Volunteer Summit 2023 Recap

BY OCTOBER HENSON DAVIS (IOTA CHI, MIDDLE TENNESSEE STATE UNIVERSITY), ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR OF VOLUNTEER AND ALUMNAE ENGAGEMENT

More than 300 attendees gathered together in July for our first in-person Volunteer Summit since 2019! Volunteer Summit is Alpha Chi Omega’s premier alumnae leadership academy for chapter advisors and operational volunteer teams. We were excited to offer a track this year for local house corporation (LHC) volunteers and Pearl Stone Partners hosted house director training alongside volunteer sessions.

On Friday, July 14 through Sunday, July 16, we welcomed volunteers to Indianapolis with open arms for a weekend of sisterhood, learning and personal and professional development. Attendees participated in keynote speakers, trainings specially designed for their role and many opportunities to connect with sisters from around the country! As volunteers began to arrive on Friday, the energy of being together was palpable and it carried throughout the weekend – collegiate and alumnae volunteers alike were happy to be learning alongside one another!

Through the generous support of the Alpha Chi Omega Foundation, many guest speakers joined us throughout Volunteer Summit. Danielle Bayard Jackson, owner of Friend Forward, kicked us off with a keynote about the surprising science of friendship and connection and we concluded with a session about leading with coaching skills by Lindsay Boccardo, founder of Lindsay Boccardo Training and Coaching. Volunteers also had the choice to attend a leadership breakout session topic that appealed to them, including a discussion of warning signs for burnout with Danielle Ireland, MSW, LCSW; exploration of leadership style and the Enneagram with Beth Rashleigh (Gamma Mu, Ball State University); a conversation about your zone of genius and how to lead from it with Ellyn Ludden (Kappa, University of Wisconsin – Madison); and an exploration of higher education trends with Casey Keller. Several other special guests joined our alumnae volunteers and LHC officers during the event to lead workshops to help them thrive in their positions.

The importance of connection was woven throughout Volunteer Summit as we know it is one of the most important parts of being together! Attendees were invited to participate in the Foundation Donor Reception or the Sister Social, and many sessions featured opportunities for networking. On Saturday night, volunteer teams were encouraged to eat dinner together for an extra opportunity for sister time!

As we wrapped up on Sunday with our closing session where award winners, province officers and volunteer directors were recognized, we could already hear sisters planning for next steps. Preparations included brainstorming ideas of how to share what attendees learned with the volunteers they work with at their next team meetings and a general excitement for what comes next. It was the perfect end to a fun weekend of education and sisterhood!