Recent And Positive Developments:
- An initial partnership development committee has been formed with good representation both from AVA and from DOVIAs. Co-chair Marilyn Blake (both an AVA member and a former DOVIA president) has set the first committee meeting for February 16^th and will regularly share results in the DOVIA Exchange.

- DOVIA Day II is definitely set for Wednesday, October 25^th, just prior to this year’s International Conference on Volunteer Administration in Boston. I fully expect this to be kept eminently affordable, just like last year’s DOVIA Day. That means New England area DOVIA folks can often drive up just for the day (or at most one overnight), while people already attending ICVA/Boston can easily come a day earlier. Please, start making your plans now for participation by your local/regional professional association. Last year some individual DOVIAs had several representatives at DOVIA Day, and I assume that will be fine this year, too.

- In the broadest sense, everybody is on the committee, and for best results, every DOVIA and every ABA member. So we’re asking every local/regional professional association (DOVIA) within reading distance of the DOVIA Exchange to give us their thoughts on these three questions:

1. What are the main things your local association (DOVIA) can do well enough for itself (or with other nearby DOVIAs) and does not need (major) help with from a national/international professional association (AVA)?

2. What are the main important things your DOVIA cannot do (or do well) for itself and therefore can use help with from AVA?

3. At least as a rough range, what would you be willing and able to give AVA in return for such services? (Please consider volunteer services from members, use of facilities, and other resources as well as money, in your response to this question.)

We’d deeply appreciate your thoughts on these key questions. They can be sent either to AVA, attention Marilyn Blake or to the DOVIA Exchange. Either way, they’ll be fully shared with the partnership committee. At least, please start discussing these questions in your DOVIA.

- A key consideration in building the partnership is knowing where the players are, so that DOVIAs can get in touch with one another and with AVA. Literally years of effort to develop a Directory of North American DOVIAs have finally inched us up to almost 200 addresses. But the actual number of DOVIAs is estimated at more like 650 in North America! (Still, if you want the current Directory, we’ll send it to you for $10 or $7 if you send a current DOVIA address or two along with your check.)