Monday, December 4:  We’re in Denver and the Congress has begun!

We started with a reception to get acquainted and the energy in the room was palpable.  For some, it was a welcome chance to see long-time colleagues and friends, and for others it was the beginning of assimilating into this unique group of delegates.  Ninety people made the trip to Denver, most paying expenses on their own.  We have colleagues from every area of the country and at all stages of their careers in volunteer management.  Represented are local DOVIAs from cities large and small; state associations of volunteer administrators; affinity groups such as health care settings, volunteer centers, museums, local government, and animal shelters; and networks within national organizations such as volunteer program managers at the American Red Cross and Volunteers of America. 

Here are some highlights of the opening session:

• Delegates were welcomed to this history-making convening – a true Congress. We were also reminded that there are really 6,000 people  represented in this room.

• We spent a few moments acknowledging our sense of loss at the demise of AVA.  Using the Kubler-Ross model of grieving, we traced how, as a field, we went through the “emotional process of change,” moving from denial to fear to anger to sadness and then from acceptance to hope and excitement (with other steps in between).  We have now come to the final stage:  “realignment” and are ready to start again.
  
  

  

• Facilitator Elaine Granata outlined the agenda and process of the next two  days and introduced us to the decision rule of “common ground” (as opposed to “consensus”):  finding those areas that we current hold in common or discover through dialog that we hold in common.  Non-common ground is ok, and we’ll keep a “disagree list” to be worked on at another time and place.  We will do actual voting for the selection of purposes, structure, and leaders.  

• Elaine led us through a highly interactive session identifying the trends, events, and forces affecting volunteering today, and then what the implications are of this long list on the Congress as we deliberate on planning what our field needs at the national level.

• Having looked at the present and near future, we next stopped to look at the past.  Todd McMullin of Samaritan Technologies showed a slide presentation that explored the history of the profession of volunteer management.  It is available for everyone to view:  click here.  Delegates also applauded Marlene Wilson, pioneer in our field, who is attending the entire Congress as a non-voting participant.

• The last segment of the evening focused on developing our top three “prouds” and top three “sorries” from our history.

The first session of the Congress closed at 9 pm.  On to tomorrow!