Volunteer

ELLA provides rewarding volunteer opportunities!

ELLA Volunteers

ELLA is always looking for volunteers in all of its operational areas.

Do you have expertise in planning and implementing programs? Promoting organizations? Celebrating volunteers? Working with computers or financials? We need your ideas and skills to provide exciting programs in future sessions.

Current Openings

The ELLA Board consists of volunteers who are interested in planning, promoting and supporting ELLA’s annual online and in-person educational offerings. The Board of Directors consists of 10-16 members elected at the ELLA AGM. The Executive Committee (President, Vice President, Past President, Treasurer and Secretary) and the Chairs of ELLA Committees meet monthly to oversee all aspects of ELLA operations. Board members collaborate in planning and implementing innovative ideas as we grow ELLA.

ELLA Committees are groups of dedicated, committed individuals who undertake their work with energetic enthusiasm in developing our excellent programs. The Committee Chair coordinates the activities of the committee and provides liaison between the Committee and Board. We have opportunities for a new Chair this year.

Contributions Committee is an exciting new opportunity to help ELLA acquire and retain new funding sources. A draft strategy is in place that involves attracting new financial contributions, recognizing donors, making application for grants, disbursing grants and scholarships. By getting in on the ground floor of this initiative, you will help build the ELLA “value case” to attract sponsors and donors which will be an important part of growing our community visibility/impact and ensuring our long term viability.

For more information, or to informally explore options for future involvement on the Board, contact any of the Board Recruitment and Development members: Brian Sawyer, vice.president@my-ella.com Ernie Hodges, volunteer.chair@my-ella.com or Walter Archer, pic.online2@my-ella.com

Program Development Evaluation sub-committee is searching for new members!

The Evaluation sub-committee is one of the six subcommittees of Program Development. This teams focus is on gathering and interpreting feedback from course participants, instructors and from ELLA members overall. As a snapshot of the work involved – after consultation within ELLA committees the Evaluation team creates, delivers and interprets:

Course participant and instructor evaluation surveys for each course offered during both Spring and Winter sessions.
Noon Hour post presentation feedback questions.
ELLA Membership survey

The Evaluation team works as a team in developing the session work plan, discussing the data themes, response trends and interesting anomalies that pop up. We also work independently with our assignments. The data is compiled into reports, that are reviewed, discussed and agreed upon before submitting to the ELLA Board for review and acceptance.

Our volunteer work year starts later in November in order to prepare for both Winter and Spring session. We are steadily processing survey results throughout Winter Session with an intense week once the session wraps up. For Spring session a planning session late in April with the majority of the work the two weeks following the wrap up of Spring Session

In a nutshell – potential team members need to have relatively confidence in using their computer that is current / functioning with consistent internet access. Be comfortable working with Google documents and sheets and Microsoft spreadsheets. Moving data elements between spreadsheets and documents. Flexible to adapt to the ebb and flow of the work involved.

Want to learn more? Please contact Lynne Moulton –pdc.evaluation01@my-ella.com

Program Implementation is looking for You!

We need ELLA members who have a keen interest in the ‘technical side’ of life long learning with a hands-on component.

Our winter sessions are delivered using Zoom video conferencing and offer a great course experience for both our members and instructors. Our PI Team has developed tools to guide our Course Schedulers with setting up the courses in Zoom and assisting Course Hosts, instructors and members with Zoom or computer related issues that may arise.
If the technical side is of interest to you, please do not hesitate to contact Bill Cook, our PIC Online Chair at pic.online.chair@my-ella.com

If you are looking forward to Winter session, it is not too early to consider taking on the role of a Course Host. Again, the winter session courses are all delivered via Zoom video conferencing. So, there is a computer / technical component to the role. The Course Host is part of the Program Implementation team during the session –

They are the ‘friendly face’ who opens, admits and welcomes students and instructor to class
Contacts the instructor for a pre-course conversation – how the questions will be managed during the class in order to ensure a smooth delivery of the course
Looks after the ‘housekeeping’ aspects of the course
Will have the use of a Zoom license for the duration of the course

Note: Course Host Information-Zoom sessions are held during the week of January 6^th, 2025. Details will be sent to those who have expressed an interest in this role.
If you are interested and would like additional information or have questions, please contact Lynne Moulton, our PIC In-person Chair at pic.inperson.chair@my-ella.com

To indicate your interest to be a Course Host, after you have registered in the course, contact Lynne Moulton at pic.inperson.chair@my-ella.com .👏🏻

Volunteer Areas

These are the areas that offer volunteer opportunities with ELLA.
Get Involved! Volunteer with ELLA! Contact volunteer.chair@my-ella.com

Program Implementation Committee which provides the mechanics to run all ELLA sessions has been well organized by Lynne Moulton and her Committee. Whether it is the online or in-person program, this committee organizes the classrooms, timings of classes and scheduling of online experiences and coordinates Zoom operations. Lynne and her committee will support the transition of the incoming Chair.

Operations Committee develops and maintains the information and technology platforms to support ELLA functions. Whether it is assisting members, or dealing with registration and memberships or consulting with our excellent website service provider, Dianne Eustace has been supported by a capable team who are ready to fully support and transition the incoming Chair.

For more information on these opportunities, or to informally explore options for future involvement on the Board, contact any of the Board Recruitment and Development members: Brian Sawyer, vice.president@my-ella.com Fran Galbraith, volunteer.chair@my-ella.com or Walter Archer, pic.online2@my-ella.com.

Board

Operations

Develops and maintains technology platforms
Provides assistance to members
Supports the work of all ELLA committees
Publishes courses and timetables online
Coordinates membership and course purchases

Program Development

Plans and evaluates online and in-person educational offerings
Selects courses for next year’s sessions
Identifies and contact instructors
Utilizes sub-committees: Sciences, Humanities, Fine Arts, Wellness and Leisure, Noon Hour Presentations and Evaluation

Program Implementation

Sets up the mechanics to run ELLA sessions
Obtains and assigns rooms for individual classes
Provides session information
Recruits course facilitators (online and in person)
Organizes and provides training for online classes
Coordinates Zoom operations for online classes

Marketing and Communications

Manages advertising, publicity and promotion of the ELLA organization and its programs
Communicates with members through newsletters and bulletins
Manages and updates the ELLA website
Manages photographic records of ELLA
Prepares program and online course information

Finance

Volunteer Recruitment and Recognition

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