Posts Categorized: Blog

Nonprofit Experiences: 5 Ways I Support Nonprofits

The nonprofit sector plays a pivotal role in our lives and communities, and impacts all of us in many facets of our lives. Our interactions with the nonprofit sector are varied: we may work or volunteer for causes we care about, or donate to our favourite organizations. We are also personally impacted through school, religion,…

Curiosity: Make it Your Leadership Advantage

This is a guest post by Kathy Archer from Silver River Coaching. Leaders need to be in control, in charge, and have all the answers. Right? No. That is not entirely accurate. In fact, the best leaders often don’t have all the answers.  What the greatest leaders have is a tremendous amount of curiosity. In…

Organizational Well-being Starts with Staff

A major component for organizational well-being is staff well-being. With nice weather, longer days, and often a change of gears to match the change in season, summer is a great time to experiment with new approaches to staff wellness. At Volunteer Alberta, we strive to support staff well-being in a variety of ways. While we…

Nonprofit Experiences: A Lifetime of Involvement

Our experiences with nonprofits are varied: we may work or volunteer in the sector, or donate to our favourite organizations. We are also personally impacted through school, religion, community, sports, recreation, and support. Regardless, the nonprofit sector is central to many of our lives. A couple years ago, Sam shared five of her personal experiences…

Are you successfully sharing your data with your Board?

Have you ever wondered how to use all the data your organization collects to measure your success and report to your Board? How do you show whether the organization is doing a good job? Organizations and their Boards define what a ‘good job’ looks like with a series of objectives. These objectives, known as strategic…

Advocacy: Networking for a Cause

This week we are sharing a blog by Meredith Bratland, Communications Coordinator at Parkland Regional Library. The article originally appeared in their publication, Quatrefoil Summer 2016. While Meredith focuses on advocacy for libraries, we believe her insights are valuable for nonprofits in any subsector! Advocacy work can be a hard sell. I’ve been conducting advocacy…

Creating Alberta’s best future through social innovation

A couple weeks ago, Volunteer Alberta held our AGM during the Impact for Sustainability Conference. We were thrilled to have guest speaker Kate Letizia on the agenda to share with us The Future of Social Innovation in Alberta. We envision a high-functioning, impactful, and resilient nonprofit sector emerging through the social innovation ecosystem in Alberta….

Five Ideas to Borrow for Your Next Conference

Coming up with new experiences for attendees at conferences can be difficult. What is affordable? What keeps people connected during a break? What will participants talk about after the conference is over (aside from great sessions and speakers!)? I had the privilege of attending this year’s Nonprofit Technology Conference (16NTC) – hosted by the Nonprofit…

Five Tech Trends Still Impacting Nonprofits

Going into the 2016 Nonprofit Technology Conference (16NTC) I had fairly high expectations. The Nonprofit Technology Network’s (NTEN) typically features stellar presenters – and they really delivered at 16NTC. With a list of 116 sessions, I had many top choices for every breakout. As well as the opportunity to learn from experts and sector leaders….

Audio: FAQs About Employee Benefits for Nonprofit Organizations

Volunteer Alberta has a partnership with OASSIS, a nonprofit organization providing employee benefit plans specifically designed for the nonprofit sector. Members of Volunteer Alberta receive exclusive access to OASSIS benefit plans in Alberta. Karen Bentham, Executive Director for OASSIS, sat down with us to discuss some frequently asked questions about employee benefits.