Latest news with #volunteers
The Independent
8 hours ago
- General
- The Independent
New ancient discovery unearthed at popular dog walking spot
Volunteer archaeologists uncovered a Bronze Age burial site at Trelai Park in Cardiff, Wales. Human remains, believed to be cremations from the Bronze Age, were found in three pits during an archaeological dig. The cremations were discovered next to a 1500 BC roundhouse previously found at the site. Experts suggest the proximity of the remains indicates the site held significant ceremonial importance or was a burial ground for cherished family members. The discovery highlights the rich history of Trelai Park, suggesting it has been an important location for thousands of years.
CBS News
9 hours ago
- General
- CBS News
Stormwater floods Macomb County animal shelter, sends agency scrambling to financially recover
A nonprofit animal shelter in Macomb County, Michigan, is struggling to recover from the cost of storm-related flooding at its shelter. "To say we are heartbroken is an understatement," A ReJoyceful Animal Rescue in Clinton Township related on social media about the circumstances. ReJoyceful focuses its efforts on cat and dog rescue situations, such as a cat that had significant injuries from another animal attack and stray dogs that were living outside amid the heat wave. The agency describes itself as a no-kill, foster-based organization, using short-term foster situations to help match animals to adoptive homes. On June 18, the building was flooded through at least two rounds of storms backed up a storm drain and that sent water rushing inside the shelter, ruining supplies, furniture and equipment. "We've worked so hard building up our shelter and making it comfortable for the animals we care for. In a matter of minutes, this was all destroyed," they said. In response to the disaster: Volunteers showed up to help push water out of the building. A flood recovery and restoration company was called to mitigate damage. The agency posted messages on social media for foster homes and foster-to-adopt homes, taking note of circumstances such as which pets should continue to stay together and which ones need to be the only animal in a home. Donations and ad hoc fundraisers, such as a T-shirt sal,e popped up to help the agency return to normal operations. Over $125,000 in donations have been raised. The community assistance is appreciated, as the insurance situation was not what they hoped for. The building itself is covered by the property owner's insurance; the agency is responsible for its own contents. The agency did have a renters' insurance policy, but ran into an exception on the policy that does not include certain water conditions. "Our insurance claim has been denied. There is nothing we can do," they explained. As of Thursday, the building is almost completely dried out, but there is still work and sanitizing to do. "We have contractors coming tomorrow to start on drywall, replace doors, replace trim, and to determine what more needs done. We are still in the process of sorting through what has been destroyed and needs to be dumped. The losses are immeasurable, we still don't have a number on how much this will actually cost us in the end as we're not even half way through sorting through the mess," the agency reported.
BBC News
11 hours ago
- Entertainment
- BBC News
Museum of the Year 2025: Beamish, The Living Museum of the North named top attraction
Do you have a favourite museum that you like to go to?Perhaps there is a museum you visited abroad that you love, or are you a big fan of one based in your home town?It comes after an open-air attraction in north-east England picked up this year's Museum of the Year The Living Museum of the North, allows visitors to travel back in time to parts of the 19th and 20th century through a number of interactive forget to let us know what your favourite museum is in the comments below. Beamish Museum is located near the town of Stanley in County Durham. Its aim is to preserve an example of everyday life in urban and rural north-east England from the 1820s through to the museum allows visitors to travel back in time to look around replica towns, villages and working landscapes, meeting costumed staff to experience stories of what it was like to live in those said history was "brought to life" by staff, volunteers and the thousands of objects donated from across the region to recreate life from years gone by. The other shortlisted museums for the award were Chapter (Cardiff), Compton Verney (Warwickshire), Golden Thread Gallery (Belfast) and Perth Museum (Perth & Kinross).So, we want to know what YOU you have a favourite museum you like going back to time and time again? If so, what makes it so special?Perhaps there was an exhibition you once visited which you loved? Maybe you learnt an amazing fact?Or have you previously managed to get up close and personal with an interactive experience that was lots of fun?Whatever it is, let us know in the comments below.
Forbes
12 hours ago
- Business
- Forbes
10 Data-Driven Ways To Boost Volunteer Engagement
Volunteers are an invaluable resource for nonprofits. With many organizations operating under limited budgets and staffing constraints, people freely offering their time and skills significantly increases operational productivity and efficiency while reducing costs. However, nonprofits do face challenges when it comes to retaining volunteers. Strategically leveraging data can offer nonprofit leaders key insights, helping them gain a better understanding of where volunteer programs are going wrong, boosting volunteer engagement, and driving real, sustainable change. Below, 10 Forbes Nonprofit Council members share how nonprofit leaders can use data to effectively measure the impact of volunteer engagement and improve their volunteer programs. 1. Take A Dual Approach To Uncover Patterns The most valuable insights often come from a combination of open-ended survey responses and longitudinal trend analyses. This dual approach not only reveals meaningful patterns, but also uncovers personal narratives that inform more empathetic and targeted improvements. It also fosters psychological safety by helping volunteers feel seen, heard and genuinely valued. - Yujia Zhu, 2. Determine Why Volunteers Disengage Looking at the volunteer retention rate is a great indicator of engagement. This data can help nonprofits identify patterns and understand what is causing increased attrition among volunteers. By understanding which volunteers may be more likely to disengage and why, nonprofits can prioritize their outreach efforts to keep individuals involved. - Scott Brighton, Bonterra Forbes Nonprofit Council is an invitation-only organization for chief executives in successful nonprofit organizations. Do I qualify? 3. Examine The Reach Of Volunteer Messaging And Resources Empower your volunteers with a clear message and a toolkit to share it, then track how far it travels. Measuring shares, referrals and peer-to-peer reach gives you real data on their impact. This approach helps volunteers feel like true partners while giving your organization insight into what messaging or activities move people to act. - Karen Cochran, Philanthropy Innovators 4. Determine What Drives Engagement And Retention Track volunteer retention and reengagement rates alongside post-engagement surveys. This data reveals not just who shows up, but also who stays and why. This helps leaders strengthen training, drive recognition and match volunteers to roles where they will thrive and stick around for the long haul. - Michael Bellavia, HelpGood 5. Initiate More Face-To-Face Conversations Please get out and speak to volunteers to improve volunteer programs! People are afraid these days to have face time and ask the important questions, but human interaction is important when you want true data. Not everything will be answered via a survey, as people want to talk and express themselves. - Rhonda Vetere, Laureus Sport For Good 6. Ask Questions 'Philanthropy' refers to the giving of time, talent, treasure or testimony. The best data tool is to simply ask questions. Find out who's connected and why they are supporting your cause. The word 'question' comes from the root word 'quest,' which means to go on an adventure. Collect stakeholder data by going on an adventure. - Aaron Alejandro, Texas FFA Foundation 7. Capture And Prioritize Impact Stories Track stories, not just hours. The real value of volunteer engagement isn't how much time was given; it's what changed because someone showed up. That's qualitative data. Capturing those stories helps you improve the experience and gives you powerful narratives to share. Using data this way turns volunteer work into word-of-mouth fuel that builds belief, trust and long-term support. - Cherian Koshy, Kindsight 8. Link Volunteers' Time To Outcomes Measure hours served against program outcomes. For example, track volunteer time alongside community impact metrics to see where contributions make the most difference. This can help refine roles and better allocate resources. Nonprofits can start by linking volunteer data to mission results. - Alan Thomas, Association for Materials Protection & Performance 9. Purposefully Share Data If you are going to collect data, then make it available. If you have exceeded your volunteer recruitment goal, let people know. If your nonprofit logged more volunteer hours than in the past, share the news. If you have compelling data that indicates volunteer involvement had a significant program impact, don't just hide that in your annual report. Instead, make sure you deliver that message loudly. - Victoria Burkhart, The More Than Giving Company 10. Turn Feedback Into Action The simplest form of data is feedback surveys. Ask volunteers what their needs and benchmarks for success are and whether those needs are being met, and quantify those results with your strategic plan. You will be surprised what you find out when you simply ask questions for planning. - Erin Davison, Scouting America
CTV News
16 hours ago
- CTV News
'We should have seen it': Bowness community hall warns others after falling victim to fraud
The president of a Bowness non-profit is warning others to be vigilant about screening volunteers after allegedly being defrauded of more than $66,000. The president of a local community association is warning other non-profits in Calgary to be vigilant about screening volunteers after allegedly being scammed out of thousands of dollars. Two men, one with a violent criminal past, are facing fraud charges in connection with the case, accused of embezzling more than $66,000 from the Bowness Ratepayers Scout and Guide Hall Association. On Tuesday, Calgary police arrested Nathan Michael Mizera, 41, and Joshua Tyler Bredo, 40, and charged both with fraud over $5,000. 'All of this money—it's community that is suffering because this is a hall of the community. This isn't a private venture; this is owned by the community,' said Gord Barge, president of the Bowness Ratepayers Scout and Guide Hall Association. Barge said the association became involved with the two men in 2022 when the pair approached the group about rebranding and handling day-to-day operations at the hall. Two Calgary men face fraud charges, accused of embezzling more than $66,000 from a Bowness non-profit. Two Calgary men face fraud charges, accused of embezzling more than $66,000 from a Bowness non-profit. 'It was all volunteer and everyone was tired and here's these two under-40-year-old or 40-year-old guys, and they say, 'We'd love to get in there and make that place shine again,'' said Barge. 'We thought, 'Well, why not?'' The president of a Bowness non-profit is warning others to be vigilant about screening volunteers after allegedly being defrauded of more than $66,000. The president of a Bowness non-profit is warning others to be vigilant about screening volunteers after allegedly being defrauded of more than $66,000. During that time, the hall became BowCommon and had events hosted under Discover Bowness. Barge said the men were never in a paid position and said concerns began to be raised about the deteriorating state of the hall. He said the association approached police in April 2024 when one of the directors' daughters noted some red flags around funding. 'She looked into it, and she said, 'Oh there is money missing. There is money missing here.'' Barge said the association was also shocked to learn about the one man's past conviction of manslaughter. He said Bredo also went by the last name Mizera. He said the association never requested a criminal record check for the men. 'Once things came out that he was Josh Bredo, it was like, 'Holy crap,'' he said. Bredo was sentenced in June 2017 for the August 2011 manslaughter of a Revelstoke man in Victoria, following a guilty plea. Taking time served into consideration, Bredo was released in November 2018. Barge said the directors had to take out a second mortgage on the hall and are considering other legal actions to try and recuperate the funds. 'In hindsight, we feel pretty foolish,' he said. 'How did I not see this? Well, we didn't see it and we should have.' Barge said he's 'ecstatic' with the charges laid and hopes the association's experience will act as a warning to other community groups to be more skeptical, thoroughly screen volunteers and do the proper background checks. 'I come from a generation where I trust it. If you shook my hand and said, 'OK, let's do this,' we're going to do that. That's how it worked. So, just get everything in writing,' he said. 'Don't give these people signing authorities if they were to get involved into your organization until they've proven themselves.' An expert in personal finance, Barry Choi, said non-profits are often easy targets for financial scams. 'There's just not as much training; a lot of people are volunteering (and) they don't know all the steps, especially when it comes to deposits or down payments for various events,' he said. He recommends organizations set strict rules around finances. 'Have it in writing so regardless of who comes on board, (they) can follow those procedures,' he said. 'You need to have those steps in place to double-verify, have those contracts so you can protect yourself legally and make sure your staff know appropriate steps to take when dealing with money of any amount.' Mizera and Bredo deny wrongdoing Mizera and Bredo did not respond to CTV's request for an interview but issued a joint statement Wednesday, denying any wrongdoing. In it, they accuse a pair of police officers of targeting them and of corruption. 'The allegations against us are entirely false and have no credible evidentiary foundation,' the statement read. Insp. Keith Hurley, commander for District 2, said he's confident with the results of the investigation. 'An investigation like this isn't just a singular source of information or a single person involved in it; we've spent quite a bit of time on this,' he said. Calgary police believe the embezzlement was done by 'hosting events using organization funds without paying attributed fees, falsifying documents to obtain financial control and creating false receipts for services never rendered, which were then sent to fabricated email addresses and deposited into their personal bank accounts.' According to Mizera's LinkedIn page, he's intending to run for Calgary Board of Education trustee. The pair are scheduled to appear in court on Aug. 6. With files by Damien Wood
