Sue Vineyard’s journey into the field of Volunteer Management began in the late 1960s when she was an active member of the Junior Women’s Club in Downers Grove, IL. Through this volunteer activity she was introduced to Project Concern International which provided medical care in areas of the U.S. (and internationally) where none was available. Project Concern’s founder was an early adopter of the British “walk-a-thon” model of fundraising – and Vineyard quickly jumped on board. She convinced her Club and several others in Illinois to give it a try, with great success. Soon she was asked to join the Project Concern staff, eventually becoming National Director where she managed 100 walks a year, including hundreds of volunteers and thousands of walkers.
In 1979, Vineyard heard about the University of Colorado’s program on Volunteer Management, created by Marlene Wilson. This program attracted hundreds of leaders of volunteers who wanted to develop their skills and Vineyard eagerly enrolled. Some participants chose to add a more advanced requirement to publish a work or conduct research that would serve the field and thus earn the professional designation of CVM: “Certified Volunteer Manager.” Vineyard chose this option, which resulted in the creation of her first book, Finding Your Way Through the Maze of Volunteer Management.
A year later, Vineyard returned to the UC program as a faculty member and “went on the road” as a full-time trainer and author. Her favorite topics were marketing, recognition, management, fundraising and motivation. Known for her sharp wit, enthusiasm and extensive practical knowledge, she quickly became one of the most sought-after speakers and writers in the field.
During these years, she also partnered with Steve McCurley as VM Systems, offering training and consulting across the U.S., Canada and Europe. She soon added publishing to the mix (Heritage Arts Publishing), inviting a dozen other trainers to create monographs for the Volunteer Management field. This approach steadily met the demand for practical, affordable resources that were extremely popular with practitioners. McCurley and Vineyard also collaborated on the Grapevine newsletter which started as a way for consultants in the field to share information – and ultimately grew to 16 pages and several thousand readers. Vineyard’s artistic talents and humor – combined with easily digestible articles on current hot topics and management tips – made this a well-known and significant resource among practitioners.
In the late 1980s, Vineyard helped create a new program (not unlike the Peace Corps) to address the needs of people living in poverty along the Mississippi River region of Arkansas, Mississippi and Louisiana. Working under the direction of Billie Ann Myers, Director of the Arkansas Division of Volunteerism, she and McCurley developed the structure and training materials needed by the volunteers who enrolled in what became the Delta Service Corps.
This effort coincided with President George H. Bush’s commitment to national service, offering federal grants for the best programs already working in several critical categories. The Delta Service Corps was chosen as the national Rural model for replication. Bush’s successor, President Bill Clinton, was familiar with the success of the Delta Service Corps and equally passionate about making national service the “law of the land.”As the plans for creating the new Corporation for National and Community Service were being finalized, Clinton asked Myers to seek advice from a leader in the field on whether the new program should be a youth program (18-26) or for those age 18 and above; he also wanted suggestions for a program name. Myers contacted Vineyard, who strongly advocated for 18 and above and suggested “AmeriCan” and “AmeriCorps” as possible names. On January 20, 1993, President Clinton announced in his inaugural address the create of a new national service program for those 18 and above “who are young at heart.” And it was called AmeriCorps – just at Vineyard had suggested.
Vineyard’s connection to the birth of national service in the United States is just one piece of her impressive legacy. Her 12 years as a faculty member at the University of Colorado program, the leader of hundreds of conference workshops, and the author 20 books all contributed to the body of knowledge upon which the profession of Volunteer Engagement Management is built. Her wisdom and deep understanding of how this work connects to marketing and fundraising inspired generations of leaders in the nonprofit field.
Reflecting on her long career, Vineyard is most proud of:
- Making complex challenges seem simple and possible;
- Creating simple “how to” tools to help volunteer engagement professionals be successful;
- Bringing humor to audiences to convince them they can do it!; and
- Bringing new authors into our field.
"I first became closely associated with Sue in the early 70s when we discovered our mutual interest in training and our shared belief in the power of citizen service. As a newcomer to the field, the Volunteer Management Bridge tool she created provided me and many others an easy way to understand how to organize a volunteer program. Throughout my career, she was a treasured colleague, mentor and encourager.” Billie Ann Myers, former Arkansas leader
“The first gift I received from Sue Vineyard was an introduction to the concept that marketing was important for volunteer programs. She said time and time again, “Marketing is friend raising.” But that was only the beginning. In her audience-relaxing, fun, yet comprehensive manner, she taught all aspects of the skills needed to produce successful programs. Her books were always short, simple to understand and full of useful check lists and tools – a huge help to me and to many other new practitioners.” Betty Greer, former hospital Director of Volunteers