Peggy challenges us all in her post Meme Time! How are you going to change the world in 2012? to post our goals for the coming year. For me it means continuing our project Association Volunteers! where we shine the spotlight on those people who give their time and talent to their professional associations. The project was launched in 2010 with the Association Volunteers! Facebook fan page where fans can share stories, find inspiration, and give thanks to those that have made a difference.

Our next volunteer is a little different because he is the unique position of being on both sides of the association world: as a professional for a large national association and as a volunteer for his state association. As he puts it...

Meet Chaz Miller, Director of State Programs for the National Solid Wastes Management Association, a North American trade association representing for-profit companies in the waste services industry. In his spare time, Chaz is an active volunteer with the Maryland Recycling Network (MRN), a Maryland based association of individuals and organizations whose mission is to promote and practice the 3 “Rs” of recycling. Chaz's volunteer experience as includes past positions with ASAE –The Center for Association Leadership on the CAE group and the Government Affairs group. But it's through NSWM and MRN, that Chaz, a long-time advocate of recycling, has found a way to contribute to his personal mission on both the national (NSWMA) and local levels (MRN), proving that one person can make a difference.

Here's another in our series on awesome Association Volunteers. This volunteer believes it's never too late to take that leap…

There is something in it for everyone at whatever stage of your career as long as you still have an interest in growth and increasing your knowledge.

Not every member of a professional association immediately finds that inner-volunteer. Take Jim DeArmey, Information Services Coordinator for Baltimore County Public Library. Jim is not only BCPL’s go-to guru, he is also an active volunteer with Maryland Library Association (MLA), a state member of the American Library Association (ALA). But as you’ll soon see, it took a while for Jim's inner-volunteer to really kick in.

 It’s been a while since we posted our last volunteer story, but that doesn’t mean we haven’t been listening.

Say hello to Davida Breier, fulfillment specialist with Johns Hopkins University Press who volunteers for the Independent Book Publishers Association and the non-profit independent publisher No Voice Unheard, offering her expertise in publishing and marketing to help promote the missions of both organizations. Davida feels truly lucky to be in the position where her professional life and volunteer activities are directly related.

Our next volunteer took on a monumental task when she agreed to spearhead a project launching her professional association into the future. Kathy J. Berkowitz, APRN, BC, FNP, CDE, Senior Medical Science Liaison for Amylin Pharmaceuticals, Inc., volunteers with the American Association of Diabetes Educators (AADE) where she facilitates change in order to advance the Diabetes Educator profession, and with the Diabetes Association of Atlanta (DAA) where she helps those with Diabetes and their families.

Kudos to several associations and a couple of ubercool volunteers so recognized the importance of getting involved in National Volunteer Week. I prodded earlier that association's didn't get it and while I think these examples are good, I still say we have a long-way to go baby.

Here are ideas from 3 associations (can you find more??):

• ASAE said thanks! (albeit a blanket thank you, but a thank you!)
• AIHA did a little podcast celebrating their volunteers http://bit.ly/ian079 which @craigsorrell shared.
• PRSA_MD sent a few tweets and started a thank you chain on their Facebook page ...

Here are some from a few smart people:

• KiKi L'Italien posted this great video, this personal thank you video and hosted a great #assnchat on the subject not to mention a recap on her weekly Social Media SweetSpot. On this last item, I heard about TX Society of Association Executives using the week for a "talent call"
• Lori Halley shared recognition tips on the Wild Apricot Blog.
• Shannon Otto offered a few ideas for thanking volunteers on the MemberClicks Splash blog.
• Leslie White looked at why associations may not have a "learned behavior" re volunteer management - and how to change that.

So let's look ahead to 2012's week - April 15-21... and here's a starting point: Engaging Volunteer's round-up from VolunteerMatch's resource library. And for some inspiration check out #NVW11.

Psst - it's National Volunteer Week. Yep it started on Sunday, April 10. It runs all week. Not that you'd notice in the association world. But turn to the c3 world and it's a different story. Even the White House took time to notice ... as it fought the budget battle.

So what's up with associations? Don't we get volunteers?

Funny that's what we were saying on the last Executive Explorations call, a series of free discussions on volunteering in associations hosted by the ASAE Executive Management Section Council. We talked more about that on our innovation peer group call. We know we rely on volunteers. We just don’t invest in volunteers. We know we struggle with poor performing volunteers and in some cases a dearth of volunteers. We just don't invest in robust volunteer management programs.

Even my professional society focused on membership organizations hasn't spent a pixel in recognizing this week. I haven't (yet) received that generic email thank you for my hours (although I did just get a request to sign-up again for a volunteer project - does that count??).

Here's the interesting rub. We are doing a lot of talking about member engagement. It seems somewhere along the road, we figured out that if you connect - really engage - a member, they are way more likely to renew. And guess what, the best forms of engagement are through volunteering. So ... why the disconnect? We spend lip service on training, evaluating, and recognizing. We often don’t reward either. Volunteer management can be found scattered all over the association.

There are some associations who have a more enlightened approach. We’re beginning to see titles like “Director of Volunteer Relations” and “Director of Member and Volunteer Services.” Associations like PMI are looking at new training and development models.

I think at the heart of problem is this sense – at the top, yes I mean the board – that it’s a responsibility for members to serve. They are supposed to want to “give back” and to work for their profession. That’s a different mindset from the c3 crowd. They see their volunteers are partners and resources. They see them as a valuable commodity and even a strategic resource. They invest in robust volunteer management programs. They brand their programs. They celebrate. They even embed their volunteering into the community – witness high school students’ requirement for service hours and volunteering as a critical component in a political resume.

So here's my challenge to all of us: let’s put volunteer management and development as a strategic goal. Let’s apply resources to developing robust programs. Let’s be “volunteer organizations”.

One easy step is to "like" our Facebook Association Volunteers! page and add a note about how great your volunteers are.

In case you want to explore a little more about National Volunteer Week:

• Lots of ways to get in the know beginning with #NVW11 stream on Twitter
• Piece in USA Today
• Engaging Volunteers blog series over at Volunteer Match
• Huffington Post's "Volunteering - Some news is so big it needs it's own page"
• IABC/BC chapter offers a reason - make that 5 - you shoudl volunteer for your professional association.

We head into 2011 by talking with Dina Wasmer, president of Incite Creative, Inc. (a marketing and graphic design firm), who divides her time between professional and philanthropic volunteerism, lending her expertise to organizations such as Network 2000, Tuesday Girls, and The Children’s Guild. Dina sees volunteering as an opportunity for professional and personal relationship building, which in turn benefits her clients and her community.

As Peggy writes in her January 5^th post, 2010 was an exciting year for Mariner. It was also the year we really got rolling with the Association Volunteers! Facebook Fan Page, a celebration of the energy, enthusiasm, and often unrecognized work of association volunteers. My job was to listen to the stories of these volunteers.

This time, we talked with a woman who broke through stereotypical gender roles to become the president of a trade association in a predominately male industry. Jean Maisel, office manager of JDL Electric Company, Inc, is the 2010-11 president of the Independent Electrical Contractors Association-Chesapeake Chapter, a 2-year position in which she is determined to make a difference.