OHVMA Speaker Session: featuring Melissa Heinlein, PhD, CAVS and Dr. Allison Russell.

Certification Info:  1 CEU (for OHVMA members only)

Description:  

Dr. Allison R. Russell is an Assistant Professor of Public and Nonprofit Management at the School of Economic, Political, and Policy Sciences at the University of Texas at Dallas. Dr. Russell conducts research on the nonprofit and voluntary sector, including nonprofit management, ethics and equity in organizational decision-making, social innovation, and the role of nonprofits in social welfare in the US and around the world.

Melissa A. Heinlein, PhD, CAVS, serves as the Chief, Center for Development and Civic Engagement at the Corporal Michael J. Crescenz Veterans Affairs Medical Center located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. She has close to 25 years of experience in volunteer engagement with most of her career in healthcare. 

The global pandemic accelerated not only how volunteer engagement leaders viewed volunteer roles and their impact on the organization, but how to creatively recruit and retain volunteers during this challenging time. During COVID, the field was forced to pivot in order to maintain close (virtual) contact with their faithful volunteer workforce who patiently waited to return.  Yet, the one cohort of the volunteer workforce perhaps hit the hardest were older, seasoned volunteers.  During this interactive workshop, we discuss the unique challenges of working with older adult volunteers, explore attitudes towards volunteer retirement, and navigate the impact of COVID moving forward.