Happy Birthday, MAVD
Warm best wishes from the DOVIA Exchange to the Minnesota Association of Volunteer Directors. At their May 5-6^th state conference in Minneapolis, MAVD will celebrate the silver anniversary of their founding way back in 1969. In our view, they were always among the finest and most vital DOVIA-type associations. They still are, 25 years later. Now, let’s go for the gold, MAVD!

N.O.V.A. – Taking Volunteerism To New Heights On Staten Island
|Staten Island’s Network of Volunteer Administrators (NOVA) is making its mark throughout the borough and even elsewhere in NYC. The group seeks to link volunteer administrators, educators, and others involved in using or providing volunteers in the local community. NOVA also works closely with the NYS Governor’s Office for Voluntary Services (GOVS) and the NYC Mayor’s Voluntary Action Center (MVAC) on state and city-sponsored projects.

Over the past two years, the group has spearheaded two major activities. The first was a Volunteer Recognition Day held at the Staten Island Mall in May 1991. This first-ever all day event included resource tables with information about the services and volunteer needs of local npo’s, entertainment, giveaways, and speeches by public figures extolling the virtues of volunteers.

This past month, the group co-sponsored Strategies for Success, a regional seminar for npo’s in the metropolitan area focusing on: fundraising & grantwriting, volunteer administration, and multicultural issues. This program attracted over sixty representatives from npo’s, government, education, and business. There is already talk of a ‘sequel’ next year.

In addition to these large community events, the group meets monthly to share information, and devise creative solutions to issues facing the volunteer community. Under the stewardship of Regina Pistilli, the current President of NOVA and DVS at Staten Island University Hospital, the group is moving volunteerism to new heights.

Last year, a group of educators and community leaders from Staten Island received a $25,000 grant to create a new public school (grades 6-12) with a service emphasis. NOVA has been very supportive of the Staten Island Service-Learning Academy from the beginning. The school will open in September 1994 and NOVA members will be principal players in the implementation of its service-learning program.

Networking With Your Neighbors II
Last issue we described five ways in which a lonesome local association could reach out toward other DOVIAs to connect and cooperate for mutual empowerment. Here’s a sixth possibility, though its effectiveness depends on how it’s done.

We refer here to a statewide or Province-wide professional association, such as the Ontario Association for Volunteer Administration or the Texas DOVIA network. At their most facilitative, such larger-area associations effectively connect local associations and even help create local associations where they don’t yet exist. At their least facilitative, however, statewide or provincial associations can actually compete with locals for membership. If your local DOVIA is considering getting involved with a statewide or provincial association, ask yourself:

Does the statewide or provincial association:

1. actively encourage membership in local associations vs. appearing to offer their own membership as an alternative? Best of all, is a percentage of the larger-area membership fee dedicated to ‘automatic’ membership in the nearest local association?

2. hold statewide or provincial workshops and conferences in the local association’s area only with local DOVIA permission, strong input and sharing of revenues?

3. insist that their regional representatives work very closely with officers of the local associations in their region?

4. take the lead in birthing a local association in any area where one does not presently exist?

DOVIA In The Kaleidoscope
Kaleidoscope is the name-theme for AVA’s 1994 International Conference on Volunteer Administration, October 5-9, in Anaheim, CA. For the first time ever, DOVIAs will receive primary attention at such a conference. Indeed, a special DOVIA Day will be an important part of the conference, and a special DOVIA committee has been appointed to plan these sessions. If you wish to contact them directly, co-chairs of this committee are Becky Day (310/842-6742) and Marilyn Kronmal (310/458-8300). The committee met on February 3^rd, with your editor attending as a consultant. Here’s a report of that meeting from Becky Day:

"With high energy and excitement, four Southern California DOVIAs, using input from 20 others around North America, met on February 3^rd to plan the first-ever DOVIA Day. The day will be held in conjunction with the October AVA conference in Anaheim/Disneyland. Mark your calendar now so when planning your attendance in October, you include the pre-conference day, October 5^th, for networking with fellow DOVIA-type local or regional professional associations; developing new tools and being part of an exciting day of planning the future of DOVIAs nationally. Stay tuned for details in future conference updates."

One great thing about this scheduling is that a person can choose entirely for their own professional needs for the rest of the conference, but, on this one pre-conference day, concentrate on representing your professional association, with just a little extra support from your treasury. Indeed, the sectional set-up of the day is such that your representative(s) may not even need to come in a day early.

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Ivan Scheier
Stillpoint
607 Marr
Truth or Consequences, New Mexico, 87901
Tel (505) 894-1340
Email: ivan@zianet.com

For comments and editing suggestions please contact Mary Lou McNatt mlmcnatt@indra.com