Central Illinois Volunteerism Conference

On June 28, 2024, the Central Illinois Volunteerism Conference was hosted at the University of Illinois Springfield. The theme this year was “One Voice, Many Generations: Shaping the Future of Volunteering”. The keynote speaker was Payne Shoen, an internationally renowned expert in leadership development. With a keen understanding of each generation's unique characteristics and motivations, Mr. Shoen was responsible for providing conference attendees with practical strategies to bridge divides, foster collaboration, and harness the collective power of a volunteer force. From “Boomers to Zoomers”, the conference’s goal was to understand how to create a culture where every individual feels valued, engaged, and empowered to make a lasting impact.  

The morning and afternoon sessions were broken into three unique workshops each in which presenters who had firsthand knowledge of volunteer recruitment, engagement, and management, and were able to present a specific topic and need volunteer managers may likely encounter.  

IDHS-Serve Illinois Upstate Volunteer Programs Coordinator, Cecilia Maciel Martinez, and Downstate Volunteer Programs Coordinator, Anthony Wanless, presented on Creating Micro-volunteerism Opportunities for a diverse volunteer pool, and IDHS-Serve Illinois AmeriCorps Program Manager, Kristen Bethke, presented on AmeriCorps 101.

The conference concluded with a panel discussion entitled “Generational Voices: Bridging Perspectives in Volunteerism”, where members representing various generations were present to answer questions from the audience and give their take on volunteering from a generational perspective.