Advocacy Corner

Shirley Conger

AD-VO-CATE

Welcome to the first AL!VE Advocacy update. This will be a regular feature of the newsletter. Whatever appears in this space will be designed to address the two levels of advocacy that we see as benefits to our membership.
 

For purposes of understanding, the leadership of AL!VE uses this definition:
Advocacy is the act of serving as the voice for the cause of another person or group,
Of supporting another person or group,
Of supporting another to support themselves
Of protecting and advancing the legal and professional rights
of people who manage volunteers.

We have defined levels of advocacy as internal and external. Internal advocacy will center on facts, issues, and techniques that you can use to advocate for yourself and your profession. External advocacy will take the organization as a whole into dialogue and discussion with other sectors of society that have influence and/or impact on the profession of volunteer management, administration, or whatever your favorite name is for leaders of volunteer engagement.

ISSUE of the Day: The passage of the Serve America Act along with the current administration development of service initiatives such as Summer of Service is the issue which most affects our volunteers and those they serve. On the external level, AL!VE, through their board and the Advocacy Work Group, has taken a pro-active status by contacting the three important entities involved in this issue, the White House, Corporation for National and Community Service (C.N.C.S.), and the Points of Light/Hands on Network (POLI/HON). Those contacts have resulted in conference call meetings between AL!VE and both C.N.C.S. and HON. Future meetings will continue to explore how we can all ensure the continued value of professionalism in volunteer engagement.

On the internal level, Membership Committee is developing strategies for advocacy training. Keep tuned as plans develop.

Advocacy is an important component of membership in an organization dedicated to the support of professional development of its members. The opportunity for direct involvement is another important component. Therefore, we invite you to become involved in one of our committees or work groups listed on the web. If you have interest in becoming an active part in your organization, please email your wishes to info@volunteeralive.org.