Volunteer Powell River (VPR) has two reasons for hosting a pair of workshops to assist non-profit organizations in the community.
“We believe that volunteer efforts are the backbone of our community,” said Powell River and District United Way executive director Dale Lawson, “and that having a collection of various opportunities in one place is a valuable community service.”
VPR is an initiative of United Way which keeps its annual membership fees low so that organizations with even the smallest budget can use its service to recruit new volunteers and build capacity.
“We’re offering affordable workshops, not only as a tool to build and enhance skills for individuals to the benefit of any organization they work with, but also to generate funds that will help keep VPR a vibrant community asset,” explained Lawson.
Both workshops are priced at $25 for VPR members and $35 for non-members.
First Group of Companies includes First Credit Union’s Powell River and Texada Island branches, First Insurance and Westview Agencies. Combined they are a major supporter of United Way in several ways including an annual donation and payroll deduction participation.
Three credit union staff members are facilitating the two workshops as an additional way to support community groups.
Sandra McDowell is vice-president of Communication and Culture for First Group of Companies. Her workshop Strategies for Personal Leadership Growth and Building a Leadership Legacy will raise participant awareness of personal leadership strengths and opportunities for growth.
“It distinguishes differences between leadership and management,” McDowell said. “It also focuses on development as a leader and gaining clarity on the type of legacy participants wish to have with their leadership.”
Participants will learn about a proven leadership model called Legacy Leadership®. “Legacy, in this leadership model, is not about building and leaving things,” McDowell explained. “It’s about building people. It’s about investing in individual leaders who can then share their learning with others.
“We’re often asked by non-profits for support,” said McDowell. By helping United Way and VPR, her company is able to give back by sharing some of the expertise of its staff.
McDowell has a masters degree in leadership, studied marketing and has earned her certified executive coach (CEC) designation. In addition to her senior leadership role with First Group of Companies, she has served as an executive board member for a national marketing association, chaired a national young leader task force and received both a national and international leadership award. She currently serves as a lead partner for the local Success by 6 initiative.
McDowell leads her workshop at 7 pm on Tuesday, November 13 at Cranberry Seniors’ Centre.
Charlene Reinisch and Tara Chernoff hold the position of marketing and communications specialists. Their November 6 workshop is entitled Marketing on a Shoestring. Its goal is to help members of non-profit organizations understand terms like branding, social networking, email campaign or digital strategy. “This interactive workshop is designed to provide examples of proven tools that will help them make a big impact on a small budget,” explained Reinisch.
Both she and Chernoff are students of the bachelor of arts of professional communications program at Royal Roads University in Victoria. In their individual roles with FCU, both have extensive experience in campaign planning and community relations. Reinisch gets excited about sharing her knowledge of how social media and digital tools can impact relationship-building strategies.
Chernoff specializes in survey research and creating buzz by word-of-mouth.
Most recently, all three women worked on former Vancouver Canuck Trevor Linden’s visit, sponsored by First Insurance and Westview Agencies. “That required all our knowledge and more,” McDowell said. “It was hours of work but we saw how appreciative the community was to hear Trevor speak on leadership, relating it to his hockey career.”
For more information about the workshops or to register, readers can call VPR at 604.485.2132.
