A friend of mine recently completed her accreditation for the Council for Certification of Volunteer Administrators. I had heard of accreditation in our field, but I admit I hadn't given it too much thought. The process was not an easy one, with self study and hearing of how many actually failed the exam and had to re-write, but without a doubt my friend completed her accreditation process. When I asked her how it felt, she said she couldn't wait to send her mom a business card with the initials after her name.
So what is the deal about program accreditation in the volunteer world? I had to go and find out.
The Volunteer Management Professional association I belong to decided to step up the accreditation that they had previously designed and partner with the Counil for Certification of Volunteer Administrators (CCVA). It is a world wide accreditation that talks about the goal of "competent, passionate leaders, effectively engage volunteers. " On the site they talk about the emphasis on professional ethics in the field and what the benefits are to you as an individual when you decide to take on this challenge. It also talks about the employer benefits but we can probably all guess what those are.
So why might I now be thinking of certifying? After all I do admit that I'm not sure where my career is heading and if I will stay with volunteer management when I move on from my current role. That said, I am and always will be a volunteer. I have been a volunteer minded person since I was six years old and it is in me and something I plan to pass along to my kids. I have really enjoyed the PIDP 3260 course and it's emphasis on ethical decision making, and I think the work for my CVA could benefit from it, but I could benefit from the additional emphasis on research and case studies specifically in the volunteer management arena.
So what is the deal about program accreditation in the volunteer world? I had to go and find out.
The Volunteer Management Professional association I belong to decided to step up the accreditation that they had previously designed and partner with the Counil for Certification of Volunteer Administrators (CCVA). It is a world wide accreditation that talks about the goal of "competent, passionate leaders, effectively engage volunteers. " On the site they talk about the emphasis on professional ethics in the field and what the benefits are to you as an individual when you decide to take on this challenge. It also talks about the employer benefits but we can probably all guess what those are.
So why might I now be thinking of certifying? After all I do admit that I'm not sure where my career is heading and if I will stay with volunteer management when I move on from my current role. That said, I am and always will be a volunteer. I have been a volunteer minded person since I was six years old and it is in me and something I plan to pass along to my kids. I have really enjoyed the PIDP 3260 course and it's emphasis on ethical decision making, and I think the work for my CVA could benefit from it, but I could benefit from the additional emphasis on research and case studies specifically in the volunteer management arena.