Picks of the Week: October 10 - 16, 2010

Website of the Week – International Association for Volunteer Effort

The International Association for Volunteer Effort (IAVE) was founded in 1970 by a group of volunteers from around the world who saw in volunteering a means of making connections across countries and cultures. It has grown into a global network of volunteers, volunteer organizations, national representatives and volunteer centers, with members in over 70 countries, and in all world regions. The majority of IAVE members are in developing countries. IAVE is registered as a charity in the USA, in California, with By-Laws which set out the governing principles and procedures. IAVE has special consultative status with the UN ECOSOC Committee, and associate status with the UN Department of Public Information. It is a member of the UN Confederation of NGO’s, and has a strong working relationship with UN Volunteers, underpinned by a Memorandum of Understanding. Go to: http://www.iave.org.


Publication of the Week -- Women and Philanthropy: Boldly Shaping a Better World
by Sondra Shaw-Hardy, Martha A. Taylor, Buffy Beaudoin-Schwartz and Debra Mesch

From the publisher: Women's philanthropy has led the way in virtually reinventing the world of fundraising and ways of giving. When women make a gift, are in a leadership position, or volunteer their time to a nonprofit or charitable organization, they tend to base their efforts on solid principles such as compassion, values, vision, and responsibility. Women are increasingly engaged in giving circles, global giving, transformative gifts, entrepreneurial giving, faith-based giving, family and couple giving, and social change gifts. Based on extensive interviews and the authors' combined half century of experience, Women and Philanthropy shares new ways to better engage women in giving, as well as insights into developing women leaders in the nonprofit arena, and advises women seeking to develop as philanthropic leaders and shape the future for the better. Women and Philanthropy explores women's philanthropic endeavors, offering a wealth of information on key topics such as how and why women give, what it takes to develop a gender-sensitive fundraising program, how to develop a strategic plan to involve women as leaders and donors, and suggestions for working with women of wealth. Click to preview this book on Amazon.com.


Trend of the Week – Millennials: Confident. Connected. Open to Change.

According to a new report from the Pew Research Center, Millennials -- the American teens and twenty-somethings who are making the passage into adulthood at the start of a new millennium -- have begun to forge theirs: confident, self-expressive, liberal, upbeat and open to change. They are more ethnically and racially diverse than older adults. They're less religious, less likely to have served in the military, and are on track to become the most educated generation in American history. Their entry into careers and first jobs has been badly set back by the Great Recession, but they are more upbeat than their elders about their own economic futures as well as about the overall state of the nation. 21% of Millennials say that helping people who are in need is one of the most important things in their life. This publication is part of a Pew Research Center report series that looks at the values, attitudes and experiences of the Millennial generation. For free access to the reports, go to: http://pewsocialtrends.org.


Resource of the Week – Free E-Book on Strategic Volunteer Engagement

What do nonprofit and public sector leaders need to know to work effectively with volunteers? What systems and strategies need to be in place to effectively engage volunteers? What misconceptions stand in the way of more effective volunteer involvement? These are just a few of the questions answered in the e-book Strategic Volunteer Engagement: A Guide for Nonprofit and Public Sector Leaders. This e-book captures the outcomes of a collaborative research project funded by The Volunteer Impact Fund with support from The OneStar Foundation. This 40-page booklet is available as a free PDF download for a limited time. For your free copy of the Guide, go to: http://www.utexas.edu. (registration required):


Tech Tip of the Week -- Change Slide Background in PowerPoint 2007

Regardless of which design theme you have chosen, you can also change the background to a variety of options which work with your design. To change the background:

• Click the Design tab on the Ribbon
• In the Background group, click the arrow next to Background Styles
• Click a new background style