Board-A-Licious!

Being a on a Board of a non profit is a great way to help the community, providing an in-depth experience with rewards far greater than just writing a check. The guidance and oversight provided by the Board keep nonprofits afloat, and building a strong Board is key to survival in these challenging times.


The Non Profit Training and Resource Center of the Volunteer Center of Bergen County has two trainings coming up:

Build a Better Board
Targeted to non profit organizations, this workshop explores the roles and responsibilities of a Board, how to improve the Board selection process and how to manage Board operations.
Thursday, June 4 - 10:00 am to noon
Volunteer Center, 64 Passaic Street, Hackensack.
The cost is $35.00 and includes continental breakfast and all course materials.

Getting On Board
This workshop is designed for people in the community who are interested in serving on a nonprofit Board.
Tuesday, June 16 - 6:00pm to 8:00pm
IKEA in Paramus. The cost for this workshop is $10.00.

For more information, please call Tess Tomasi at 201-489-9454, ext. 114 or email ttomasi@bergenvolunteers.org.

Derby Day Rides Again!

Over 200 guests gathered on one of the most beautiful afternoons of this spring to support the work of the Volunteer Center at the 17th Annual Derby Day Party, which was held at a private home in Alpine on Saturday, May 2nd.

Sponsors of the party were Provident Bank Foundation, Reader's Digest Foundation, Inserra Supermarkets, Oritani Bank Charitable Foundation, J. Fletcher Creamer & Son, Stryker Orthopaedics, 201 Magazine, Bergen Health & Life and many additional benefactors. Fletch and Edie Creamer served as esteemed judges for our annual hat and tie contests. Winner of "Most Elegant Hat" was Dr. Ursula Daniels and "Most Outrageous Tie" was Anthony Barbara.

“The event was a blast,” said Aimee LaSala, who was attending her third Derby Day. “With the southern jazz music, authentic southern cuisine and festive mint juleps from the bar it felt like you were right there at Churchill Downs.”

The event featured silent and live auctions of fabulous items such as trips, jewelry, and more. Auctioneer Bill Diana outdid himself in generating enthusiastic bidders. To cap the day, everyone cheered as mighty underdog "Mine That Bird" won the run for the roses.

The party ended with dancing, more fun and prizes as the sun set in Alpine.

Below are pictures from the event.

Social Media Essentials!

Returning after a sold-out seminar last spring, Susan Young will present training on the latest and greatest opportunities in PR and utilization of Social Media. Join us, Wednesday, June 10, to master Social Media 101, learn the 7 Easy Ways to Develop an Online Presence using Facebook, Linked In, YouTube and Twitter, understand how to Blog and Why! These are just a few of the areas that will entice and inform participants.

The class will take place from 9:00am – 12:30pm at the Wilson Auditorium – Dickinson Hall at Fairleigh Dickinson University, 140 University Plaza Drive, Hackensack, NJ.

A news industry professional for 25 years, Susan Young advises nonprofits “Don’t be the ‘the best kept secret.’ It’s time to let the cat out of the bag!”

Nonprofits are invited to tap into her wealth of experience and expertise to achieve phenomenal PR success! Sign up for this great class now by calling Tess Tomasi at 201-489-9454, ext. 114 or you can visit the Volunteer Center’s website to learn more.

This seminar is presented by the Volunteer Center’s Non Profit Resource Center.

Follow the Volunteer Center on Twitter @BCVolunteers

Follow Sue Young on Twitter @sueyoungmedia

FUNdraiser!

The Volunteer Center is sponsoring what is guaranteed to be a fun fundraiser on Saturday, June 6, 7:30pm at Banana's Comedy Club in Hasbrouck Heights. Headlining comedian Gary Delena will be bringing the laughs, and Volunteer Center friends, staff, volunteers and assosrted others will be in the house to have some fun for a great cause.

Tickets are just $25 each plus a minimum purchase of one drink or menu item. Buy tickets in advance by May 27 through the Volunteer Center’s website or by calling Jane He, at 201-489-9454, ext. 125.

Come have some fun!

The Volunteer Center goes virtual

It's important to stay up front in the growing online community. You'll now find the Volunteer Center of Bergen County virtualy everywhee you go on the Web. The links below will take you to our pages/presence on Change.org, Myspace, Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, Flickr, and LinkedIn. Stay conected to us wherever you go!

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Every Vote Counts!

The Volunteer Center needs your help! As an affiliate of the HandsOn Network we are enlisting your help to win the “Bullseye Gives” Target contest. Now through May 25, Target is giving away $3 million and letting Facebook users decide where the money goes. The charities with the most votes will receive the biggest share of the prize. Voters are allowed to vote once a day until May 25. Now's your chance to vote early and vote often!

Log on to www.facebook.com/target and go to the VOTE tab to vote for HandsOn today and every day of the campaign (1 vote per day maximum).

Help us spread the word! Contact your friends, family, colleagues, and encourage them ALL to vote for HandsOn Network and to spread the word to others. All funds raised will go to our educational initiatives, with 25% of it going directly to HandsOn affiliates. Every vote and every dollar counts! And this is a marathon—not a sprint. Every day for the next two weeks we will push to make progress towards this goal.

For more information, visit http://www.handsonnetwork.org/.

The Volunteer Center Values...

...WE VALUE

PEOPLE and believe that through volunteer service people have the capacity to enrich their own lives and improve the quality of life in their communities.
DIVERSITY and recognize that all people have time and talents to share, and that communities are strengthened when people connect across their differences through volunteer service.
COLLABORATION and realize that we are at our best when we collaborate.
EXCELLENCE and commit to implementing innovative and effective strategies, holding ourselves accountable for results, and sharing our knowledge and best practices with others.

If you also value people, diversity, collaboration, and excellence visit http://www.bergenvolunteers.org/, to learn how you can get involved today.

Quick Coaching for Non-Profits

Does your non-profit need help, but can’t afford an expert consultant? Well, the Volunteer Center has a solution. You can get "quick coaching" in a one-on-one professional consultation, appointments for which are being scheduled between 9am and noon on Friday, May 15, at Bergen Community College's new Meadowlands campus.

Agencies must pre-register to receive a specific appointment with a specific consultant. The $25 registration fee includes one 45-minute session with a professional in the area of Marketing, Information Technology, Fundraising, Finance/Accounting, or Non-Profit Administration/Governance.

Space is limited, slots are filling up fast, and walk-ins cannot be accommodated. Call (201) 489-9454 Ext.114 to schedule a consultation appointment and to receive directions to the seminar. Deadline is May 12.