Join volunteer leaders from across the Lutheran system for a day of learning together, sharing stories and creating peer connections. Attend the one-day Academy only or stay the night and attend two additional break out sessions on volunteer leadership the following day, the opening day of the LSA Annual Conference. Details of all events are below.

Volunteer Leadership Academy

April 17, 2012, 12:30 - 6 p.m. - Pittsburgh, PA

A DAY WITH SUSAN ELLIS -
Strategies for Achieving Volunteer/Employee Teamwork 

In many organizations the biggest obstacle to volunteer success is tension - between employees and volunteers, between new and long-time volunteers, etc. In this one-day participatory session with Susan Ellis, we will examine the tension-causing issues and strategies for encouraging teamwork.

Topics will include:

• What employees and volunteers think of one another - myth and fact
• The role of executives and top managers in volunteer engagement and supporting teamwork
• Impacting teamwork through effective and innovative design of volunteer assignments
• Increasing staff skills in supervising volunteers (recognizing that partnering with volunteers may require several different approaches)
• Orienting volunteers' in working effectively with paid staff
• Writing reports that get results - and other ways of "telling the story" of volunteer accomplishments
• Making the most of recognition events to "educate up"

The day will end with remarks from a responder panel from LSA member organizations, sharing how the day's discussions relate to their real experiences in the field and their organizational journeys in volunteer engagement.

Susan Ellis is President of Energize, Inc., an international training, consulting and publishing firm that specializes in volunteerism. Susan is the author or co-author of twelve books, including From the Top Down: The Executive Role in Successful Volunteer Involvement, The Volunteer Recruitment Book, and By the People: A History of Americans as Volunteers. She has written more than 120 articles on volunteer management for dozens of publications and writes the national bi-monthly column, "On Volunteers," for the NonProfit Times.

Responder Panel:

• From Allegheny Lutheran Social Ministries (PA), Cliff Kitner, Activities/Volunteer Coordinator
• From Liberty Lutheran Services (PA), Julia Menzo, Lutheran Disaster Response Coordinator
• From Lutheran Services in Iowa(IA), Cheryl Plank, VP of Programs & Church Relations and Jillian Kelsey, Statewide Volunteer Coordinator
• From Luthercare (PA), William Snyder, VP of Marketing & Philanthropy and Sally Groome, Asst. VP of Philanthropy
• From Chicago, Ruth Reko, Volunteer and former Director for Social Ministry Organizations, ELCA

Connect the Dots Reception April 17, 6:30 - 8:30 pm
Attendees of the Volunteer Leadership Academy and members of LSA's new volunteerism peer network - the LSA Volunteer Leadership Network - are invited to attend the Connect the Dots reception following the Academy. This hospitality event is co-hosted by CHRM, LSA-DN and the LSA Communicators Network. The reception is an excellent opportunity to enjoy good food while continuing conversations started during the day, deepening new collegial ties, and meeting members of other LSA peer networks.

LSA Annual Conference
Volunteer Leadership Track

April 18, 2012 - Pittsburgh, PA

Executive Seminar with Susan Ellis:
Positioning Your Agency for the Volunteers of Tomorrow

As a key decision-maker for your organization, do you give as much attention to raising people as to raising money? This session will examine key issues facing all volunteer-involving organizations - not the daily how-to's of volunteer management, but the executive-level decisions and actions necessary to lay the foundation for successful volunteer engagement. Challenge old assumptions and prepare for future time donors.  

Afternoon Breakout - 1:00 - 2:30 pm
Thriving Volunteer-Engaging Organizations: What They Look Like

Hear about the journeys of two LSA member organizations that are embracing new or revitalized strategic directions in volunteer engagement. Learn about the executive decisions made, the risks embraced, the new staffing strategies, new church engagement strategies and new volunteer programs in development. Both organizations are moving their volunteer engagement strategies forward in part through replication of programs from LSA's Caregiver Suite. The programs are staffed by volunteers, involve new programmatic partnerships with congregations and bring new caregiver support resources to their communities. Through the stories of your peers, get inspired toward change, growth and capacity building through volunteers in your own organization.

William Snyder, VP of Marketing & Philanthropy, and Sally Groome, Asst VP of Philanthropy, Luthercare
Cheryl Plank, VP of Programs & Services, and Jillian Kelsey, Statewide Volunteer Coordinator, Lutheran Services in Iowa