Call for Proposals: Details

Deadline Has Passed: Completed proposals should have been submitted, online, no later than 11:59 pm PDT on June 28, 2024.

Notification of acceptance will be given by 11:59 pm PDT on August 15, 2024.

Questions regarding the Call for Proposal process should be directed to NECV Program Committee Chair, Marisa Coyne, macoyne@ucanr.edu.

microphone at a conference with an audience in the background The NECV Planning Committee will offer workshops, research sessions, posters, and lightning talks at the 2025 Conference to be held April 22–24, 2025 in Portland, Maine (with specialist meetings for 4-H and Master Gardener Program Volunteer Specialists scheduled post-conference on April 24, 2024).

Individuals and teams will present information that can help conference participants reach their program and professional development goals. Presentations are intended to be interactive, engage participants, and provide useful, research-based, programmatic, and evaluation information/tools that participants can apply to their programs.

Please note: No presenter will be the lead or co-presenter on more than three (3) workshop or research presentation, poster showcase, and lightning talks.

Workshops and research presentations are being planned for 50 minutes.

Key Dates:

DATE HAS PASSED: Proposal Submission Deadline: June 28, 2024, 11:59 PM PDT
Notification of Accepted Proposals by: August 15, 2024, 11:59 PM PDT
Confirmation of Acceptance Required by: August 26, 2024, 11:59 PM PDT

Purpose

The National Extension Conference on Volunteerism (NECV) is an opportunity for sharing and learning the latest research and trends in volunteerism, gaining innovative ideas for reaching new volunteers, investigating best practices for developing and retaining current volunteers, and strengthening volunteer management efforts. Participants will gather tools and skills through interactive sessions and networking with colleagues and develop plans to utilize new resources.

Intended Audience

The intended audience for this conference is national, state, regional, and county professional extension staff interested in building the capacity of volunteers into program efforts and creating an effective volunteer delivery system within their programs.

About the Conference

The 2025 NECV provides an exciting opportunity for extension staff working on issues related to volunteerism to learn and share resources with colleagues and collaborators across the nation. The conference brings together the resources of the land-grant system with county and state extension faculty who build and sustain effective volunteer programs.

The NECV Planning Committee invites Workshops, Research Presentations, Posters, and Lightning Talks proposals for presentation in April 2025. Individuals and teams with information to help conference participants reach their program and professional development goals are encouraged to submit proposals. Presentations should be interactive, and engaging, and provide useful, research-based, programmatic, and evaluation information and tools that participants can apply to their programs.

When developing proposals, consider pertinent research, knowledge, competencies, and best practices in your program/subject matter area concerning components of a volunteer system, such as personal readiness; organizational readiness, identification of volunteers, volunteer development, and volunteer program management. These components reflect the Volunteerism Domain of the 4-H Professional Research and Knowledge Competencies (PRKC) and the ISOTURE Model of Volunteer Management (ISOTURE).

Presentations

There are four (4) presentation format options. Each has a decidedly different character and requires different preparation. Please give careful thought to the format best suited to your presentation content. Most participants prefer interactive presentations that provide useful information attendees can apply to their work. Priority will be given to proposals that engage the participants in active learning. If your proposal is accepted for presentation, the expectation is that it will be precisely what you have committed to in this proposal.

Workshop

Professional development sessions for participants to explore new ideas, concepts, and approaches to accomplish program outcomes. Workshops should be interactive, engage participants, and provide useful, research-based, programmatic, and evaluation information and tools that participants can apply to their programs. Teams of extension staff, community partners, and adult presenters are welcome. Workshops are 50 minutes. Please indicate in your proposal submission if you would consider participating in the poster showcase or lightning talk if your workshop is not accepted.

Research

Share research conducted or compiled by the presenter(s) pertinent to volunteerism and extension work. Research presentations are 50 minutes. Please indicate in your proposal submission if you would consider participating in the poster showcase or lightning talk if your research presentation is not accepted.

Poster

Showcase successful volunteerism-related projects, programs, research, or evaluation information. Posters might include a short abstract, charts, graphs, or sample program materials to encourage informal discussion on volunteerism. Presenters are responsible for bringing and/or shipping their posters and setting up, taking down, and staffing during designated times. Posters should not be larger than 48” x 36”.

Lightning Talks

An opportunity to engage colleagues with concise and efficient talks intended to grab the audience’s attention, convey key information, and allow several presenters to briefly share their ideas. Limited to 10 minutes presentation and 5 minutes of Q & A. No more than 10 slides are allowed if a slide deck is used. This is a great way to network and share ideas!

Proposal Guidelines

As an individual or a team, you can join the ranks of recognized volunteer systems experts in the extension profession. To ensure that a balanced conference is offered, a team of extension professionals review and evaluate all submissions. The evaluation process is competitive.

No presenter may be the lead or co-presenter on more than three (3) submitted proposals (including workshop, research presentation, poster, and lightning talk).
Proposals must be submitted electronically, or they will not be evaluated.
The committee will correspond with the lead presenter only. The lead presenter’s responsible for notifying and sharing information with co-presenters.
The time limit for workshops and research presentations is 50 minutes.
The abstract word limit for inclusion in conference proceedings is 1,200 characters or less.

Selection Criteria

Be sure to answer the following questions within your presentation proposal. Your proposal will be judged on the following selection criteria:

Are the ideas presented relevant and significant to extension’s work with volunteers?
Are the concepts introduced useful, practical, forward-thinking, and/or visionary?
Is the scope of your presentation appropriate to the allotted time?
Is there demonstrated knowledge of the subject matter?
Is the material presented logically or sequentially?
Is the instructional design creative, allowing for interaction among the participants?
Is the scope appropriate for extension audiences of all backgrounds?
Is there a demonstrated commitment to building infrastructures to advance diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility policies and practices in volunteer systems and/or promote equity and inclusion in volunteer programs?

Questions regarding the Call for Proposal process should be directed to NECV Program Committee Chair, Marisa Coyne, macoyne@ucanr.edu.