Advocacy, Ethics, and Trends

Advocacy

Resources, trends, and legislation specific to volunteer engagement and management.

• Center for Public Research & Leadership’s Intermediary Organizations and Education Innovation examines the role of intermediary organizations with innovative education practices and provides an evaluative framework, rubrics, and tools for assessing the organization’s readiness for and success at employing the strategies outlined in the report. This report also provides toolkits for capacity building, network weaving, and system cultivating. 
• E-Volunteerism Article Archives (need to subscribe) links to articles on all of its volunteer subjects.
• MAVA Research and Initiatives provides links with research/resources to specific initiatives like immigrant and refugee communities, inclusive volunteerism, and rural volunteerism.
• Muster is a leading grassroots advocacy software.
• National Council of Nonprofits’ Everyday Advocacy Resources provides helpful how-to sheets, and information about federal, state, and local lobbying laws.
• Nonprofits’ Internal Marketing and Its Influence on Volunteers’ Experiences and Behavior research article demonstrates how internal marketing is positively associated with volunteer satisfaction (must be a subscriber to view).
• Leroux Kivi Miller’s Nonprofit Marketing Guide: High-Impact, Low-Cost Ways to Build Support for Your Good Cause discusses how to shape a nonprofit’s marketing platform to build support for its mission and programs. Reviewers dubbed it as a down-to-earth book with reader-friendly tips.
• Nonprofit Pro’s Demonstrating Effective Leadership to Better Service Your Nonprofit and Donors includes suggestions from a CEO of a nonprofit organization regarding workplace adjustments, big picture, assessing leadership talent, funders, communication, and more. 
• Nonprofit Quarterly asks Are Volunteers and Nonprofits a Heavenly Match? in an article providing insight into the value and relative necessity of volunteers among nonprofits.
• Nonprofit Times' "Chatbots Catching On As Engagement Tool reports on a nonprofit that utilizes Facebook Messenger chatbots instead of ads or posts.
• Nonprofit Times’ "Meaningful Engagement: How Small Organizations Can Design and Sustain Young Professionals’ Engagement" summarizes a PowerPoint presentation looks at competencies and poses reflection questions.
• Nonprofit Quarterly's "Philanthropy’s Response to COVID-19: 3 Foundation Leaders Discuss Priorities" covers the role of institutional philanthropy in a crisis of this scale; what the speakers’ foundations are doing; potential long-term changes to philanthropy; and guidance for grant-seekers. A webinar was also hosted.
• SalsaLabs blog post, Nonprofit Advocacy Examples: 5 Successful Strategies, addresses advocacy strategies and pain points with click-to-call advocacy, social advocacy, petitions, advocacy events, and campaign reporting.
• This whitepaper from Nonprofit Quarterly, Talent: The Missing Piece of Nonprofit Sustainability, examines the alignment of talent sustainability with other types of sustainability, steps to take, and the sustainability continuum.
• Refer to the Value of Volunteer Time for state-level data on volunteer time, talent, and effort.
• "What Do Federal Coronavirus Bills Mean for Nonprofits?" This article provides a general overview of the Coronavirus Preparedness and Response Supplemental Appropriations Act, the Families First Act, and the CARES Act. 
• Volunteer Protection Act 42 US Code Chapter 139 - VOLUNTEER PROTECTION | US Code; includes sections 42 U.S.C. 14501, 14502, 14503, 14504, and 14505 and stipulates that states have their own volunteer liability laws.
• Read the DELIVER Act of 2019 in House Bill 2928: introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives (not current legislation), which requests the Internal Revenue Code be amended to increase the standard charitable mileage rate for delivery of meals to elderly, disabled, frail, and at-risk individuals.

Ethics

Volunteer Engagement and Best Practices Resources

• Why Develop a Code of Ethics? - National Council of Nonprofits: Adopting a Statement of Value

Reference Resources & Organization Sample Statements

• AL!VE
  • AL!VE Professional Standards
  • Standards for Organizational Volunteer Engagement
  • Strategic Volunteer Engagement
• American Alliance of Museums’ guide to Designing a Museum Volunteer Program - a toolkit for purchase that is designed around AAM and AASLH professional standards.
• American Association for Museum Volunteers’ Standards and Best Practices for Museum Volunteer Programs
• Canada Volunteerism Initiative’s Best Practices in Volunteer Management
• CCVA Professional Ethics in Volunteer Administration
  • Professional Ethics in Volunteer Administration
  • Core Values and Principals
  • Ethical Decision Making Process and Worksheet 2020
  • Universal Declaration on the Profession of Leading and Managing Volunteers
  • Textbook on Volunteer Administration (4th ed)
• Charles Stewart Mott Foundation’s Code of Ethics
• International Association for Volunteer Effort's (IAVE) Universal Declaration on Volunteering
• International Volunteer Program Association’s (IVPA) Principles and Practices
• National Human Services’ Ethical Standards for Human Services Professionals
• Nevada Volunteers’ 10 Organizational Standards for Quality Volunteer Management
• Standards for Excellence’s Ethics and Accountability Code for the Nonprofit Sector (available for purchase, or download the free app)
• Volunteer Australia’s National Standards for Volunteer Involvement
• Volunteer Canada’s Canadian Code for Volunteer Involvement
• Volunteer Management Professionals of Canada’s Code of Ethics
• VolunteerMatch’s Ethics in Volunteer Engagement
• Volunteer Ottawa’s Volunteer Management Ethics

Academic Articles

• The Ethics of Volunteerism in Translation examines a high-profile beneficiary of volunteer translation, Translators Without Borders, and its role in the platform economy.
• Stanford Social Innovation Review’s Ethics and Nonprofits examines the factors affecting moral conduct and ethical issues in nonprofit organizations.

Trending 

Micro (local, individual level) trends impacting individual organizations and associations

Animal Welfare

• 2019 Preventing Animal Cruelty and Torture (PACT) Act (Public Law No. 116-72 November 25, 2019) (Note the exceptions in 48(d)(1))
• The Animal Legal Defense Fund has an interactive map to see which states have laws pertaining to veterinary reporting of animal cruelty, laws against dogs in hot cars, post-conviction possession bans, etc., as well as reports/resources to each state’s current animal welfare laws
• Humane Society of the United States shelters & rescues FAQ

 
Board/Volunteer Diversity

• Nonprofit Quarterly examines a study on Board diversity and lack thereof, and offers alternatives in BoardSource 2017 Finds a New Platform for Action in the Face of Declining Diversity. 

 
Cultural/Performing Arts

• From the Arts Consulting Group, an article outlining Four Action Steps to Create a Stronger Board.
• Stop talking about money and start talking about value--read For Arts Nonprofits, What’s the Value of a Volunteer? from the Clyde Fitch report. 

 
Food-related 

• Community Food Services Industry 2015-2020 Market Research Report (must purchase to view)
• Read about the Campaign to End Hunger through the work of Feeding America’s advocacy.

 
Healthcare/Affordable Care Act

• Is the individual mandate unconstitutional? If so, can it be separated from the rest of the ACA? 
  • California v. Texas - SCOTUSblog provides updates on the status of cases before the Supreme Court
• This doctoral thesis, Strategies for Increasing Volunteer Engagement in Nonprofit Healthcare Organizations, outlines current trending topics in recruiting and retaining volunteers.
• Read about the work the Society for Healthcare Volunteer Leaders is currently engaged in.
• Review AHVRP Healthcare Volunteer Management’s plan for strategic volunteer engagement

 
HIPAA

• Regularly updated US Department of Health and Human Services news releases
• Read about the HHS’ deployment of new interoperability and data sharing rules, allowing healthcare organizations more time to comply with new rules.
• Updated CURES Act timetable, with comments, as of November 2020
• Read about upcoming Possible HIPAA Updates & HIPAA Changes in 2021

 
Historic/Museums

• The Wallstreet Journal "A recent spate of rogue museum tour guides indicates the need for guidance and leadership in museum volunteer programs" (behind a WSJ paywall) 
• Energ!ze compares two museum volunteer program structures, the independent supporting organization model and the integrated volunteer program model

 
Online Communication Tools 

• InItLive looks at Why Organizations Are Adopting Technology to Recruit & Retain Volunteers and aligns the goals of social media networks with the goals of many volunteer programs.
• Why Social Media Matters to Nonprofits
• Classy creates online fundraising software for nonprofits.  The link also includes many fundraising resources guides.

 
Macro (national, international) trends impacting the overall field of volunteer engagement 

All Ages Volunteering

• Encore Talent Works is composed of people self-described as age 50+ who apply their skills, energy, and passion for the greater good.
• Fostering Intergenerational Inclusive Volunteer Engagement describes the benefits of partnering volunteers of differing generations in service-learning programs. 

 
Artificial intelligence

• Classy’s blog offers a succinct introduction to all things AI in AI: What it is and What Your Nonprofit Needs to Know.
• Download Salesforce’s e-book, AI for Good: Nonprofit Trends & Use Cases, for an introduction to AI and to see if your organization can benefit from using it.
• DonorSearch researches AI and its benefits and drawbacks for nonprofits in Artificial Intelligence for Nonprofits: Fundraising’s Future.
• Salesforce 2nd Edition Nonprofit Trends Report: Technology covers mobile fundraising, marketing, creating a technology budget, measuring impact, and determining constituent needs through surveys and is based on the respondents of this report, public/societal benefit and human service nonprofits utilize technology the most; foundations utilize it the least.

 
Disability/Access

• Review these accessibility resources from RespectAbility Inclusive Philanthropy, philanthropy’s partner in enabling funders to make the maximum impact in tomorrow’s diverse organizations.
• Disability: IN is a leading nonprofit resource for business disability inclusion practices, has compiled this resource library for employers.
• Job Accommodation Network (JAN) provides free consulting services for all employers about all aspects of employment accommodations.
• Inclusive Volunteering at The Arc ensures all community members can give back to their communities.
• Fostering Inclusive Volunteering & Service Learning: The National Collaborative on Workforce and Disability for Youth (NCWD/Youth) is composed of partners with expertise in disability, education, employment, and workforce development issues, and is charged with assisting state and local workforce development systems to integrate youth with disabilities into their service strategies.

 
Immigration

• Jayne Cravens’ blog post Welcoming Immigrants as Volunteers at Your Organization illuminates how organizations miss out on a tremendous amount of time and energy if they do not actively recruit immigrants as volunteers.
• Cambridge Volunteers examines recruitment strategies in Engaging Volunteers From Diverse & Immigrant Communities.
• Develop your program further with the International Rescue Committee Resettlement & Integration Technical Assistance (RITA) Community Engagement resource page.

 
LGBTQIA+ 

• Familiarize yourself with some of the current and pending legislation and advocacy in LGBTQIA+ topics using the following resources:
  • Human Rights Campaign
  • GLAD Cases & Advocacy
  • Lambda Legal work/advocacy
  • Pride at Work advocacy
  • Out & Equal Workplace Advocates resources/guides

 
Public Health and Safety

• Find all things public-health related--advocacy, legislation, topics, and issues--at the American Public Health Association home page.
• You’ll want to bookmark 20 Public Health Organizations All Grad Students Should Know so that these organizations and their work are always close at hand.

Purposeful Volunteering

• Corporate volunteering
  • VolunteerHub surveyed 132 organizations regarding their experiences and policies regarding corporate volunteerism, and compiled the results in Nonprofits Share Their Tips for Engaging Corporate Volunteers.
  • Organization leaders tell stories about utilizing corporate volunteers effectively in AbbVie’s Revealing the Secrets to Corporate Volunteering Success.
• Entrepreneurial volunteering
  • This blog post from ENERG!ZE, Encouraging Entrepreneurial Volunteering, speaks to the benefits of reframing volunteer involvement as civic engagement.
• Skills-based volunteering and its benefits are explored in "Powered by Pro Bono: The Nonprofit's Step-by-Step Guide to Scoping, Securing, Managing and Scaling Pro Bono Resources 1st Edition."

 
Racial Justice and Equity

• Dereca Blackmon, former Stanford University Assistant Vice Provost and Executive Director of the Diversity and Inclusion Office and former Associate Dean and Director of the Diversity and First-Gen Office, is CEO of Inclusion Design Group. Blackmon’s company provides workshops, training, and consulting for groups, businesses, and the like on diversity and inclusion
• Minnesota Association for Volunteer Administration’s article, Recognizing Racism in Volunteer Engagement, takes a hard look at the systemic racism underpinning volunteerism culture in the United States.
• Jerome Tennille counters MAVA’s observations with suggestions for Fighting Racism Through Diverse & Inclusive Volunteer Engagement.

 
Short-term Volunteering

• GVI USA’s article Can Short-Term Volunteering Really Have an Impact? addresses the pros and cons of volunteer commitments shorter than one month in duration.
• VolunteerWorld  examines the costs and benefits of different durations of volunteer commitment in Short-term vs. Long-term Volunteering.

 
Virtual Volunteering/Training

• Use VolPro’s suggestions for engagement and retention during this time in How to Engage Online Volunteers During COVID-19.
• The Balance Small Business describes How Virtual Volunteering Works for Individuals and Nonprofits.
• COVID-19 will be with us for a while.  Read sgENGAGE’s Virtual Volunteer Mobilization Strategies that Can Solve Nonprofits’ Challenges During COVID-19 for tips on getting through it with your volunteer program intact.
• VolunteerMatch's "How to Tap Into the Power of Virtual Volunteers."

Additional Resources:

• Local Associations National Directory
• AL!VE Academy
• AL!VE Better Impact & Hybrid Conference
• AL!VE's Presenter Bootcamp
• AL!VE Community of Practice
• AL!VE Emerging Leaders Mentor Program
• AL!VE Local Associations Mentor Program
• AL!VE Professional Standards
• Newsletter Archive
• Diversity, Equity, Accessibility, and Inclusion Resources
• General Volunteer Program Management Resources