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 leads yearly grant-funded learning cohorts focused on volunteer engagement. These interactive trainings are opportunities 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? In 2025 VMC will host virtual, 1-hour “SEE 101” sessions and if you’re interested in diving deeper, you can stay for a 30-minute information session about the SEE Volunteer Engagement Learning Cohort grant opportunity. Contact VMC with any questions or to be added to an outreach list when SEE 101 sessions are scheduled.
- “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
Testimonials:
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.