Nominations Underway for Governor's Volunteerism Awards

Nominations will be accepted beginning January 4 for the 2012 Governor's Volunteerism and Community Service Awards. The Governor's Advisory Board on Volunteerism and National Service and the Office on Volunteerism and Community Service present these awards annually, which highlight the efforts of outstanding Virginians who seek to enhance the lives of others in their communities. The deadline for entries is February 6. Honors are given to groups, individuals and families whose volunteer and community service efforts exemplify extraordinary volunteer service. Winners will be announced at a ceremony during Volunteer Week in April.  More.

Is Your Organization Right for AmeriCorp?

The Virginia Office on Volunteerism and Community Service (OVCS) will publish the AmeriCorps*State Request for Proposals for the 2012 AmeriCorps*State program year on January 12. Applications will be due on March 8. Between the publication date and the due date, OVCS will host an optional pre-proposal conference at 10 a.m. on February 1.  Virginia-based public and nonprofit organizations, including faith-based and community organizations, higher education institutions, and public agencies, are eligible to apply. AmeriCorps grants assist groups in recruiting, training and placing individuals, as AmeriCorps members, to meet critical community and human needs. Is your organization right for AmeriCorps? Find out more.

What are you Doing for MLK Day?

Martin Luther King, Jr. Day of Service (Jan. 16) has been mandated by the federal government as not just a day off from work set aside to honor Dr. King, but a national day of volunteer service. In Virginia, service projects and special events are planned in virtually every part of the state, and all AmeriCorps*State programs will conduct or participate in service activities. In a sermon delivered by Dr. King in 1968, he compared his passion for service to that of a "drum major." Now you can recognize extraordinary volunteers with a special Presidents Volunteer Service Award called the "Drum Major for Service Award." Also available this year, Scholastic and the Corporation for National and Community Service will be sharing a wealth of free resources for students (grades 3-5) with curriculum-focused materials providing simple, classroom-based lessons. Make a commitment to serve, download a toolkit to plan your project, nominate someone for a Drum Major of Service Award, and learn more at MLKDay.gov.

Virginia Volunteerism Conference Set for June

The 2012 Virginia Conference on Volunteerism and Community Service will be held on Friday, June 15, at the Westin Hotel at Reynolds Crossing in Richmond. Sponsored by the Virginia Service Foundation, workshops will include information on volunteer management, grant writing and management, mentoring, best practices in risk management, and more. The cost for the conference is $75 per person. The deadline for registration is June 7. Hotel reservations must be made prior to May 23. Visit vaservice.org to see the complete conference workshop schedule, register for the conference, and find out about sponsorship and exhibition opportunites.

Get to Know Karen Stanley

Governor's Advisory Board on Volunteerism and National Service

Karen Stanley has served, both professionally and as a volunteer, in the nonprofit sector for nearly 20 years. Ms. Stanley took the reigns as executive director for CARITAS, Richmond’s largest emergency homeless program, in 2000. As the primary fundraiser for the organization, she has taken CARITAS from a 22-week, winter-only emergency shelter to a year-round program. CARITAS now offers case management, a state-of-the-art daytime facility and aftercare services. The organization also now features central Virginia’s only furniture bank and an employment program that rolled out in January 2011 called "CARITAS Works." In 2007, Ms. Stanley took on the dual role as executive director for The Healing Place, a 200-bed recovery program for homeless men. She also guides The Healing Place's fundraising efforts, cumulatively raising nearly $3 million annually. Ms.Stanley is a 2007 graduate of Leadership Metro Richmond, a recipient of the Stettinius Award for Non-Profit Leadership, United Way’s 2008 “Champion for Change," a 2010 YWCA Outstanding Woman Award winner and the 2010 Better Housing Coalition’s “Creative Collaborator.” She has also volunteered as a Reserve Deputy in Wyoming and has worked on the boards of several nonprofits since moving to Virginia including the Make-A-Wish Foundation of Central Virginia, Lee Playhouse, and Homeward.

Virginia Mentors to be Honored

Oustanding mentors and mentoring programs will be honored March 2, at the 10th Annual Virginia Mentoring Awards Event and Workshops. Sponsored by the Virginia Mentoring Partnership, the awards will be held at the Jefferson Hotel in Richmond. In additon to the awards, workshops will be presented for new and veteran mentoring program providers. Find out more information and register today.

Videos Highlight Virginia Workforce Connection's Great Year

The Virginia Workforce Connections is an AmeriCorps*State program implemented in seven local workforce investment areas across the Commonwealth. Their goal is to place volunteers in the "One Stop Service Delivery System" to assist those who want to further their education and/or seek job placement assistance. AmeriCorps members have just released a powerful video highlighting their accomplishments this year. They also created a video profiling various members and their testimonials of service.

Nonprofit Resources

• For 2012, AmeriCorps Week has been moved to March 10-18. Start planning now!
• The Urban Institute has released a report focusing on the decline of suburbs in older industrial cities, highlighting a range of best practices used in case study cities for fostering growth and reducing poverty. Read the report.
• The Richmond Giving Circle is now accepting applications for its 2012 funding cycle. A Richmond area nonprofit will be chosen for a grant of at least $8,000 that provides direct services to individuals/families and implements innovative solutions to address identified community needs. Find out more.
• Spring class enrollment has begun for Nonprofit Learning Point (a collaboration of VCU and the Partnership for Nonprofit Excellence.)
• In a recent report from the Urban Institute, a survey yielded that nonprofits budgets are continuing to be cut drastically and fundraising results have not improved over the past year. The Late Fall 2011 Nonprofit Fundraising Study examines fundraising results and their implications for organizational operations, and alerts managers and donors alike to consider the priorities facing the nonprofit sector in 2012 and beyond. Read more.