Good news for anyone doing background checks in Calgary!

The Calgary Police Force is anticipating the arrival of a new digital fingerprint scanner this week. This should clean up some of the backlog that has plagued the system since new legislation mandating tighter screening was implemented last year.

Check out the full article in the Calgary Herald online.

Join ADVR at our March Meeting!

Date: Wednesday, March 9, 2011

Time: 8:00—9:45 a.m.

Location: 921—68th Avenue SE Calgary

(The Salvation Army—Glenmore Temple)

Cost: Admittance for ADVR members and first time guests is free

Admittance for returning guests is $5.00

Parking is free. A continental breakfast will be provided.

 

Topic: Ethics in Volunteer Administration 

 

Our March ADVR meeting with discuss the issue of ethics in Volunteer Administration. Discussion will be lead by Dr. Keith Seel, author of the CCVA Code of Professional Ethics. This code is based on core ethical values, and emphasizes ethical decision making as a tool.

Keith Seel, PhD

Dr. Keith Seel is the Director of the Institute for Nonprofit Studies at Mount Royal University.  Through the Institute, Keith is engages with other researchers in three broad research streams focused on Canada’s nonprofit sector: governance of the sector, policy development and analysis, and sustainability issues. 

Keith has been associated with the profession of volunteer administration since 1993 and has held board positions with the Association for Directors of Volunteer Resources and the Association for Volunteer Administration.  He has been a volunteer board member for 30 years largely in the human services field.  Currently he holds appointments to two provincial boards in Alberta with responsibilities in education and children.

Keith is the past-Chair of the national Human Resources Council for the Nonprofit Sector which examines labor force issues particular to the sector.   

As an author, Keith has been widely published in books and journals. Most recently he was the editor for Volunteer Administration - Professional Practice, a 500-page text detailing the body of knowledge associated with the profession. He co-authored the AVA Statement of Ethics and he is a major contributor to the nonprofit management series by John Wiley & Sons, New York. For the same publisher, Keith has written on ethics and its impact on management and the risks and opportunities associated with commercial ventures by nonprofit organizations, governance issues for boards of directors and sustainable development for the charitable sector.  

How do you introduce yourself professionally?

This was one of the key questions posed to us at our February ADVR meeting lead by Martha Parker. After all, our job title is a big indicator of what we do and how we spend our time.   

In short notice it became clear that everyone in the room was going by titles such as: Volunteer Coordinator, Volunteer Manger, and Volunteer Administrator. Notice a theme? The word Volunteer is preceding all our titles, implying if not outright saying, that we are all Volunteers.

When we look at issues holding back the Volunteer Management profession, this is key After all, perception is everything. At the end of the day, we need to make a distinction. We don’t want to be perceived as volunteering our skills; we want to be seen as professionals and stewards of the Volunteer community. We aren’t a part of it; we are leading it and molding it.  

So what is in a name for you? If you could change your title to best reflect your position. What would you change it to?

In volunteering news around the world

Volunteering Australia has launched their official poster commemorating National Volunteer Week 2011, and in the spirit of healthy debate Martin Cowling of The Cowling Report has asked Volunteer Mangers around the world to send him their thoughts on what they think the poster represents. What do you think? Does it inspire the Volunteer in you, or fall short? Join the debate and send him your thoughts.

Personally I think the poster falls a bit short. I think the promo material produced by our Canadian counterparts is a bit more relevant… not to mention flashier! 

Join us at ADVR's February Meeting!

February's discussion on leadership and advocacy will be lead by speaker - Martha Parker. 

Date: Wednesday, February 9th 2011

Time: 8:00 - 9:45 a.m.

Location: 921 - 68th Avenue SW Calgary 

(The Salvation Army Glenmore Temple)

Parking is free. A continental breakfast will be provided. 

Leadership and advocacy….. to accomplish what?  …..to influence what?  Stronger organizations? Better support for your volunteer programming? A strong professional association? A well respected profession?  A strong understanding for knowing and understanding the trends and issues impacting volunteerism and how you can apply that knowledge?  A dream job – one that makes you proud to say I’m a director of volunteer resources?   Let’s talk about leadership and advocacy to determine if as professionals you want to be influencers – if leadership and advocacy are in fact core competencies to aspire to?   

Biography –– Martha Parker

Martha Parker retired from her sixteen-year position as the Executive Director of Volunteer Calgary - one of Canada’s most successful Volunteer Centres - in October of 2004.   Martha served on literally dozens of community initiatives during her career. She was a member of the Joint Coordinating Committee of the National Voluntary Sector Initiative and was one of the founding members of Volunteer Alberta, the national Advisory Council of Volunteer Centres, The Canadian Federation of Voluntary Sector Networks and the Calgary Chamber of Voluntary Organizations.  Martha is a past co-chair of the Alberta Nonprofit/Voluntary Sector Initiative – an Alberta leadership initiative focused on building a new relationship between the provincial government and the nonprofit/voluntary sector.  She was chosen to receive one of the first five fellowships presented by the Muttart Foundation (Edmonton, Alberta) in 1997.  The title of the book published as a result of her research is Partnerships: For Profits and Not-For-Profits Together. 

In the last year, Martha has been engaged with Volunteer Canada and the Centre for Excellence in Corporate Community Involvement developing and testing a number of emergent tools for encouraging strategic employee community engagement.  Both Volunteer Calgary and Vantage Point (previously Volunteer Vancouver) have been supportive of this exciting new work. Martha has been actively involved with all three of these organizations as well as Volunteer Alberta in advancing discussion and understanding of skills based volunteering.

Martha loves trashy novels and movies that make you cry.  She continues to “practice” retirement - most days unsuccessfully.