A reflection on the power of volunteerism

by Amber Martin-Jahn Executive Director Nevada Volunteers

Last week I spoke at our 13^th Annual Governor’s Points of Light Awards. What an inspiring event! At the morning reception honoring all the finalists I was awed by the ability of these individuals and organizations to transform volunteer service into good for their communities.

The finalists and award recipients re-affirm that volunteerism is powerful. It is powerful and it is good for Nevada.

Volunteering is also a purposeful act. It is a choice. At some point each of the finalists, individuals and organizations decided to take action and that action resulted in a power of good for Nevada. It might have started as a little spark of wanting to make a difference, or wanting to change something and today it is something so much bigger, something deserving of recognition, something that is powerful.

Volunteerism is powerful and it is good for Nevada. But what is it that moved each of these finalists to get involved?
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For Immediate Release

Contact: Amber Martin-Jahn, Executive Director

(775) 825-1900 | amber@nevadavolunteers.org

blue.nevadavolunteers.org

NOTICE OF FUNDING OPPORTUNITY

Seeking Nevada Organizations committed to using national service to address critical community needs in education, public safety, health and environment

RENO | LAS VEGAS, August 25, 2015 —Nevada Volunteers is pleased to release this Notice of Funding which requests applications from Nevada organizations and agencies interested in receiving AmeriCorps funding to recruit, place, and supervise AmeriCorps members. AmeriCorps programs support local community efforts by addressing education, economic opportunity, environmental stewardship, healthy futures, disaster services and veteran and military families through AmeriCorps member assignments which provide direct service and capacity-building activities, while also mobilizing volunteers. Applicants will design service activities for a team of members who have each committed to one year of service. Sample activities include tutoring and mentoring youth, disaster response, job training/placement, assisting the elderly with resource navigation, and restoring environmental habitat.
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Are you a volunteer coordinator? WE NEED YOU (and your volunteers!) to help us get a better picture of volunteers and volunteerism in Nevada. Are you ready to help? Dear Volunteer Coordinators: Nevada’s volunteer participation rate (20.7%) is one of…

Service— an act of helpful activity; help; aid

Enterprise— a project undertaken or to be undertaken, especially one that is important or difficult or that requires boldness or energy

These two terms hint at the meaning behind the Service Enterprise process—a process that transforms a nonprofit or municipal entity into a high-performing, effective organization that utilizes the skills of volunteers to better meet needs in the community. Despite widespread use of volunteers, did you know that only 11% of organizations function as a Service Enterprise?

Those organizations functioning as service enterprises are more adaptable (a highly prized attribute in today’s fast-changing world), more flexible, and leverage their financial resources up to 6 times more than a comparable organization. Good volunteer engagement is more than traditional volunteer management training, yet that’s where many organizations focus their efforts. Recent research tells us that taking a broad organizational approach means better results for our volunteers and our organizational effectiveness.
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Join us in congratulating one of our finalists in the Individual - Rural Nevada category of the Governor's Points of Light, Sandy Buchanan! Sandy has been a Reno-Sparks Gospel Mission volunteer for 11 years, amassing over 5,000 hours of volunteerism…

Not only does this year commemorate the 150th anniversary of our Silver State, but it is also the 20th Anniversary of AmeriCorps and Nevada Volunteers. Throughout the years, we have recognized incredible volunteers, volunteer programs, and volunteer managers, and this…