Area Nonprofits: Join Us for Networking and Collaboration!
The Heart of Illinois Volunteer Administrators (HOIVA) strengthens volunteer engagement throughout central Illinois by supporting local nonprofits through collaboration, networking, and education. Our goal is to provide a respected, energetic voice for volunteerism across the community, advancing the shared goal of making our area a better place to live and work.
Managed by the Heart of Illinois United Way, HOIVA membership is free and open to nonprofit organizations throughout Peoria, Tazewell, Woodford, Marshall, Stark, and Putnam counties. We also invite you to join the HOIVA Facebook Group for news, agency sharing, upcoming webinars, and more! Click here to join.
2026 Sessions |
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Date/Time/Location |
Topics and Speakers |
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| Thursday, January 15 1:00-2:00 pm Via Zoom |
Growing Your Volunteer Engagement Career: All registrants received a recording of the presentation AND bonus resources. |
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| Wednesday, March 25 9:00 am- 10:00 am Via Zoom |
What's New, Updates, and Agency Sharing/Discussion Join us on Zoom to discuss updates to the volunteer software, our community-based program, and any issues or concerns you want to share. |
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| Tuesday, April 21 3:30-5:30 pm Clink! in Peoria Heights |
Join us to celebrate National Volunteer Week! |
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| Wednesday, May 20 8:00-9:30 am Heart of Illinois United Way |
Let’s Huddle Up! Join Us for Breakfast & Conversation to Transform Group Volunteerism Join fellow volunteer administrators for a breakfast gathering and facilitated conversation introducing Huddle Up!, a new approach to strengthening volunteer group experiences. Together, we’ll explore how adding simple moments of preparation, connection, and reflection can help volunteers better understand your mission and the impact of their work. Gina Edwards, HOIUW, will share the Huddle Up! framework along with practical tools and examples, and participants will have the opportunity to exchange ideas and experiences with peers. Whether you regularly host volunteer groups or are looking for new ways to engage them, this session will provide actionable ideas you can use right away. Breakfast will be provided.  |
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| Tuesday, June 16 9:00-10:00 am Via Zoom |
Save the Date! The Hidden Cost of ‘Free’ Volunteers by Brooke Campbell, CNP, CVA Volunteers are often seen as a “free” resource, but anyone who manages a volunteer program knows that is far from the full story. Behind every successful volunteer initiative lies a range of hidden investments: staff time for recruitment and supervision, consultants, training materials, workspace, technology platforms, insurance, and more. These costs often go unrecognized, underfunded, or absorbed by already-stretched nonprofit teams. In this eye-opening workshop, we will break down the true cost of volunteer engagement and show you how to quantify the financial and operational resources your program really requires. You will learn to apply a cost calculation formula that translates hidden inputs into clear numbers, giving you a powerful tool to advocate for adequate funding, justify budget lines, and communicate your program’s value to internal and external stakeholders. Whether you are a volunteer manager, program coordinator, or development professional, you will leave with: a practical cost-calculation worksheet you can adapt for your own program; real-world examples to guide your estimates; strategies to build a stronger case for investment in volunteer infrastructure; and renewed confidence to shift the narrative around volunteerism from “free help” to “strategic resource". Let us stop hiding the cost and start showing the value. RSVP Link Coming Soon! About Brooke Campbell Brooke Campbell is Director of Community Outreach and Disaster Recovery for United Way of Greater Houston. She has more than 18 years of experience helping organizations strengthen communities through volunteer engagement, program innovation, and disaster recovery partnerships. She is a Certified Volunteer Administrator (CVA). Brooke was formerly Director of Volunteer Houston and held various roles with Boy Scouts of America. Brooke is a graduate of Texas State University. |
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| Tuesday, July 21 11:30 am Via Zoom |
Engaging Skills-based Volunteers: From Scoping to Impact with Beth Steinhorn Engaging skills-based volunteers is a meaningful strategy to engage employee volunteers while addressing key organizational needs. Whether because the process can seem daunting or because nonprofit staff and corporate engagement leaders think their goals don’t align, such engagements remain the exception rather than the rule. To demystify skills-based volunteer engagement, we will convene corporate and nonprofit representatives in an interactive session to explore the steps of assessing needs and assets, identifying projects that can be addressed by skills-based teams, scoping the project, sourcing qualified volunteer teams, and establishing a culture of support and accountability. Through your success, you will likely inspire others to engage skilled volunteers across the organization and to go beyond traditional days of service for lasting impact. |
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We invite you to join the HOIVA Facebook Group for news, agency sharing, upcoming webinars, and more! Click here to join.
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By making a reservation for an upcoming meeting, we will add you to the membership/mailing list for HOIVA. We invite you to bookmark this page to keep up-to-date on new learning and networking opportunities provided throughout the year in addition to the monthly offerings listed above. |
JOIN THE HOIVA MEMBERSHIP/MAILING LIST:
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Are you or your team interested in joining HOIVA, but not ready to RSVP for an upcoming meeting? Click here to join the membership/mailing list and receive updates on upcoming meetings, events, trainings, and more. |
Membership Information
- Membership is agency-based and open to any staff who wants to attend. Membership is automatically extended to our community engagement partners including HOIUW partner agencies and nonprofit organizations who are part of HOIUW’s online volunteer center.
- Monthly meetings focused on peer-based sharing and discussing topics relevant to volunteer management.
- Tools and resources provided to help nonprofits manage volunteer programs such as access to educational webinars hosted by Heart of Illinois United Way and the national Association of Leaders in Volunteer Engagement (AL!VE).
For more information about HOIVA contact:
Gina Edwards, CVA
VP Marketing and Community Engagement
Heart of Illinois United Way
gina.edwards@local.unitedway.org
