PAVRO upcoming events

Appreciating Volunteer Management as a Step on Your Career Ladder with Mary Beth Harrington (October 15, 2026)

Thu, 15 Oct 2026 16:00:00 GMT

The PAVRO Professional Development Team is Proud to Present:

Appreciating Volunteer Management as a Step on Your Career Ladder
with Mary Beth Harrington

Join us on Thursday, October 15, at 12 PM EST

Description: You may be familiar with the term “career ladder,” but does your career appear to be more of a step ladder or a large telescoping ladder? Too often our organization’s leadership views volunteer management as a folding step stool with limited height versus that telescoping ladder that can take us wherever we want to reach.

In this session, we will discuss how those in volunteer management can better advocate and educate the leadership of our organizations to recognize the skills we use every day as viable steps on our personal career ladder.

Presenter Bio:

For 30+ years, Mary Beth Harrington has been one of the nonprofit sector's most passionate supporters. Her career path is unique; rather than focusing on a particular sector, she has worked with a variety of nonprofits from Aids organizations to zoos and everything in between!

Harrington’s experience supports her ability to speak on almost any nonprofit topic. A prolific presenter, Harrington has presented for the International Association of Volunteer Administrators, Meals on Wheels of America, Habitat for Humanity International, US Tennis Association, and countless state, local and individual groups. Her resume includes serving as Director of Curriculum & Development at San Antonio Area Foundation, Director of Agency Relations at Volunteer Center of North Texas, and Director of Community Outreach at Texas Association of Nonprofit Organizations (TANO).

Harrington currently travels the country speaking at conferences and to individual organizations articulating issues facing our nonprofit community; urging nonprofits to welcome new leadership, collaborate to be more effective, develop their boards to be more sustainable and recognize the value of their volunteer program.

Before her experience in nonprofits, Harrington spent ten years in the private sector in the field of public relations and advertising, promoting everything from a building implosion to psychiatric hospitals and cinnamon rolls!

A native of Texas, Harrington recently moved to the Pacific Northwest where she shares her home with her husband Rick, four cats, and her beloved dogs Rugby Roo and Truly Scrumptious (photos available upon request).

Volunteer Management Hybrid Conference 2026 - PAVRO Host Site (October 20, 2026)

Tue, 20 Oct 2026 15:00:00 GMT

Join Us for the 2026 Volunteer Management Hybrid Conference!

PAVRO is excited to once again be a host site for the 2026 Volunteer Management Hybrid Conference!

Tuesday, October 20
11:00 AM - 5:30 PM PM ET

And this year, we’re especially excited to see our very own PAVRO President, Veronica Deally, among the featured speakers! See the full speaker lineup here

We’ll watch the conference broadcast together, take part in facilitated workgroups, and share ideas and meaningful conversations with fellow volunteer professionals.

This hybrid format gives you the best of both worlds—the accessibility and great content of a virtual conference, combined with the connection, collaboration, and energy of being together in the same room.

Come learn, connect, collaborate, and be inspired with your PAVRO colleagues!

Register before October 10th for a chance to win a $25 gift card!

Not a member yet? Take advantage of the member rate for this and future events by joining PAVRO today!

2026 Standardized Volunteer Opinion Survey (SVOS) Registration (October 28, 2026)

Wed, 28 Oct 2026 04:00:00 GMT

Thank you for registering for the Standardized Volunteer Opinion Survey!

If you have multiple sites, you will have the option of listing each site with the number of volunteers per site. The final report will display each site as a separate line of the report. If you don't want it broken down by site, don't list them individually. Only list the main site.

You will receive an excel document with raw data including comments from all volunteer respondents in your organization. You will not receive a separate excel document for each site. You will however be able to filter the data for site specific information.

Fees:

Online survey participation: $2.00 per volunteer, with a minimum of $350 and a maximum of $2,000.00, depending on the number of volunteers invited.

Survey Administration Fee: Complimentary for PAVRO members | $175 for non-members.

*NEW: Refer a colleague, and if they register, your name will be entered into a draw to win either a $50 e-gift card from the retailer of your choice or a free one-year PAVRO membership.

Become a PAVRO member now and waive the $175 SVOS administrative fee PLUS enjoy all the benefits of membership throughout the year! Join now Membership Application

IMPORTANT: Please download and carefully review the 2026 Confidentiality Guidelines and Hard Copy Data Entry Checklist and Agreement.

If you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact us at pavro@pavro.on.ca or 416-907-1007.

Thank you,

SVOS Team

Mentorship Moments - Tuesday, November 3rd, 2026 at 10 AM ET (November 03, 2026)

Tue, 03 Nov 2026 15:00:00 GMT

Welcome to PAVRO's

Mentorship Moments
peers sharing and supporting each other
*This event is available to PAVRO members only

Administrators and Managers of volunteers and volunteer programs work in fast paced environments where we manage multiple tasks, responsibilities and challenges. Although there are many resources available to us, connecting with colleagues within our profession is invaluable.

Upcoming Date: Tuesday, November 3rd, 2026
Time: 10 AM ET

The Zoom link will be sent after you register. Please do not share the link.

Topic: When your volunteer workforce spans generations

Today's volunteer workforce spans multiple generations, each with unique values, motivations, and communication preferences. How can volunteer program leaders adapt their recruitment, screening, onboarding, deployment, and retention strategies to effectively engage these diverse audiences while staying true to their organization's mission? In this mentorship moments session, we’ll learn some tips and techniques from each other’s experiences.

Mentorship Moments is open to all PAVRO members.

Anyone looking for support on a specific topic can reach out directly to the mentorship program committee at - pavro@pavro.on.ca

PAVRO Mentorship Committee: Meaghan Innes, Kari Astles, Amanda Maragos and Lynda Laird. If you have topic ideas for upcoming Mentorship Moments, please send them to pavro@pavro.on.ca.

Beyond Burnout: Rebuilding Energy, Meaning, and Momentum in Volunteer Engagement with Jessica Pang Parks (November 19, 2026)

Thu, 19 Nov 2026 17:00:00 GMT

The PAVRO Professional Development Team is Proud to Present:

Beyond Burnout: Rebuilding Energy, Meaning, and Momentum in Volunteer Engagement with Jessica Pang Parks

Join us on Thursday, November 19, at 12 PM EST

Description:

Volunteer burnout is rising, and nonprofit leaders everywhere have noticed how it decreases impact and trust. This interactive workshop uses stories, neuroscience, and real-world problem-solving to demystify why burnout happens and how to interrupt the cycle before volunteers quietly disengage.

Participants explore the emotional and cognitive load that today’s volunteers carry and reimagine engagement practices that create clarity, belonging, and sustainable engagement. This is not a lecture; expect opportunities for reflection and brainstorming using Mentimeter.

Participants will walk away able to:

Use a simple conversation model to check in with volunteers in ways that build trust, reduce overwhelm, and surface emerging concerns early.
Recognize organizational contributors to burnout including expectations, role design, communication gaps, and invisible emotional labor.
Apply a strengths-based, human centered approach to create volunteer experiences that spark purpose and meaning for both nonprofit volunteers and staff.

Presenter Bio:

Jessica Pang-Parks, CVA, Trauma of Money Certified™, is a volunteer engagement thought leader who helps organizations build trust, create impact, and inspire belonging.

She is the recipient of the 2021 Alison Caird Young Leader Award in recognition of her leadership and excellence in volunteer engagement and the recipient of the 2023 VMPC Exemplary Leader Impact Award in recognition of her contributions to the field as a mentor, leader, trainer, and advocate.

Jessica facilitates Fleming College’s Volunteer Management: Spectrum of Engagement course and was named one of the Top 10 Volunteer Leadership Voices in 2025. She has held professional volunteer and community engagement roles at Crohn's and Colitis Canada, Pathways to Education Canada, the Heart & Stroke Foundation, Volunteer Toronto, and WWF-Canada.

Learn more about Jessica at www.learnwithjpp.com.