Nevada Volunteers certifies second Service Enterprise organization in Nevada
For Immediate Release
Contact: Janet Wright
(775) 825-1900 | janet@nevadavolunteers.org
Nevada Volunteers certifies second Service Enterprise organization in Nevada
RENO|LAS VEGAS, June 16 – Nevada Volunteers, the Governor’s commission on service and Nevada’s only Service Enterprise training hub, is pleased to announce that the Tahoe Rim Trail Association has achieved recognition as Nevada’s second Certified Service Enterprise organization. The Tahoe Rim Trail Association (TRTA) joins the rank of 230 organizations across the country recognized as a Service Enterprise organization. Service Enterprises fundamentally leverage volunteers and as a result are significantly more effective operationally than their peers not operating as a Service Enterprise.
Nevada Volunteers presented TRTA with their certification on June 6, 2016 to Morgan Fessler, the Executive Director. TRTA started the Service Enterprise process in the summer of 2015, with a strong volunteer program already in place. The Service Enterprise process allowed them to evaluate systems and discern what areas were strengths and which ones were weaknesses that needed attention.
Mary Bennington, the Executive Director who started the Service Enterprise process but is now retired said, “Going through the process of Service Enterprise Certification has provided the TRTA many opportunities to improve our processes, better leverage our volunteer across all program areas, and confirm that many of our systems are already humming along like a well-oiled machine! This process has helped us quantify the amazing value of volunteer effort in a way that has helped the board see the direct benefit to our programs.”
One program staff evaluated was the guided hikes offered by TRTA. Staff used the Return on Volunteer Investment (ROVI) tool to determine the value of the program. They found the program was costing the organization more than originally thought and created a strategy for the organization and participants to get more value out of the program. The hikes now have a higher emphasis on learning something, whether it is about regional wildflowers, animal survival, or local historical figures.
Nevada Volunteers joined the Points of Light national Service Enterprise Initiative as a Service Enterprise Hub in spring 2015 and is in the process of training and supporting nine organizations currently working towards certification. This initiative is focused on working with non-profits and agencies to better achieve their mission through strategic leveraging of volunteers.
