Training

Supportive Environments for Effectiveness (SEE)

VMC is pleased to partner with reDirect, a Michigan nonprofit that provides funding to support organizations through cohort-based learning opportunities. In collaboration with reDirect, VMC will lead a grant-funded learning cohort focused on volunteer engagement from June through September of 2024. This interactive training is an opportunity to dive into volunteer engagement best practices with a cohort of nonprofit organizations using a specific, research-based framework for creating “Supportive Environments for Effectiveness” for both staff and volunteers.

As volunteer engagement professionals we want to bring out the best in our organizations and the people that power them. Supportive Environments for Effectiveness, or “SEE,” is a research-based framework that can be leveraged as a powerful tool to support nonprofits’ ability to effectively engage their team members. SEE offers a new way to think about volunteer engagement which considers how we support both our volunteers and our staff, making it easy to ensure that we’re considering the various needs of all involved. When we use this framework and give people what they need to succeed, we see happier volunteers and more productive organizations with deeper and longer-lasting relationships between the two. Read more about how SEE can impact volunteer engagement in New Voices and Perspectives in Volunteer Engagement 2023 – “Creating Supportive Environments for Effectiveness.”

Want to learn more? Join VMC for a virtual, 1-hour “SEE 101” session and if you’re interested in diving deeper, stay for a 30-minute information session about the summer SEE Volunteer Engagement Learning Cohort grant opportunity. Participation in SEE 101 is a prerequisite for applying to participate in the summer learning cohort. We encourage organizational leadership to attend this session along with volunteer engagement staff, as SEE is a framework that can provide benefits to the entire organization, far beyond volunteer engagement. SEE 101 will provide an overview of the SEE framework, and the grant opportunity information session that follows will provide information about applying to participate in the grant-funded summer learning cohort to start applying the SEE framework within your organization. Register below, and contact VMC with any questions.

SEE 101 and Grant Program Info Sessions:

• Tuesday, March 12, 2024 – 11:00 am-12:30 pm Mountain time
• Wednesday, March 27, 2024 – 10:00-11:30 am Mountain time
• Wednesday, April 10, 2024 – 11:00 am-12:30 pm Mountain time – Register here

Testimonials:

• “This training opportunity came along at a perfect time, when we, like many organizations, were reviewing our post COVID environment. The SEE framework provided us with a renewed sense of purpose in designing and improving aspects of the volunteer experience. It has added to our thinking about small but effective changes that will enhance the volunteer experience for both the staff supervisors and the volunteers themselves.”
  
  — Mary Kay Kisseberth
  Volunteer and President of the Volunteer Council
  History Colorado
  Pilot Cohort Participant

• “I really enjoyed the cohort model and the opportunity to talk with people from other organizations. I liked having both the time to talk with people outside our group and time to spend with our team.”
  
  — Jillian Allison
  Manager, Volunteer Events
  Mile High United Way
  Pilot Cohort Participant

• “”Thank you for the opportunity to learn a new approach – and I appreciated having concrete next steps vs theory.”
  
  — Siri Lewis
  Program Coordinator
  CASA of the Continental Divide
  Pilot Cohort Participant

• “To be able to use SEE to help both staff and volunteers see where and how they fit into the organization/program, have the tools they need to do their work, and understand how they are making a difference aids in meeting our mission and helps me in having a successful volunteer engagement strategy.”
  
  — Emily Dobish
  Director of Volunteer Engagement
  History Colorado
  Pilot Cohort Participant

Customized Training

VMC provides customized trainings for organizations, professional associations, and conferences. Contact VMC to discuss a customized training.

Service Enterprise

Traci Lato-Smith is also a Service Enterprise consultant for the Association of Leaders in Volunteer Engagement (AL!VE) and a certified Service Enterprise trainer and coach. Service Enterprise is a program of AL!VE and Points of Light. A Service Enterprise is an organization that strategically leverages volunteers to achieve operational efficiency and greater social impact. The Service Enterprise Program strengthens nonprofit capacity through the strategic use of volunteers and their skills to address community needs. Learn more at www.volunteeralive.org/serviceenterprise.