River Counties Volunteer Capacity Building Project
Serve Virginia, the Virginia Service Foundation, and the River Counties Community Foundation (RCCF) are partnering to create the River Counties Volunteer Capacity Building Project to develop a rural volunteer accelerator to strengthen the capacity for service and volunteerism across the River Counties. Funding for this project has been generously provided by the non-profit Robert B. Lantz Foundation.
Like many rural areas of eastern Virginia, the River Counties—Lancaster, Middlesex, and Northumberland—have an abundance of unmet needs. But the region also has a deeply rooted commitment to volunteering and civic engagement. Now, this new coalition of non-profit agencies is working to connect the need with the helpers.
The River Counties Volunteer Capacity Building Project will streamline and simplify efforts to help people access the close-to-home volunteer opportunities that interest them.
“We are thrilled for the opportunity to partner with Serve Virginia and the Virginia Service Foundation on this initiative, which promises to dramatically change the volunteer landscape of the River Counties. Informed by the Virginia Community Engagement Index, the River Counties Volunteer Capacity Building Project offers a chance for revitalization and innovation across our region,” said RCCF director Lincoln Boykin.
The River Counties Volunteer Capacity Building Project will focus on four priorities to build volunteer capacity across Lancaster, Middlesex and Northumberland counties in Virginia:
- Build a stronger culture of service, volunteerism and civic engagement by implementing the Virginia Community Engagement Index (VCEI) in the region and building awareness of and access to close-to-home volunteer opportunities across the River Counties, utilizing best-in-class technology to support volunteer engagement.
- Unite a more robust, integrated, and aligned network of cross-sector partners to coalesce around common strategies and best practices resulting in the effective use of volunteer capacity to serve the needs of the community.
- Create a more robust infrastructure through evidence-based practices and shared resources that will support organizations and individuals in volunteerism efforts.
- Complete a strategic plan for long-term sustainability of volunteer capacity.
“The Robert B. Lantz Foundation is honored to support this innovative initiative to strengthen our culture of service, volunteerism, and civic engagement across the region and to serve as a rural incubator,” said Jimmie Carter, Robert B. Lantz Board Member.
“This project is an exciting chance for us to apply insights gathered through our statewide research at a regional level, strengthening the River Counties,” said Kathy J. Spangler, Director of Serve Virginia. “Serve Virginia and the Virginia Service Foundation work to convene partners in collaborative efforts like these, and we look forward to using this experience to support this region in developing a more robust culture of volunteerism.”
An organizational meeting of leaders whose organizations would benefit from increased volunteerism is slated for January 28, 2025. Key organizations, including the Rappahannock General Hospital, Bay Aging, Free Health Clinic, and Red Cross have already expressed their enthusiasm for this project and will be attending. For more details about this launch event, contact Kathy J. Spangler, Director of Serve Virginia at kathy.spangler@dss.virginia.gov.
