Join us for our Free Speaker Series
The Council for Certification in Volunteer Administration (CCVA) is focused on leadership, excellence and advocacy amongst our peers so that we can work with credibility, confidence and character. Please join your peers in volunteer leadership and engagement for our speakers series. All of our sessions are free and all are welcome to attend.
From Intention to Action: Using "Inspire, Hire, Train, Retain" to Support Disability Inclusion in Volunteer Engagement
with Larissa Haluszka-Smith, CVA
Thursday October 22, 2026 from 1:00pm - 2:00pm EST
This is a live virtual webinar that is being cohosted by our partners at Idealist.
The session will be recorded for inclusion in the Is Everyone Welcome? Toolkit.
Leaders of volunteers play a key role in shaping who feels welcomed, supported, and able to participate in volunteering. Facing what can seem like never-ending demands on our schedules, it can be challenging to find the time to search for resources and identify best practices that will support our goals for disability inclusion. This session introduces Inspire, Hire, Train, Retain (IHTR), a free and customizable toolkit developed to support disability-inclusive workplace practices. Participants will learn how the IHTR resources can be applied to volunteer administration, from disability-inclusive recruitment and role design through to onboarding, supervision, and retention. You will gain practical, actionable strategies for designing and championing volunteer programs where people with disabilities can contribute, belong, and thrive.
Speaker Bio: Larissa Haluszka-Smith, CVA, has recently joined Women's College Hospital in Toronto as the Manager, Volunteer Resources. Previously, she worked at Holland Bloorview Kids Rehabilitation Hospital for nearly two decades. Among the many "hats" she wore during her time at Holland Bloorview, she was a clinician in the Employment Pathways programs for youth with disabilities for four years, and Coordinator, Volunteer Resources for eight years. Larissa earned her Certification in Volunteer Administration (CVA) designation in 2020 and is passionate about creating and supporting inclusive, empowering, and engaging volunteer programs. Her broad experience supporting and advocating for disability inclusion in the workplace has only strengthened her fundamental belief that taking part in meaningful activities and community life plays an important role in people’s well-being and these opportunities should be open and accessible to everyone. Outside of work, she is a singer and active volunteer with East of the Don Chorus, a community choir in Toronto.
We'll be taking a break from our Speakers Series in November to celebrate
International Volunteer Managers Day.
With three celebrations in three different time zones, we hope you can join us to celebrate our profession!
Understanding Your Volunteer Partners: Using the Volunteer Program Assessment (VPA) to Strengthen Engagement and Retention with Dr. Steven Rogelberg and Betsy McFarland, CVA
Tuesday February 2, 2027 at 1pmEST
This is a live virtual webinar that is being cohosted by our partners at Idealist.
What can volunteers tell you about the health of your volunteer program—and are you asking the right questions?
The Volunteer Program Assessment (VPA) is a free research-based tool designed to help nonprofit leaders better understand the experiences of their volunteer partners. Developed through a partnership between the University of North Carolina at Charlotte and the Humane Society of the United States, the VPA draws on published research and nearly two decades of experience assessing volunteer programs across the nonprofit sector.
In this interactive workshop, attendees will explore the key drivers of volunteer engagement and commitment and learn how volunteer feedback can inform stronger volunteer management strategies. We’ll take a closer look at what the VPA measures, how organizations can use assessment data to identify strengths and opportunities, and how insights from volunteers can translate into practical improvements in engagement, recognition, management, communication, and retention of volunteers.
Whether you are looking to better understand why volunteers stay, identify barriers to engagement, or strengthen your overall volunteer strategy, this session led by Dr. Steven Rogelberg and Betsy McFarland, CVA will introduce a free grant-funded tool for you to use that turns volunteer feedback into meaningful action.
Dr. Steven G. Rogelberg is Chancellor’s Professor at UNC Charlotte and a leading expert on teams, leadership, employee well-being, engagement, and effective meetings. He has published more than 200 research articles and has received over $2.5 million in research funding, including support from the National Science Foundation. A nationally and internationally recognized organizational psychologist, Dr. Rogelberg has received numerous awards for his research, teaching, service, and humanitarian contributions. He is a past president of the Society for Industrial and Organizational Psychology and has held several leadership roles in the field. He is the author of The Surprising Science of Meetings and Glad We Met: The Art and Science of 1:1 Meetings, books that translate research into practical tools for improving workplace conversations and collaboration. Dr. Rogelberg has also worked extensively with nonprofit organizations, founding and leading outreach initiatives that have supported more than 5,000 nonprofits. His work focuses on using research to help people, organizations, and communities thrive.
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Betsy McFarland, CVA, is a principal consultant at Adisa where she helps mission-driven organizations embrace volunteer engagement as a core strategy for impact. With over 25 years of experience, she launched the first volunteer strategy for a local animal shelter and went on to create The Humane Society’s (now Humane World for Animals) National Volunteer Center, the organization’s first coordinated, global approach to engaging volunteers. Betsy co-directed the Initiative for Strategic Volunteer Engagement, a national effort that brought together funders and nonprofit leaders to reimagine volunteerism as a critical strategy for mission fulfillment. A certified volunteer administrator, she is dedicated to helping organizations center people and purpose by leveraging the power of inclusive, strategic volunteer engagement.​