Checklist Chuckles
The counterpoint to Doing DOVIA Right was How To Ruin DOVIA In Ten Easy Steps. (We’ll send you either or both if you missed them.) One reader writes that she "…just laughed and laughed at all the Steps To Ruin because they are all so true". However, she finally found two local associations that "truly do not fall into any of your traps for failure as would be proven by our retention level of members, and our pride in what we stand for and who we really are". Congratulations. Let’s all try to get the lowest score we can on this ruination checklist.

Competing When We Should Cooperate
A final item on our Don’t Do It checklist re: competing with other parts of the volunteer sector when we should be cooperating, especially in regard to the local Volunteer Center: a surprising number of DOVIAs still report antagonism here, though many shining examples of positive collaboration exit. If DOVIA feels the local Volunteer Center is indifferent or even hostile, here’s some olive branches you can try to extend:

- Invite a Volunteer Center person or two to serve on the DOVIA board.

- Invite Volunteer Center people to serve as DOVIA workshop trainers.

- Offer DOVIA people to serve as trainers for the Volunteer Center.

- Offer to vigorously promote Volunteer Center workshops and other projects among DOVIA members (assuming they are of some interest to you).

- Offer to recruit DOVIA people to help with Volunteer Center.

- If DOVIA has plans to develop a library (a good idea), offer to house it (under certain conditions?) at the Volunteer Center.

- If DOVIA is bringing in a national trainer, offer to share with the Volunteer Center.

- Keep open the offer of help and co-sponsorship on any projects of mutual interest, e.g., a recruiting fair, a workshop, etc. Reassure if necessary that top billing will go to the Volunteer Center.

- Your suggestions here:

Good news is that the network of Volunteer Centers will also be working on this issue from their perspective.

DOVIA Network At Little Rock
About 15 states and provinces were represented at this session of the 1993 AVA   conference. Dialogue was lively and among other things generated some excellent suggestions for a whole day of DOVIA at next year’s conference.

DOVIA Day At Disneyland: Much More Than Mickey Mouse
It’s confirmed! For the first time in the history of international volunteerism conferences, an entire day will be devoted to DOVIAs at the 1994 ICVA Conference in Anaheim, CA. Save the dates: October 5-9, remembering that DOVIA day could be the day before or the day after. We understand that a special DOVIA day committee has been appointed, and we’ll have the contact address and telephone number for you next issue. Meanwhile, please send us your ideas and suggestions for the day; we’ll see that they’re passed on.

The DOVIA Discount And Other Neat Ideas
One thing that makes DOVIAs popular is that they can save people money, through joint purchase agreements, recognition items, and publications produced by DOVIA. The Michigan Association for Volunteer Administration adds a nice visible touch to workshop discounts by sending members a nicely produced discount certificate, to ‘cash in’ at workshop registration – non-transferable and also be careful not to accept photocopies!…. The Northern Virginia Association for Volunteer Administration has an outstanding New Professional Award… The Greater Albuquerque Volunteer Administrators, building on an idea pioneered by DOVIAs in Austin and Fort Worth, has a BYOB luncheon, meaning Bring Your Own Boss.

In Print Resources
We keep adding to The Resource Pack on Planning and Strengthening a DOVIA ($8) and The DOVIA Connection: A 1993-94 Directory of North American DOVIAs.