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ASU Lodestar Center becomes a Service Enterprise Initiative Hub; Valley nonprofits can now maximize human capital
Phoenix (August 1, 2018) - The ASU Lodestar Center for Philanthropy and Nonprofit Innovation has partnered with the Arizona Governor's Office of Youth, Faith, and Family, and Points of Light, the world’s largest organization dedicated to volunteer service, to offer nonprofit organizations in the Phoenix-metro area access to the Service Enterprise Initiative. The Service Enterprise Initiative is a national program that provides training and certification to selected nonprofits committed to implementing exemplary volunteer management practices to achieve their missions.
Did you know that for every dollar nonprofits invest in effective volunteer engagement, they can expect up to $6 in return? Organizations that know how to effectively engage volunteers and integrate them into their human capital strategies are shown to be more adaptable, sustainable and capable of going to scale. They also operate at almost half the median budget compared with nonprofits that don’t make full use of what volunteers have to offer.
Points of Light calls these organizations Service Enterprises – organizations that engage volunteers across all leadership levels, in all departments, to achieve its mission.
Achieving Service Enterprise certification is a very prestigious accomplishment. In fact, organizations that certify join the top 11 percent of nonprofits in volunteer management and organizational performance across the nation. Certification signifies that organizations have the capability and management expertise to strategically use volunteers to improve the performance of their organization.
The ASU Lodestar Center is excited to partner with the Governor's Office of Youth, Faith, and Family, and Points of Light, to offer you access to the Service Enterprise Initiative. “We are delighted to be one of the chosen partners for the Service Enterprise Initiative in Arizona because volunteerism is an essential feature of the social fabric of our communities,” said Dr. Robert F. Ashcraft, executive director of the ASU Lodestar Center and Saguaro Professor of Civic Enterprise. “Organizations that enact exemplary volunteer management practices not only enhance the experiences of volunteers for the better, they also improve the community development results they seek,” Ashcraft added.
Through Service Enterprise, your nonprofit will have access to:
- A research-based program to transform your organization into one of the top 11 percent of nonprofits in volunteer management and organizational performance;
- A diagnostic evaluation of your current volunteer engagement practices and tailored recommendations for improvement;
- 16 hours of training focused on change management and volunteer engagement strategies and best practices;
- Individualized coaching and the support of a community of peers to guide you through your Service Enterprise transformation;
- A nationally recognized certification, with access to volunteer engagement networks, resources and communities.
Ready to get started? Learn how your organization can become a Service Enterprise via the button below.