Day-to-Day Volunteer Management
from The Citizens Information Board, Ireland
A good volunteering experience means that the volunteer's expectations are met and the organization benefits by their involvement. This happens because the initial "match" is right and because the organization recognizes that the ongoing management of volunteers is essential in keeping volunteers motivated and committed to staying. This article looks at ways to achieve this. More

Volunteers Just Want to Have Fun
from Energize
It is common to cast volunteering in a solemn, even spiritual light. Volunteers do serve those in need due to poverty, disease, war, or disaster, which naturally is incredibly serious business. But we do volunteers (and ourselves as leaders of volunteers) a disservice by focusing only on their halos and never the devilish twinkle in their eyes! More

Seven Strategies for Baby Boomer Recruitment
from The Corporation for National & Community Service
Research suggests that for baby boomers aged 40 to 55 years, there is sufficient similarity in attitudes and characteristics to allow for the provision of a framework designed to encourage volunteerism. But offering attractive volunteering opportunities to the baby boomer generation may require a shift in thinking and organizational restructuring. More

The Five Myths of Customer Service: What You Don’t Know is Hurting Your Business
from Retail Customer Experience
Retailers usually rely on sales numbers to indicate success: if sales are rising, business must be going well. However, you may be reducing your profits by spending up to four times as much as necessary on marketing and customer acquisition. A wiser approach than just pushing sales is to harness word of mouth and improve customer experience. This lowers customer attrition and can lead to "customers for life." More

Nine Ways to Cut Energy Costs
from Inc.
You changed the light bulbs and lowered the thermostat and for a long time, that was enough. But energy costs have been rising in recent years and new taxes are on the horizon, so every business has a reason to become more efficient. Here's how. More

Choosing a Business Credit Card
from BusinessWeek
As small business lending has dried up, small business owners are increasingly relying on business - and personal - credit cards to finance their operations. The issuance of new credit cards was also down early this year over last year, but if you have established credit cards, make your payments on time, and have a decent personal credit score, you should not have difficulty getting a business credit card. More

2009 AHVRP Annual Conference Distinguishing Our Profession, Discovering Our Spirit Arizona Biltmore Resort and Spa Phoenix, AZ August 27-30, 2009 Website: www.todaysvolunteer.org For a full conference brochure, click here.