Volunteer Expertise Hub News

Your connection to volunteer engagement spotlights, resources, trends and training opportunities

November 2023

• Upcoming events to learn, share and connect
• According to the experts
• Volunteer Engagement Resource of the Month
• Habitat for Humanity International updates

Some links in this newsletter require you to be logged into your MyHabitat account. If you need assistance accessing your MyHabitat account, please contact the Affiliate Support Center at USSupportCenter@habitat.org or 1-877-434-4435.

Curious about how you can get more connected with volunteer engagement in the Habitat network? New to engaging volunteers or to Habitat and want to learn more about the resources available? Have you been in your role for a while, but want a refresher on how to use the MyHabitat Knowledge Center Volunteer Management page or Viva Engage? We have an event for you!

Join us for the first Volunteer Expertise Hub Resources Live Tour on Tuesday, Nov. 28 at 3 p.m. ET. Attending the live tour will help you:

• Navigate and access resources to help you develop as a volunteer engagement professional, implement promising practices at your affiliate and effectively leverage volunteers to better achieve Habitat’s mission.
• Engage with Habitat peers in networking communities to ask and answer questions, share stories and learn from one another.
• Meet the Volunteer Expertise Hub team and ask questions you have about volunteer engagement resources.

Registration is now open online! We look forward to seeing you there.

Register online today!

Join this peer connection chat to talk about connecting volunteers to Habitat's mission with representatives from other affiliates in small groups. Come ready to share and learn about successes, obstacles and opportunities focused on:

• Raising awareness about Habitat for Humanity's mission, vision, principles and history.
• Increasing volunteer investment in Habitat's mission, vision and principles.
• Helping make the connection between volunteer duties and tasks and the impact of their service.

Volunteer engagement topic: Engaging a Multigenerational Volunteer Force

Registration is now open! Space is limited.

Nobody understands you quite like your affiliated network peers! Hosted by the Expertise Hubs, communities of practice provide the opportunity for you to connect with 10-20 affiliate peers and explore topics of interest together over a six-month period. Each community of practice will draw upon the affiliated network experience, Habitat for Humanity International resources and nonprofit industry standards to provide tools, promote peer-to-peer learning and hold each other accountable to take action in your topic of choice:

• Board development.
• Diversity, equity and inclusion.
• Finance.
• Habitat Restore.
• Human Resources.
• Planned giving.
• Volunteer engagement.

The volunteer engagement community of practice will explore how harnessing the power of volunteers across generations brings many advantages to your organization, community and the volunteers themselves. It also presents unique challenges and opportunities to address generational characteristics, stereotypes, motivations, communication barriers and more. Join this cohort to explore how you can effectively and inclusively engage a volunteer force spanning multiple generations at your affiliate.

Register and learn more about this year’s community of practice topics and facilitators.

Meet this month’s featured volunteer engagement expert, Morgan Pfaff, executive director of Habitat for Humanity Wisconsin River Area.

Remember, if you have more questions about the featured topics, you are encouraged to reach out directly to learn more about the highlighted volunteer engagement promising practices and programming.

Name: Morgan Pfaff, Executive Director

Affiliate: Habitat for Humanity Wisconsin River Area

Email address: morgan@hfhwisconsinriver.org

Years in the field: 10

Areas of expertise: I began my career with Habitat as an AmeriCorps VISTA volunteer and family services coordinator. I always say I had the best introduction to the very heart of our mission! I love getting to know our volunteers and working with them to find creative ways they can further engage with us. My favorite Habitat stories always involve discovering someone's hidden talents and seeing how volunteering creates a positive effect within them. I especially love finding opportunities for underutilized volunteer groups to participate such as youth and adults with disabilities.

Pro tip of the month: Never miss the opportunity to introduce someone to Habitat! When someone expresses interest in volunteering, ask them what they're doing Saturday. Ask them to bring a friend. Have a mental list of different activities you can invite them to join, and make it easy for them to get signed up.

Volunteer position descriptions are an important tool to engage volunteers effectively, efficiently and successfully. Creating and regularly updating and maintaining them can attract the right people to the right volunteer positions, help volunteers and direct supervisors understand responsibilities, expectations and boundaries, and increase organizational buy-in, communication and staff accountability for engaging volunteers by involving team members in the process.

Ready to create or review your affiliate’s volunteer position descriptions? Check out the volunteer position descriptions resource for a step-by-step guide, templates and examples.

Date: Thursday, Nov. 30, 2023
Time: 3-4 p.m. ET
Register for the information session now!

Join the Habitat AmeriCorps team for a virtual information session. Learn how this unique program increases Habitat’s capacity to serve more homeowners, engage more volunteers and strengthen communities.

Session hosts will answer commonly asked questions such as:

1. What is Habitat AmeriCorps?
2. How effective is this program?
3. What roles do Habitat AmeriCorps members serve in?
4. Is there a financial commitment to host AmeriCorps members?
5. When are applications accepted?
6. And any questions you want to ask!

Begin exploring your options to host Habitat AmeriCorps members. Registrants will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the session, as well as an email after the session with program resources.

For questions, email habitatamericorps@habitat.org or join and post within the Habitat AmeriCorps Community on Viva Engage.

Habitat for Humanity International is thrilled to invite home affordability advocates from across the country back to Washington, D.C., on Feb. 6-8, 2024, for Habitat on the Hill 2024: Reaching new heights, together. Habitat on the Hill 2024 will serve as a critical opportunity for affiliated organizations to convene to further deepen and grow their policy and advocacy knowledge. If you haven’t already, register now while spots remain on a first-come, first-served basis.

Additionally, HFHI values having diverse representation at the conference. Strengthen your organization’s advocacy work by encouraging a homeowner or youth volunteer in your community to apply for a scholarship to attend the conference where they will grow their skills and learn how to effectively advocate for home affordability. HFHI is proud to offer Habitat on the Hill scholarships for:

• Homeowners and resident leaders — For homeowners and resident leaders who can share valuable personal stories about the impact of homeownership and community-provided services. Scholarships will cover the cost of registration and their hotel room.
• Emerging leaders — For youth volunteers in your community (ages 18-30). The scholarship will cover travel, lodging and conference fees.
• Small and/or rural affiliates — For first-time attendees representing small and/or rural affiliates. Scholarships will cover the cost of registration and their hotel room.

Read more about the scholarships and apply on the conference website. The deadline for scholarship applications is Nov. 24. Don’t miss out on this resource to attend our annual legislative conference!

HFHI is updating affiliate-facing donated products and branded resources technology to include a more streamlined sign-on and user-friendly order process, with an expected pre-Thanksgiving rollout. This and other upcoming changes to online systems are designed with improved user experience and benefits to affiliate operations in mind. Updates will be shared as work progresses toward implementation.

Read previous issues and other news items on MyHabitat.

Check out our step-by-step guide to using the Knowledge Center and Yammer.

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The Volunteer Expertise Hub on MyHabitat provides trainings, templates, and promising practices focused on building and strengthening your affiliate’s volunteer engagement.

Find volunteer management resources and join the conversations in the Yammer group with volunteer engagement leaders and experts across the Habitat network.