We hope everyone enjoyed the 2024 Volunteer Appreciation Week! We are very appreciative of each and every one of you and we hope you know your work and contributions do not go unnoticed. Last week, we recognized our volunteers through a variety of ways, including a thank you from staff, a postcard/digital badge, social media kit, and our first-ever Volunteer Yearbook. We also held a special Leadership Happy Hour where we took some time to get to know each other a little better and conducted a team challenge which brought out our volunteers' competitive spirit. While last week’s Leadership Happy Hour was unique in its format, it still allowed us to bring together chapter leaders and volunteers for our monthly call to enjoy one another’s company and learn more about each other. Our monthly calls offer many other benefits as well.
Peer to Peer Networking – Chapter leaders from all over the country come together once a month to discuss their chapter’s activities, chapter management strategies and policies, day to day jobs, and share ideas to help one another with their challenges.
New Ideas for Your Next Meeting – We also hear from chapter leaders about upcoming meetings and ideas for speakers, topics, special/social events, and out-of-the-box ideas to use at your next meeting. They also provide post-meeting updates about what worked well and what did not.
Access to National Leadership – Many of our National Leaders join the call on a regular basis. This is an opportunity to ask questions about organization-wide initiatives and share your membership experience.
Share Your Challenges (and Solutions) in a Safe Space – Leadership Happy Hour also provides chapter leaders a space to share their challenges in a safe, non-judgmental, and supportive environment. National Leaders and your fellow chapter leaders are here to help and often have experience with challenges your chapter is currently facing. By sharing your challenges, you are helping others as well.