Great Resources For Volunteer Managers In the New Ellis Archive
Throughout her career, Susan J. Ellis was a passionate supporter of volunteerism, and a very influential pioneer in the field. Today, the Foundation named in her honor continues her work by fostering professionalism in the volunteer management field. To carry on this valuable support for volunteer managers, The Susan J. Ellis Foundation recently announced the launch of the Ellis Archive on the Professional Leadership of Volunteers, which you can visit at http://ellisarchive.org/.
Launched on June 1, 2020, the Ellis Archive brings together hundreds of documents in a digital format, many of which were part of Susan’s personal resource library. The collection consists of a range of digitized items, including program materials, booklets, speeches, articles, and research reports. With nearly 1000 documents in the digital collection, the Archive may be the largest of its kind. The documents focus on the history and professionalization of the volunteerism field from the mid-1940s to the 21st Century. To facilitate research and education, the Archive contains a searchable database of the documents, allowing visitors to search by title, year, source, author, or specific keywords.
One other feature of the Ellis Archive is the Milestones Timeline, which depicts a chronological progression of pivotal events and trends that influenced and shaped the work of volunteer engagement professionals. The events on the Timeline are linked directly to resources within the database collection.
The Archive was organized by another great pioneer in the field of volunteer management, Katie Campbell, who will continue to support the Archive as more resources are added.
A Lifetime of Support for Professionalism in Volunteer Management
Susan was an early leader in the field of professionalizing volunteer management. In 1977, she founded Energize, Inc. in Philadelphia, a firm that specializes in training, consulting, and publishing for volunteer managers and organization staff. She also was a prolific writer, authoring or co-authoring 14 books and hundreds of articles in dozens of publications, including The NonProfit Times and The Journal of Volunteer Administration, as well as her own e-Volunteerism. VIS has provided content for Energize’s popular Everyone Ready training curriculum.
After her passing, Susan’s estate established the Susan J. Ellis Foundation to expand the field of volunteer administration. By collecting and preserving the field’s history, the Foundation’s digital archives continue to provide valuable informational resources for the current and next generations of professional volunteer managers.
About VIS
Volunteers Insurance Service Association, Inc. (VIS) was established in 1972 for the purpose of providing insurance and risk management services for volunteer-based organizations. In addition to still providing these insurance services today on a nationwide scale, we have expanded to provide noninsurance resources for members to manage their risks and improve their operations. By transferring the volunteer risk exposure to our program, we can help you protect your organization. Contact us today at (800) 222-8920 for more information on our programs and services. Join now!
