2024 VIRTUAL Literacy Volunteer Management Conference

The Volunteer Management Conference (VMC) is a one-day professional development opportunity that brings together Adult Basic Education staff who work with volunteers: coordinators, teachers and managers alike. This year, the conference will be virtual, on Zoom.

• Event Location: Virtual, via Zoom
• Cost: Free for participants in Minnesota; $20 for participants outside of Minnesota. Registration is not refundable, but recordings and materials will be available to registrants after the conference.
• The deadline to register is December 12, 2024.

Get Ready To:

• Learn new strategies and ideas through a keynote presentation and nine concurrent session offerings.
• Get practical resources you can use right away.
• Be inspired by this year's award winners for Excellence in Volunteer Engagement.
• Network and share your professional wisdom with colleagues.
• Earn CEUs.

Questions? Contact Sophie at sphan@literacymn.org or 651-251-9063.

Literacy Minnesota is committed to providing access for people with disabilities at our trainings and events. To request accommodations, please contact Kelly at krynda@literacymn.org or 651-251-9074 at least two weeks in advance.

Conference Schedule:

8:30-9 a.m. | Kickoff and awards ceremony

9:15-10:15 a.m. | Keynote presentation: 

Now What? Emerging Strategies for Leading Volunteers in a Post-Pandemic World
Polly Roach, MAVA

10:30-11:30 a.m. | Concurrent sessions

11:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. | Lunch break

12:30-1:30 p.m. | Concurrent sessions

1:45-2:45 p.m. | Concurrent sessions

Concurrent session topics confirmed (subject to change):

Improving Accessibility and Creating Community With Volunteer ESOL Teachers
Rachel Fuchs, Intercambio
Volunteers play a vital role, not just as teachers expanding access to education for English learners in the classroom, but also as community ambassadors fostering connections and creating welcoming environments for English learners. In this workshop, we’ll share insights from our experience running a successful volunteer-led ESOL program and explore best practices for launching or enhancing existing programs that integrate volunteer ESOL teachers. Join us to learn how to support volunteers to make a lasting impact both inside and outside the classroom.

Learning Coaches: Enhanced Volunteer Roles that Build Learner Independence
Jessica Jones, Andy Francis
Long-time instructors will share their formula for engaging volunteers as classroom facilitators who work directly with classroom instructors to guide students through the learning process. We will discuss the benefits of this model, the required resources and structures, and how to begin implementation.

What is New (and not-so-new) in Volunteer Training
Rob Podlasek
Come get an overview of what’s happening in volunteer training. We'll review the Minnesota ABE training standards and the Literacy Minnesota training resources designed to help volunteers meet those standards. You'll get a chance to ask questions and to provide feedback for future developments.

Tracking Volunteers in SiD
Jenny Schlukebier, Mary Zimmerli
Learn the basics of creating volunteer records in SiD and tracking volunteer attendance and other information and how to run reports about your volunteer's activities.