Find news you can use on a variety of topics; opportunities to raise money, changes in postage rates; statistics and facts that impact volunteer programs; and more.

~ June 2005 ~ Topics

• Teens Committed to Volunteer Service in US
  
• Corporate Giving to Charity: Expectations
  
• Training in Bowling Green, Kentucky
  
• Graff Releases New Book
  
• Technology Grant Due in June

USA Today says the good news is that teens are volunteering in record numbers. Millennial age group members (those born since 1982) were surveyed and more than 65% of high school students are community volunteers. In another report the Center for Information and Research on Civic Learning (at the University of Maryland) reports that teens and college students are more than 1/3 likely to volunteer than older people. Here are some numbers from these reports.

Information on this research was a feature article in USA Weekend and the research of Neil Howe and William Strauss authors of "Generations: The Fourth Turning and Millennials Rising: The Next Great Generation."

• 43% of those surveyed said that within the past year they purchased something from a company after hearing about its commitment to a social cause.
  
• 90% said they would consider no longer purchasing services or goods from a company that has a negative citizenship track record.
  
• 87% said companies can earn consumer trust by donating to charity.
  
• 80% said they could name companies they considered to have good corporate charitable practices—Wal-Mart was named most often.

A summary of this report is free by contacting Cone's Alison Da Silva at 617-939-8360 or adasilva@coneinc.com. It is also available for downloading at their web site http://coneinc.com.

The ALIVE Center, of Bowling Green, Kentucky is offering a workshop on volunteerism to area non-profits. The workshop is designed to help people manage volunteers more effectively. The workshop is being held Tuesday, June 7th, 2005 from 9:00 am to 4:30 pm at the ALIVE Center.

Nancy Macduff of Macduff/Bunt Associates, a training and consulting service of Walla Walla, WA will be presenting information on volunteer team supervision, motivation and retention of volunteers, legal risks and successful episodic volunteer events.

These workshops are offered FREE but you must register by contacting Tracy Harkins, ALIVE Grant Facilitator, tracy@alivebg.org or 270-782-0824. Registration is on a first-come, first-served basis.

BEST OF ALL: The Quick Reference Guide To Effective Volunteer Involvement is a concise compendium of best practices in volunteer coordination. The book is an "abundance of tips with a minimum of words," and a powerful tool for helping your volunteers contribute their very best through your programs. BEST OF ALL is sure to become the essential desk reference for busy people who don't have the time to search through libraries of literature for solutions to their volunteer program shortcomings.

Chapter presidents, nominating committee chairs, coordinators of volunteers, board members, executive directors/CEOs, sports league organizers, congregation leaders, and especially volunteers who organize the efforts of other volunteers will find hundreds of quick, ready-to-apply tips in this focused guide to the best practices in volunteer program management.

BEST OF ALL will be available in hard copy and electronic format. Check out the details at our online bookstore.

Technology grants for projects in education, community development, health and human services, arts and culture are available from the SBC Foundation. Applications for the Excelerator program are due June 15, 2005. For details go to http://www.sbc.com/foundation.