Volunteers rarely make headlines but they contribute immensely to the nonprofit sector, helping those in need, working with important initiatives, aiding the sick, feeding the poor, and so forth. Volunteerism has been described as “an activity, a movement and a way of life where people give their own virtues into the hands of others for free or well below their normal price or even cost.” Such volunteering is not only good for those who are served, but correlates with many positive virtues for the volunteer.

Learn how to attract skilled, long-term volunteers and auxilians to your organization by using innovative recruitment methods and creative training techniques. The first 30-60 days makes or breaks a new volunteer’s commitment to you. This interactive session offers dazzling ways to recruit new people and ways you can make orientation interesting and memorable. Explore the most important reasons volunteers stay and the most common reasons they leave. Also, building positive relationships between volunteers and staff is a key component of effective volunteer services program administration. Learn how to foster strong staff/volunteer relationships.

If you need more volunteers in your NGO…if you need specialized volunteers…if you need long-term, ethical individuals who believe in your mission, come explore the I.M.A.G.E.S. of strategic recruitment, recognition, and retention! It’s not enough to recruit outstanding volunteers…you have to understand the key concepts of meaningful recognition to retain them and earn their dedication. Creative best practices will help you to create a dazzling plan that works in this new age of volunteerism!

Mary McCormack is President of Information Services. Having spent 26 years focusing on volunteer services administration, she is a nationally certified Administrator of Volunteer Services and has shown thousands of people and organizations internationally how to successfully apply creative solutions to challenges involving leadership, fundraising, and best business practices. She served on the American Society of Directors of Volunteer Services Executive Board, and has had her articles featured in such publications as Volunteer Leader, Volunteer Services, and Insights. She is the co-author of Legal, Risk Management and JCAHO Issues for Healthcare Organizations: A Manual for Directors of Volunteer Services and Auxiliary Leaders. In 2000, she received the highest honor from the American Society of Directors of Volunteer Services Executive Board as the 19th person ever to earn the Program for Professional Achievement-Fellow Level. Ms. McCormack is a graduate of University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill with a B.A. degree in Psychology.

Character education is an area of growing interest and popularity. Character education is an umbrella term generally used to describe the teaching of children in a manner that will help them develop as personal and social beings. Concepts that fall under this term include social and emotional learning, moral reasoning/cognitive development, life skills education, health education; violence prevention, critical thinking, ethical reasoning, and conflict resolution and mediation. This form of education involves teaching children and adolescents values including honesty, stewardship, kindness, generosity, courage, freedom, justice, equality, and respect.

Concerned parents, community leaders, and educators are beginning to realize that conventional education is incomplete when it comes to nurturing the character and personality of children. At the same time, political, social, and religious leaders are also recognizing that to achieve genuine peace in the world, we must nurture societies full of people with good character.

This workshop will provide a prototype program and curriculum that can be utilized around the world, one in which universal values and characteristics are taught in a format that can be adapted to different countries cultural heritage.

Mr. Alan Saunders is the Director the Office of Character Education and the Office of HIV/AIDS prevention for the Universal Peace Federation. He gives teacher training workshops, seminars, and conferences aimed at empowering NGO leaders, teachers, social workers, community leaders, and parents to teach character education, conflict resolution, character-based sexuality education, relationship skills building, marriage preparation and enhancement, as well as parenting education. Mr. Saunders also is a consultant for the United Nations Development Program(UNDP). He has been appointed as the vice chair of the Conference of Non-Government Organizations (CONGO) Committee on HIV/AIDS for organizations with consultative status at the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) at the United Nations. Mr. Saunders is also the Director of Public Relations for the International Educational Foundation and has taught moral education, relationship education, and life skills training programs in countries around the world, including: Trinidad and Tobago, St. Lucia, Guyana, St. Vincent, Barbados, and the Dominican Republic, as well many countries in Eastern Europe and Russia. In addition to conducting "Train the Trainer" seminars in Nigeria, Uganda, Zambia, South Africa, Kenya, Cameroon, Benin, Togo, and the Democratic Republic of Congo, Mr. Saunders has spoken on panels at the United Nations on HIV/AIDS and conflict resolution. He also gave a presentation on moral education and HIV/AIDS prevention to the Ambassadors at the African Union Headquarters of the United Nations in New York City. He and his wife June have a consulting business; they coordinated the research of case studies for a policy paper on capacity erosion due to HIV/AIDS and civil war in the least developed countries in the world. The United Nations Development Program (UNDP) and the UN Office of the High Representative for Least Developed Countries (UN-OHRLLS) coordinated the project. Mr. Saunders holds a B.S. in Sociology from the State University of New York in Albany, NY, a Masters of Divinity from the Unification Theological Seminary in New York (Cum Laude), and is currently pursuing doctoral certification in educational leadership.

Your greatest challenge in direct mail fundraising is persuading donor’s to ignore the television, leave the other mail on the kitchen table, and sit down and read your letter right to the end, and give a donation. In this session, Alan Sharpe shows you dozens of creative, proven ways to grab your readers’ attention and then immediately stimulate interest that compels them to keep reading.

Alan Sharpe did not discover that he wanted to write fundraising letters for a living until he had first fought in the Falklands War, traveled with the circus, lived in a snowhole, taught children with disabilities how to downhill ski, and lived in Jane Fonda's old house in Paris. Today, Mr. Sharpe serves as a direct mail fundraising consultant, copywriter and coach. He helps nonprofit organizations worldwide to raise funds, build relationships and retain loyal donors using cost-effective, compelling, creative fundraising letters. As a seminar leader and speaker, Mr. Sharpe coaches executive directors and directors of development to craft engaging, warm appeal letters that win the hearts and minds of their donors. He is also a contributing editor to Canadian FundRaiser. Mr. Sharpe served as Director of Development and Communications for two international nonprofits, where he was responsible for strategic planning, annual direct mail fundraising campaigns, major giving, planned giving, major events, publicity and other enjoyable headaches. He has taught direct mail copywriting at the university level and has published over 100 articles, 25 handbooks, and one book on the topic of direct mail fundraising. He has taught public and private workshops on direct mail fundraising in Canada and the United States for the Association of Fundraising Professionals, Canadian FundRaiser, the Canadian Council of Christian Charities, and his own direct mail fundraising agency. Among two of the books Mr. Shapre has co-authored are two editions of The Canada Yearbook and two editions of Canada: A Portrait, one of which won awards across Canada. Mr. Shapre publishes Direct Mail Fundraising Today, an email newsletter read by over 5,800 professional direct mail fundraisers worldwide each week.

Are you really making a difference? In the past, many NGOs have answered emphatically, citing anecdotes, large donors and positive press. But today, higher levels of scrutiny and professionalism demand a more compelling answer. Moreover, done properly, performance measurement can be a powerful, proactive tool – to track progress, learn how to improve, communicate results to stakeholders, motivate and manage your staff, and to raise funds. In today’s competitive NGO environment, organizations cannot just focus on surviving, they must focus on thriving. To thrive, NGO leaders need to constantly measure and improve results. This workshop will teach NGO leaders why measuring performance is important, discuss key concepts in measurement and provide an overview of how to measure and apply results.

A leading expert in the field of performance measurement and benchmarking, Saul is the founder and Managing Director of Mission Measurement, LLC, a performance measurement consultancy. Mission Measurement works with corporate, foundation, public and nonprofit clients to measure performance and analyze social impact. They bring years of client experience, thought leadership and measurement data to each client engagement. Mission Management’s work usually starts where strategy leaves off – once an organization has determined its goals and priorities, they figure out how to measure their performance. They work with clients in three principal areas: Defining the Right Metrics; Managing Performance Data; and Reporting on Results. Mission Measurement principals have consulted with leading national and international nonprofits, foundations and Fortune 500 companies.

In 2000, Saul co-founded B2PCommerce Corp, a software firm that developed products for nonprofits and foundations. Prior to 2000, Saul practiced as an attorney at Mayer, Brown, Rowe & Maw, where he represented government and nonprofit clients. In 1994, Saul co-founded the Center for What Works, a national nonprofit organization that sets standards for outcomes and performance measurement. Jason Saul is the author of the book: Benchmarking for Nonprofits: How to Manage, Measure and Improve Performance, published in 2004 by Fieldstone Press. The book was awarded the 2005 Ben Franklin Award by the Independent Publisher’s Association for best business book of the year.

Saul holds a B.A. in Government and French Literature from Cornell University, an M.P.P. from Harvard University’s John F. Kennedy School of Government and a J.D. from the University of Virginia School of Law. He teaches performance measurement and benchmarking the Center for Public & Nonprofit Management at Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management. In 1989, Saul was awarded the Harry S. Truman Scholarship for leadership and public service.

Breakthrough fundraising letters state their case for support in terms that resonate with donors, making the cause and the request for funds too irresistible to pass up. Even organizations that have seemingly mundane mandates are finding creative ways to create vivid, captivating letters. You can, too. In this session, Alan Sharpe shows you proven ways to inspire your donors using paper and postage. You’ll learn tips, techniques and shortcuts that you can use right now.

Alan Sharpe did not discover that he wanted to write fundraising letters for a living until he had first fought in the Falklands War, traveled with the circus, lived in a snowhole, taught children with disabilities how to downhill ski, and lived in Jane Fonda's old house in Paris. Today, Mr. Sharpe serves as a direct mail fundraising consultant, copywriter and coach. He helps nonprofit organizations worldwide to raise funds, build relationships and retain loyal donors using cost-effective, compelling, creative fundraising letters. As a seminar leader and speaker, Mr. Sharpe coaches executive directors and directors of development to craft engaging, warm appeal letters that win the hearts and minds of their donors. He is also a contributing editor to Canadian FundRaiser. Mr. Sharpe served as Director of Development and Communications for two international nonprofits, where he was responsible for strategic planning, annual direct mail fundraising campaigns, major giving, planned giving, major events, publicity and other enjoyable headaches. He has taught direct mail copywriting at the university level and has published over 100 articles, 25 handbooks, and one book on the topic of direct mail fundraising. He has taught public and private workshops on direct mail fundraising in Canada and the United States for the Association of Fundraising Professionals, Canadian FundRaiser, the Canadian Council of Christian Charities, and his own direct mail fundraising agency. Among two of the books Mr. Shapre has co-authored are two editions of The Canada Yearbook and two editions of Canada: A Portrait, one of which won awards across Canada. Mr. Shapre publishes Direct Mail Fundraising Today, an email newsletter read by over 5,800 professional direct mail fundraisers worldwide each week.

Because the work of NGOs is so important to the betterment of world societies, these organizations are challenged to put forth a concerted effort to strengthen their programs and become sustainable, successful organizations. For them to grow and succeed in their mission, they need to be able to accurately communicate to their various publics the concerns and descriptions of their activities in a positive manner.

NGOs find themselves in an environment where the success of their efforts depends in great part upon an informed community of citizens and, hopefully, an interested and responsible print and electronic press corps at the national, regional, and local levels. NGOs need to establish a proactive public and media relations effort that will link a variety of public and private audiences and to positively influence opinions about themselves and their work. Through these efforts, NGOs can actively enter the public forum and be influential in framing and presenting their concerns and points of view.

If NGOs do not plan and organize media efforts they will be left to spend most of their time reacting to media concerns rather than influencing the agenda. Strategic planning is necessary for any organization that wants to utilize mass media to help further its mission. We must work to see that our organization has the opportunity to present its viewpoints, concerns, explanation of its mission and its noteworthy activities to the mass media.

Media relations and publicity efforts that are conducted only when the need arises give no long-term benefits to the image and work of any organization. An organized public relations program must be carefully planned, budgeted, and carried out with expertise. Designing a media strategy for our organizations should be an office integrated team effort and a long-term action.

Professor Ron Sereg is Assistant Professor of Public Relations at Louisiana State University Shreveport. He is also a consultant to international NGOs on public relations and mass communications. He has served as a visiting professor of journalism and public relations with the Yale University Civic Education Project in Central Asia, and guest lectured at a number of international universities. Professor Sereg has notably worked as a consultant with a large number of non-governmental organizations in Eastern Europe and in the Russian Federation, as well as with the United Nations UNESCO Central Asia Media Program, USAID Democracy Network Program, and the Soros Foundation. He is currently a member of the U.S. State Department’s International Selection Committee for the Freedom Support Act Undergraduate Program. Professor Sereg also has written a manual of media and public relations techniques especially for non-governmental organizations in Eastern Europe that has been published and translated into several languages. He is also a co-author of an assessment of the relationship of the Slovak Republic mass media to the country’s election system. Professor Sereg received his Master of Arts degree in public relations from Central Missouri State University in Warrensburg and his Bachelor of Science in journalism from Southern Illinois University in Carbondale.

The number, diversity, and importance of non-governmental organizations (NGOs) have been increasing dramatically in recent years. While most NGOs strive responsibly to promote the public good, there are also many organizations that do not follow acceptable standards of conduct, whether in fundraising, governance, the use of public funds, or other matters. One method of assessing and improving NGO accountability is by a program of voluntary, self-assessment whereby individual NGOs or members in an Association may evaluate their compliance to a set of standards and certify that they are adhering to the applicable standards. Ideally there is a mechanism in place for the initial evaluation of compliance and for periodic review. Self-certification may or may not be required for membership in an association, or there may be minimal standards required for membership and a “plus” level for those self-adhering to higher standards.

This session will deal with a self-certification program designed around the Code of Ethics and Conduct for NGOs, a set of 7 fundamental principles, 9 operational principles and over 100 standards to guide the actions and management of non-governmental organizations. Developed under the auspices of WANGO, and formulated by an international committee of leading authorities and NGO representatives drawn from throughout the non-governmental community, and including input from many other NGO leaders from all regions of the world, the Code is designed to be broadly applicable to the worldwide NGO community.

This session will introduce the NGO Compliance Manual designed as a tool to help NGOs assess whether their policies and procedures are currently in alignment with the Code of Ethics and Conduct for NGOs.

Dr. J’Lein Liese is Founder of the Foundation for Global Leadership. The Foundation for Global Leadership is a nonprofit organization with offices in the United States and South Africa. Its mission is to foster opportunities for global learning. Dr. Liese also founded the Institute for Multicultural Success International to provide quality programs that advance cultural understanding and reduce conflict in our schools and communities. Dr. Liese’s work both nationally and internationally specializes in violence prevention/intervention, responding to trauma, crisis management and issues concerning diversity. A frequent trainer and presenter, Dr. Liese has developed and implemented programs throughout the United States, South Africa, the Netherlands, Egypt and China. In 1998, Dr. Liese was a keynote speaker at World Habitat Day in the Netherlands. In 1999, MTV and the American Psychological Association featured Dr. Liese’s program, JumpStart: Mastering Anger, Self-Discipline & Emotional Control, in their award-winning documentary “Warning Signs” as an effective intervention for troubled youth. Currently, Dr. Liese is working with the South African government to support the implementation of the new Child Justice System. In addition, Dr. Liese has published numerous curricula, articles and most recently contributed a chapter in a textbook for the University of Pretoria on redirecting troubled youth.

What outcomes are most important to your organization’s success? How can they be measured? What tools do you have at your disposal to begin measuring today? What are common measurement issues? How can you implement measurement most effectively? This workshop will address these questions and teach participants how to define key outcomes and performance metrics. At the completion of the workshop, participants will have developed a customized Measurement Framework that can be used on a daily basis to measure and track results.

A leading expert in the field of performance measurement and benchmarking, Saul is the founder and Managing Director of Mission Measurement, LLC, a performance measurement consultancy. Mission Measurement works with corporate, foundation, public and nonprofit clients to measure performance and analyze social impact. They bring years of client experience, thought leadership and measurement data to each client engagement. Mission Management’s work usually starts where strategy leaves off – once an organization has determined its goals and priorities, they figure out how to measure their performance. They work with clients in three principal areas: Defining the Right Metrics; Managing Performance Data; and Reporting on Results. Mission Measurement principals have consulted with leading national and international nonprofits, foundations and Fortune 500 companies.

In 2000, Saul co-founded B2PCommerce Corp, a software firm that developed products for nonprofits and foundations. Prior to 2000, Saul practiced as an attorney at Mayer, Brown, Rowe & Maw, where he represented government and nonprofit clients. In 1994, Saul co-founded the Center for What Works, a national nonprofit organization that sets standards for outcomes and performance measurement. Jason Saul is the author of the book: Benchmarking for Nonprofits: How to Manage, Measure and Improve Performance, published in 2004 by Fieldstone Press. The book was awarded the 2005 Ben Franklin Award by the Independent Publisher’s Association for best business book of the year.

Saul holds a B.A. in Government and French Literature from Cornell University, an M.P.P. from Harvard University’s John F. Kennedy School of Government and a J.D. from the University of Virginia School of Law. He teaches performance measurement and benchmarking the Center for Public & Nonprofit Management at Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management. In 1989, Saul was awarded the Harry S. Truman Scholarship for leadership and public service.