Membership Benefits of MAVA
Rodrick Fields | Published on 4/6/2022
The ACLU-MN volunteers are an essential part of our success in fulfilling our mission to fulfill the promise of the Minnesota and United States Constitutions to protect civil rights and liberties. As Minnesota's pre-eminent civil liberties organization and a nationally admired leader among ACLU affiliates, we recognize volunteers' vital role. ACLU-MN volunteers work across departments and in many capacities ensuring that each volunteer continues to have an engaging volunteer experience.
MAVA has been instrumental in our volunteer program's development, retention, direction, and layout. My tenure with the ACLU-MN began in 2018 as the Volunteer Coordinator, with a volunteer base of 246 volunteers. A colleague directed me to MAVA for some guidance, and I attended my first MAVA session: Voices of Service, where I learned all about MAVA and the work that MAVA does. I immediately signed ACLU-MN up as a MAVA member and attended the Getting the Most Out of Your MAVA Membership session. From there, I attended the Volunteer Impact Leadership Training Series. It was a four-day training that covered everything from the fundamentals of leading volunteers to effective structuring, volunteer retention, and more. After completing the training, I received my Volunteer Impact Leadership certification, and I was EMPOWERED!
As I began to build the ACLU-MN Volunteer Program, I continued to attend trainings with MAVA and become more involved. My MAVA membership allowed me access to other leaders in the field of volunteerism. Membership has given me a vast network of more than 600 other MAVA members and enhanced my professional skills. I have utilized MAVA's cutting-edge research to help elevate and grow the ACLU-MN Volunteer Program. The research has served as a base to elevate my role to Volunteer Manager and increase the volunteer base from 246 to over 1450 volunteers!
Through my MAVA membership, I have had access to resources that have guided my ability to advocate for the volunteers and the programs. I have successfully developed and implemented new programs to keep our volunteers engaged, which has been invaluable to the retention of our volunteers.
In 2021 I had an opportunity to and honor of joining the MAVA Board of Directors, allowing me to contribute to shaping MAVA's future and continued success. I have shared my experiences with other MAVA members and shared the impactful and meaningful work MAVA is doing. I continue to direct volunteers, volunteer leaders, and organizations to MAVA because it has a proven track record of success.
ACLU-MN is a proud member of MAVA, and membership has its benefits!
"Volunteers are the only human beings on the earth who reflect this nation's compassion, unselfish caring, patience, and just plain loving one another."
Erma Bombeck