Reimagining Service Update as of April 2010
Converting good intentions into greater impact
Dear Colleagues,
This email is being sent to everyone who served on the Reimagining Service Task Force, to the participants in the Reimagining Service Forum at the White House, and to everyone
who signed up on the "Join Us" page on the Reimagining Service website.
We invite you to join us in New York City at the
National Conference on Volunteerism and Service.
Please save the date for the
Reimagining Service Forum, to be held on
Tuesday, June 29th, from 10:30am - 12:00pm. Please also help us spread the word about this important
session: it is open to all conference participants. We're eager to share updates from the Reimagining Service Action Teams, and to build out the community of
individuals and organizations that seek to deepen the impact of volunteerism. We hope to create a community that is as wide-reaching and inclusive as possible, and includes
representatives from the nonprofit, public, and private sectors. To achieve that goal, we need your help, and ask that you encourage colleagues and other contacts to join us
at the Forum on June 29th.
Here's an update on key Reimagining Service activities:
- October 2009: Reimagining Service Report was released on www.reimaginingservice.org. We presented high level findings of the report at The Points of
Light Institute's Presidential Forum in Texas. The website provided a mechanism to collect feedback on each idea listed in the Reimagining Service Report.
Over 3,600 unique visitors viewed the site, and we received 450 comments. All feedback was compiled and shared with the Task Force members and Reimagining
Service Forum participants. We appreciate that so many of you took the time to share your thoughts and suggestions.
- December 2009: We held the Reimagining Service Forum at the White House on December 9th. Sonal Shah, White House Office of Social Innovation,
opened the Forum, and Nicola Goren, Acting CEO of the Corporation for National and Community Service, also participated. Approximately 50 leaders from nonprofit,
public, and private entities provided input that launched three Action Teams: the HR Action Team, the Leadership Action Team, and the Funding Action Team.
- January - March 2010: The three Reimagining Service Action Teams are advancing the ideas described in the Reimagining Service report:
- HR Action Team (Leaders: Aaron Hurst, Taproot Foundation; and Bobbi Silten, Gap Inc.):
A half-day summit in February, co-hosted by the Taproot Foundation and the Points of Light Institute, brought together 34 leaders from the HR profession,
from nonprofits, and from funding organizations, to provide input that will be used to guide the following research:
- Service Enterprise "Positive Deviants" research, being executed by Deloitte. This will identify and examine high-performing organizations that have robust volunteer management programs as well as strong HR functions.
- Corporate Volunteer Management research, being led by CommonGood Careers. This will examine current volunteer management practices among corporations.
- Mapping Corporate HR Resources, being conducted by the Society of HR Management (SHRM). This is the first of two phases of research to identify expertise, techniques and other resources in the profession that could be leveraged to meet nonprofit needs.
- Inventory of HR Resources Available to Nonprofits, being conducted by Gap Inc. This will identify the resources already available so we don't reinvent the wheel.
These research tracks will inform a "Design Studio" to be held in late April, which will utilize design thinking methodologies to identify practical, yet
highly innovative ways to "bring the best human resources management practices to the service sector to attract, acquire, inspire and retain volunteer
talent," the charge set in the Reimagining Service report.
- Funding Action Team (Leaders: Suzanne DiBianca, Saleforce.com Foundation; and Liz Blake, Habitat for Humanity):
This team's objective is to influence funders to support volunteer capacity building, and to support nonprofits by providing them with tools and data to help
them better tell the ROI story around investment in volunteer management infrastructure. To work toward this objective, the Funding Action Team is focusing on
these activities:
- A workshop at the National Conference on Service and Volunteerism is being planned to help participants build the business case around funding for volunteer capacity and infrastructure.
- The Team will create a toolkit, which will collect existing data on ROI research; develop a matrix that maps out different ways for funders to support volunteerism and service; and gathers case studies.
- Speaking opportunities in funders' venues will be pursued, along with collaborations with grantmaking associations and networking groups.
- Leadership Action Team (Leaders: Karen Baker, CaliforniaVolunteers; AnnMaura Connolly, City Year; and Michelle Nunn, Points of Light Institute):
The Leadership Team was initially focused primarily on service leaders in government. But with the rapid acceleration of Cities of Service, this team paused
to re-assess the landscape, collaborate with Cities of Service, and ensure that the team's work would enhance and not duplicate the Cities of Service strategy.
The team is now moving forward to explore opportunities to identify and raise the profile of service leaders in nonprofits and corporations. Specific activities
to date:
- Governor Schwarzenegger and CaliforniaVolunteers are hosting an all-day meeting in Sacramento on May 27th for 15 California mayors and key
staffers. As a result, CaliforniaVolunteers expects to launch a comprehensive state-wide Cities of Service network before the end of 2010.
We'll share more at the Forum on June 29th. Hope to see you then in NYC.
Please help us spread the word about the Reimagining Service Forum. If you have
comments or questions, please send an email to
ReimaginingService@gmail.com.
Best regards,
Karen Baker, Secretary of Service and Volunteering, State of California
Evan Hochberg, National Director of Community Involvement, Deloitte
Bill McClements, Acting President, ServiceNation/Be the Change, Inc.
Michelle Nunn, CEO, Points of Light Institute
Bobbi Silten, Chief Foundation Officer, Gap Inc.