If you're participating as a volunteer or a Team Leader in any of New York Cares' job readiness programs, of if you are currently looking for a job or thinking about initiating a job search, this workshop will help you understand the best tips and strategies on how to be most successful - particularly in this difficult job market. Old approaches and strategies simply don't work anymore. Learn how to help yourself or others best source jobs, prepare résumés, and how to ace interviews.

Speaker: Crissy Wu, Human Resources Professional

Join us for a panel discussion about what characterizes poverty in New York City. We will discuss strategies that are currently in place to reduce poverty in the city and plans to target it. Panelists will include a representative from the New York City Center for Economic Opportunity and a New York Cares Community Partner. The discussion will be moderated by a New York Cares Program Manager, who will discuss the role that the organization's volunteer programs play in fighting poverty in the city.

Speaker: Sinead Keegan, Social Innovation Fund Program Coordinator, New York City Center for Economic Opportunity (CEO), Chantal Emmanuel, Officer, Community Programs, New York Cares

This interactive and fun workshop will explore strategies to increase volunteer retention. Participants will share their own experiences about what keeps them returning to volunteer projects, learn what has worked at other organizations and discuss real-life retention challenges. Key themes will include: recognition and appreciation, making a meaningful impact, support from organizational staff, camaraderie/social opportunities, perks, and increased knowledge and skills. Participants will come away from the workshop with several ideas they can implement in their own projects to increase volunteer retention, thereby expanding their impact. And there will be free candy (which is always an excellent retention tool).

Speaker: Diana R. Breen, MPA, Executive Director, Ariva

In this workshop, you'll gain understanding and knowledge of cultural differences between diverse populations, and how to interact with people from other cultures without offending anyone. You'll discuss how to work around the basic differences to help us integrate with one another as a society. As a participant, you'll have the opportunity to share this knowledge with volunteers and clients who may share their beliefs, attitudes and values with you. The exchange of ideas will help you understand how to communicate effectively.

Speaker: Kinaja Janardhanan, Immigrant Workforce Counselor, NYS Department of Labor

New to Team Leading? Have questions about your role? Join us for a panel discussion with Team Leader Mentors and other experienced Team Leaders. The panel will consist of Team Leaders with a wide range of experience levels and project backgrounds. The panel will talk briefly about their experiences, and will then take your questions to help make your Team Leader experience the best it can be!

Speakers: Michael Gamber
Amaya Swanson
David Holloran
Patrick Mcguire

Have you ever sent an email out of anger? Have you ever received emails with misspellings, bad punctuation or poor grammar? How many text messages have you sent with inappropriate word substitutions? If you answered yes to any of these questions, this is the work shop for you! Learn effective wways to communicate with your volunteers via voice message, email, text or Internet without regret. Once you hit send, it's forever.

Speakers: P. Justin Fahey, President, Fahey Communications

Want to spread the word about all the great work you do with New York Cares? In Mastering Social Networking as a volunteer, you'll learn the specific strategies for utilizing websites such as Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn to spread the word about your volunteer experience with New York Cares. Learn how to post effective messages and keep readers interested in what you have to say. A New York Cares communication staff member will be co-leading this session.

Speaker: Amy Sample Ward, Membership Director, Nonprofit Technology Network

Are you LinkedIn? Learn how to create and get the most from your professional network using LinkedIn, and learn best practices for optimal use. Learn about the new "Volunteer Experiences & Causes" field, where you can add volunteer positions, causes you care about, and organizations you support.

Speaker: Nandita Sahni, Manager, Account Services LinkedIn. Nandita is also a New York Cares Team Leader

Want to get your company involved in giving back to the community, but not sure where to start? This session will give you the tools you need to take your passion for volunteering, and your ideas for creating change in your community, and turn it into a philanthropy model that works for you and your company. Learn how to gain support for your ideas and develop internal champions, creating impactful employee engagement programs and positioning your company as a better corporate citizen.

Speakers: New York Cares Corporate Partner

For anyone looking to engage clients in New York City, it has become increasingly difficult to stand out in the endless cycle of dinners, drinks, and parties. As a memorable alternative, consider volunteering as a way to foster camaraderie and develop a meaningful connection with your clients. In addition to making a difference in the community, you'll be building your business by showcasing your leadership skills and demonstrating your values to your clients. This session will provide helpful tips on how to engage clients with volunteering opportunities, and demonstrate how one company was able to make their service experience mutually beneficial for both the community and their own bottom line.

Speaker: Allison Spiro-Winn

New York Cares' Executive Director, Gary Bagley, has an exciting vision for New York Cares, and he wants to share it with you, our most dedicated volunteers. He'll discuss the past, present, and future of the organization and highlight some important ways that you can help reach this vision.

Speaker: Gary Bagley, Executive Director, New York Cares

Have you ever wondered how volunteer projects with New York Cares got started? Curious about how volunteers signed up for projects before we had a website? Have you entered attendance online and wondered how it was done before computers? Throughout New York Cares' 25-year history, things have changed quite a bit. Join us for a look back at where we've been, with a keen eye on where we're going. Learn more about how our volunteers have built a solid foundation in volunteer programming, and have set the stage for a successful future of helping New Yorkers in need.

Speakers: Meg Moloney, Senior Director, Programs, New York Cares

The Team Leader program is an exciting opportunity to become more involved with New York Cares. Team Leaders are an integral part of every New York Cares project: the coordinate with Project Partners and Program Managers, provide on-site leadership, and ensure an enjoyable project for volunteers and clients. Lean More is a fast-track information session for volunteers interested in giving more. The first portion of this session consists of a brief presentation on the Team Leader role. In the second portion participants will be able to submit an application and have a brief interview with a New York Cares staff member. This session will leave you one step away from becoming a Team Leader and excited for training!

Speakers: Karen Diggs, Leadership Development Associate, New York Cares