The weather is warmer, colleagues are signing off earlier on Fridays, and my airline mileage is accumulating quickly. What does all that mean? It means, it’s conference season!
In the past 3 months, I have participated in six conferences across the country, including the ServeOhio state conference on volunteering, America’s Service Commissions’ National Service Training, Humane World for Animals (formerly HSUS) Animal Care Expo, Wisconsin Volunteer Coordinators Association conference, Points of Light Social Impact Conference, and MAVA’s Volunteer Leadership Conference. Phew. It’s tiring just to type all those out – but attending them was far more invigorating than exhausting.
While I was honored to present workshops at each of these conferences, I also view these as valuable opportunities to connect and learn. As the 2025 spring conference season wanes, I am reflecting on all I have learned and am carrying with me from these experiences and am sharing my top three takeaways from these experiences.
Here are my A, B, Cs from the Spring 2025 Conference Season.
- Advance Your Practice. Conferences are a great way to advance your own practice. While I presented an advanced practices series at the ServeOH conference, I was thrilled to learn new skills as well as I traversed the country. For example, at MAVA, I participated in workshops on pro bono volunteer engagement and conflict resolution. The pro bono session by Mary Uran and Remy Reya emphasized the importance of structuring one-time opportunities in ways that can translate into ongoing engagements – especially ones that leverage volunteer skills. One of the best lines I heard at a session on navigating conflict by Dr. Luiza Dreasher was, when faced with something stressful or challenging, take three deep breaths… because, as Dr. Dreasher said, “while you are breathing in, nothing else can come out of your mouth!”
- Back to Basics. While advanced practices are important, it’s more important than ever right now to consider the basics. At America’s Service Commissions‘ training, I presented, for the first time, a session on “Saying No When No is the Right Answer” to a room full of appreciative colleagues who valued the opportunity to explore this fundamental practice and being able to decline a volunteer or hold volunteers accountable. This echoes a wider trend we are observing nationally, the return to basics. With so many changes in the social service landscape (in the US in particular), more people seek to serve others who may be experiencing challenges in healthcare, education, or basic needs, while others are seeking to serve to refresh their resumes because they’ve been laid off. In the midst of this uptick in volunteering, leaders of volunteers need to ensure they have in place the building blocks of effective engagement.
- Connection. Connecting with peers is an important way to fuel your own motivation and growth. Through networking and community-building, we as professionals can sustain our own energy, learn what’s new in the field, and become more effective leaders. Tap into professional associations such as AL!VE or your local volunteer administrators’ association, connect with sector leaders and coalitions such as Points of Light or Independent Sector’s Strategic Volunteer Engagement Initiative (formerly the Initiative for Strategic Volunteer Engagement). And, of course, build a network of go-to folks with whom you can connect when you are stumped or excited!
While we must acknowledge that there are challenges, we can also celebrate the high points and opportunities. To so, remember the ABCs – Advance Your Practice, go Back to Basics as we may be rebuilding volunteer engagement efforts and attracting new volunteers, and finally, Stay Connected! Attending these conferences over the past several months has been a great reminder of the value and importance of what we do!