Gilda’s Club Recognized for Excellence in Volunteerism
We are proud to announce that on July 24, 2017, Gilda’s Club Minnesota became officially certified as a Service Enterprise. What does that mean? It means that Gilda’s Club Minnesota is one of 42 organizations in Minnesota recognized for knowing how to effectively work with volunteers and leverage their skills to successfully deliver its mission—a certification offered through Points of Light, the world’s largest organization dedicated to volunteer service.
It is our ongoing mission to make improvements to our volunteer program and expand the capacity of our volunteer team to do even more to support the members in the Gilda’s Club Minnesota community. So when the opportunity to participate in the Service Enterprise Initiative became available through HandsOn Twin Cities and the Minnesota Association of Volunteer Administration (MAVA), Gilda’s Club excitedly joined as the initiative supported so many of our key goals.
Achieving certification consisted of a detailed assessment of Gilda’s Club current volunteer engagement practices, 16 hours of training for a team of staff members and volunteers, the creation of a volunteer improvement plan and proof of its successful implementation.
Gilda’s Club is now part of a community of Minnesota Service Enterprises that includes great nonprofits like:
- Lutheran Social Services
- Make-A-Wish Minnesota
- Minnesota Children’s Museum
- Minnesota Historical Society
- United Way
- YMCA Twin Cities
Achieving certification is just the beginning! Gilda’s Club has plans to continue to grow and expand our volunteer program so we can do even more to serve our members and the Twin Cities community.
A special thank you to our Service Enterprise Initiative team members: Cheryl Schissel, Glenda Hawkins, Mary Sichak, Ryan Sweeney and Laurie Walker. Your long hours and dedication to this project have built a strong foundation for our volunteer program to grow upon.
At the start of this process, Gilda’s Club Service Enterprise Initiative team created a vision statement for our volunteer program to express what we hoped to achieve: It is our vision to provide a warm and welcoming community where volunteers can share their talents and skills to make a difference in the lives of people impacted by cancer.
Each day, we will work hard to do just that.
Volunteers are the heart of Gilda’s Club Minnesota. Thank you to our entire volunteer community for all you do to support our members and to ensure no one faces cancer alone.
Want to join the volunteer team?
Contact Volunteer Coordinator, Anne Josten, at anne.josten@gildasclubmn.org or 952-767-7623.
Learn more about volunteering at Gilda’s Club.