then they (children are more easily able to Co-Regulate). This framework is gleamed from the extensive body of research provided by CASEL (the Collaborative for Academic, Social and Emotional Learning).
C2. How to Launch and Maintain a Successful Volunteer Program with Adults with Disabilities
Presenter: Cory Long
This session will show you how to launch and maintain a successful volunteer program for adults with developmental disabilities and autism. The session will provide you with the knowledge and tools to find volunteer sites, like networking, cold calling, the internet and how to handle tough situations while in the community. You will find websites that are helpful places to look for opportunities. There will be time for small group discussions focused on handling tough situations/ scenarios you may encounter.
C3. How to Use Your Volunteers as Brand Ambassadors
Presenter: Kelsey Preecs, CVA
People talk. Whether they've had a good experience or a bad experience, they are going to tell their friends and family. So why not be sure that to get the word out about your work. This session wil go over the why and how to use your volunteers to further the community's awareness of you.
- Speakers
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Kellie Bailey
Kellie Doyle Bailey MA CCC-SLP MMT/SELI has over 33 years of experience as a trauma informed pediatric speech language pathologist and more recently (10+ years) as a mindfulness educator, social emotional learning specialist and restorative practice educator. She works for the Maine Department of Education providing workshops & trainings across the state to educational leaders and all school staff in the key elements in Emotional Intelligence for Adults. Kellie is also the founder of Calm Cool Kids Educate and a children's book author having written a series of children's books, which explore the complexities of navigating life's big emotions. Her newest book Some Days I Make Mistakes was released in November 2023. Kellie lives in Northport, Me. with her husband, Bruce.
Tom Mullin
Tom Mullin is the Executive Director of the Friends of the Cobbossee Watershed located in the Winthrop region. We protect the lakes, ponds and streams of the Cobbossee Watershed through community engagement, conservation and education He is the former Executive Director of the Herring Gut Coastal Science Center and prior to that was on the faculty of Unity College for over two decades.
Jen Lobley
Jen Lobley, a UMaine Cooperative Extension Professor, has worked in volunteer development for the past 23 years. She provides direct training to Extension volunteers, and builds capacity of staff members in all Extension program areas to work with volunteers. She has presented workshops on numerous volunteer development topics at national, state and local conferences over the years. Her research interests include virtual learning for volunteers, volunteer impact, and volunteer engagement with underserved audiences. Jen is currently partnering with staff members from Volunteer Maine to develop an introductory volunteer management micro-credential scheduled to roll out later this fall.
Deidrah Stanchfield
Deidrah Stanchfield is the chainsaw wielding mom of 3 young children. Coming from an 8-year career in healthcare, she found a different way to help people through AmeriCorps. From growing the volunteer program at the Augusta Community Warming Center over 4 seasons to currently leading the ME-RAP Youth, combined with AmeriCorps program management experience, she’s seen the impact volunteerism and service can have on communities and individuals. Deidrah is a person in long term recovery, who earned a Bachelor’s of Social Science with a concentration in Administrative and Organizational Behavior while working full time and also having her third child born during a pandemic. Tenacity and grit are her adjectives, and empowering others to lead is her passion. Deidrah started as an AmeriCorps member, completed 2 terms with Maine Conservation Corps and one with Recovery Corps. She moved quickly into a Program Manager position with MCC. From the trails, structures and tools to the people themselves, equity and inclusion and relationships, MCC connects her passions. Helping and empowering people has been a keystone in Deidrah’s life. Hard physical labor, the Maine wilderness and great co-workers added a synergy that keeps her excited to go to work every day.
Brenda Zollitsch, PhD
Dr. Brenda Zollitsch serves as Lecturer in Public Policy and Nonprofit Management at the University of Southern Maine’ Muskie School of Public Service. Dr. Zollitsch’s teaching and research focuses on environmental resource management, water resource policy and management, state and tribal program capacity building, organizational development, collaborative implementation of policy, sustainability, and climate adaptation. She has a strong background in teaching, collaboration building, training and curriculum development, as well as program assessment/evaluation, resource development and capacity building across sectors. Prior to joining USM fulltime in 2022, she worked as Senior Policy Analyst for a national environmental nonprofit addressing wetland and water resource policy and regulatory issues. She has served in leadership positions throughout her career, including as Senior Administrator of Continuing Medical Education at Boston University School of Medicine and as executive director of a youth development foundation in Maine. Dr. Zollitsch earned her PhD in public policy from the University of Southern Maine in 2012. She is also a Switzer Environmental Fellow.
Cory Long
Cory Long is the volunteer coordinator for Great Bay Services. Great Bay Services provides employment, home, and community services for adults with intellectual/developmental disabilities and Autism in Southern Maine and New Hampshire. In September 2021, Cory developed an award-winning volunteer program for Great Bay Services. Within the first 5 months of being a volunteer program Great Bay Services was awarded the Maine State Governor’s Award for Best Volunteer Program. She is also the author of three poetry books and enjoys camping, writing, and spending time with friends and family.
Jared McCannell
Jared McCannell CSV, has worked in Volunteer Management for over 17 years. His career in nonprofits started as the volunteer & activities coordinator for Hostelling International USA, San Diego Council, while still in college finishing a degree in Spanish at San Diego State University. Since then Jared has worked with numerous nonprofit agencies and state governments across the country to build successful and lasting volunteer programs. Currently Jared is the Executive Director of Penobscot Bay Language School--coming full circle with his academic background as a linguist and years of professional experience working as a nonprofit professional.
- 2023 sponsorship opportunities
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Help us make the most of the state’s only educational event focused on engaging citizens in volunteer service!
COVID-19 decimated the volunteer force and we are excited to be able to support volunteer managers and nonprofits so they can better serve our communities.
Why support MVLC?
- Help local nonprofit leaders get in-state professional development
- Show your support for volunteer programs in Maine
- Exposure to professionals all over the state
- Find volunteer opportunities and connections for your employees
Frequently asked questions
How many people are you expecting to attend the conference? We are expecting between 150 - 200 attendees.
Is this only open to volunteer managers? No, anyone who works with volunteers or wants to work with volunteers is encouraged to attend.
Options to support
Option 1 (2 opportunities): $5,000
- Logo on Volunteer Maine website event page
- Logo on promotional materials
- Thank you post on Volunteer Maine social media (3)
- Logo on sponsorship board Logo on conference hand outs (day of)
- Logo on event signage
- Your company’s promotional materials in conference hand out materials
- Your company’s signage at the conference
- Speaking opportunity during conference
Option 2: $2,000
- Logo on Volunteer Maine website event page
- Logo on promotional materials
- Thank you post on Volunteer Maine social media (2)
- Logo on sponsorship board Logo on conference hand outs (day of)
- Logo on event signage
- Your company’s promotional materials in conference hand out materials
Option 3: $1,000
- Logo on Volunteer Maine website event page
- Logo on promotional materials
- Thank you post on Volunteer Maine social media (2)
- Logo on sponsorship board
- Logo on conference hand outs (day of)
Option 4: $500
- Logo on Volunteer Maine website event page
- Logo on promotional materials
- Thank you on Volunteer Maine social media (1)
- Logo on sponsorship board
Ready to contribute? Have questions?
Please reach out to Kelsey Preecs, Program Officer for Volunteer Sector Initiatives, via email at Kelsey.Preecs@maine.gov for next steps or more information.
Spread the word!
You can help make people aware of sponsorship opportunities by sharing our conference sponsorship one-pager. Use the link below to access and download the document.
About Maine Volunteer Leadership Conference
Since 1986, organizers of Maine community volunteer efforts have gathered to learn, network, and share thought-provoking discussions from regional and national leaders in the volunteer sector.
The Maine Volunteer Leadership Conference (MVLC) is Maine’s only statewide educational event focused on engaging citizens in volunteer service. Typically held in October, the conference annually attracts between 250 and 300 volunteer managers.