Effective Practices: Notable Authors
Effective practices from those who are widely recognized in the field of national and community service.
Andy Goodman
The Goodman Center
A communications consultant and trainer based in Los Angeles, California, Andy Goodman specializes in helping nonprofits, foundations, government agencies, and educational institutions communicate more effectively through print, broadcast media, and the Internet.
- Giving winning presentations using PowerPoint slides
- Using storytelling to make a compelling presentation
Betty Stallings
Bettystallings.com
Betty Stallings, M.S.W., is an international trainer, consultant, author, and keynote speaker specializing in volunteerism, nonprofit fundraising, board development, and leadership.
Cathyrn Berger Kaye
Cathryn Berger Kaye, M.A., is a former classroom teacher and an international service-learning consultant. She works with state departments of education, university faculty and students, school districts, and classroom teachers on a variety of education issues such as service-learning, civic responsibility, student leadership, and respectful school communities. She is the recipient of the Inspirational Spirit Award, Learn & Serve America 2005, and author of The Complete Guide to Service Learning.
Dr. Curtis L. DeBerg
Students for the Advancement of Global Entrepreneurship
Dr. Curtis L. DeBerg earned his Ph.D. and M.S. at Oklahoma State University in business administration and economics. Dr. DeBerg founded Students for the Advancement of Global Entrepreneurship (SAGE) in summer 2002. SAGE’s mission is to advance ethical business practices, social responsibility, civic engagement, and environmental awareness worldwide through high-school level youth participation in entrepreneurship and community service. SAGE is currently operating in seven U.S. states and 15 additional countries.
Gary Kosman
America Learns
In 2001, Gary Kosman founded America Learns to provide guidance and support to tutors and mentors, and to help them improve, evaluate, and report on the performance of their students in the least costly and time-consuming ways available.
- Increasing vocabulary with a kinesthetic activity
- Introducing nouns to students
- Preventing youth from becoming victims of cyberbullying
- Teaching students to recognize uppercase and lowercase letters
- Using a character tree to keep track of a story
- Using a scheduling/goals worksheet to organize a tutoring session with multiple students
Jayne Cravens
Coyote Communications
Jayne Cravens is an internationally-recognized professional regarding various activities relating to the management of nonprofit organizations, non-governmental organizations, civil society, and public sector organizations (government departments, schools, and related initiatives), including AmeriCorps-affiliated programs. She's best known for her pioneering work regarding online outreach and virtual volunteering.
- Creating a successful online mentoring program
- Screening online volunteers
- Using Instant Messaging to promote communication with volunteers
Mary Merrill
Mary Merrill (3-15-1945 to 2-19-2006) designed strategic planning processes, employee development seminars, and served as a consultant to nonprofit organizations and professional associations. She taught at the Institute for Community Leadership and Volunteer Administration at Ohio State University. She worked with developing NGOs (non-governmental organizations) in Armenia, and helped develop a volunteer center in Moscow, Russia. She coordinated international study abroad projects for Ohio State University Leadership Center and North Carolina State University 4-H. She was a member of The International Association for Volunteer Effort (IAVE), The International Association for Volunteer Administration (AVA), the Association for Research on Nonprofit Organizations and Voluntary Action (ARNOVA), the Points of Light Foundation, the Ohio Association of Volunteer Administrations, and the Volunteer Administrators Network of Central Ohio.
Nan Hawthorne
In 1994 Nan Hawthorne founded CyberVPM online forum, an international discussion group for volunteer managers. From 2002-2004, she served as the editor-in-chief of Charity Channel’s Volunteer Management Review. She also founded International Volunteer Manager Appreciation Day which has been observed in 18 countries for over a decade. Currently, she writes historical fiction novels.
Steve McCurley
E-Volunteerism
Steve McCurley is an internationally-known trainer and speaker in the field of effective volunteer involvement. He is currently a partner in VM Systems, a management consulting firm specializing in helping organizations improve their utilization of volunteers. He has served as a consultant on volunteer program development to the American Association of Retired Persons, the National Association of Partners in Education, the U.S. Tennis Association, Special Olympics International, the National Park Service, the Points of Light Foundation, and other groups. He is one of the founding faculty of the Institute for Advanced Volunteer Management held in the United Kingdom each year. In collaboration with Susan Ellis, he is the co-founder of e-Volunteerism.
- Giving constructive feedback to volunteers: a process-oriented approach
- Interviewing volunteer applicants using role playing
Susan J. Ellis
Energize,Inc.
Susan J. Ellis is President of Energize, Inc., a training, consulting, and publishing firm that specializes in volunteerism. She founded the Philadelphia-based company in 1977 and since that time has assisted clients throughout the United States and internationally to create or strengthen their volunteer corps. Susan is the author or co-author of twelve books, including From the Top Down: The Executive Role in Volunteer Program Success and The Volunteer Recruitment (and Membership Development) Book.
