The Kansas Volunteer Commission professional development fund is for volunteer, mentor and/or AmeriCorps staff to access reimbursable professional development around volunteerism and mentoring. This opportunity is only available to individuals who work in Kansas for a Kansas-based organization focused on volunteerism, youth mentoring or AmeriCorps national service. AmeriCorps members and volunteers are not eligible to apply.
Interested individuals will fill out the Professional Development Fund Request Form below. Request Forms must be submitted no later than two weeks before the professional development opportunity begins. Submission of this form does not constitute approval of the request. Applicants will receive an email, from the Commission, approving or disapproving the request within two business days.
Applicants may receive reimbursement for one professional development opportunity per calendar year. A maximum of two individuals will reimbursed from each organization per professional development opportunity.
This is a cost-reimbursement fund. Approved participants will pay for their travel and registration costs up front. These expenses must be paid for with non-AmeriCorps funds. After the event, participants will submit receipts to the Commission for 50% reimbursement of SOME of their expenses. A check will be mailed within two weeks following the submission of receipts and shared learnings (see below).
Reimbursable expenses include:
- Airfare and baggage fee
- Car rental
- Ride share (Uber, Lyft) to and from airport
- Lodging
- Registration fees (CVA includes regular exam fee and renewal exam fee - Does not include retest fee)
- Materials (only applies to Volunteer Administration: Professional Practice textbook for CVA exam)
Reimbursable expenses DO NOT include mileage or per diem (no food cost covered) or any other expenses not specified above.
Only the following Professional Development opportunities may be reimbursed:
- 2024 Points of Light conference, June 11-14 in Houston, TX
- 2024 Certification in Volunteer Administration (CVA) Fall Exam, October 1-14 virtually
- 2025 National Mentor Summit, January 29-31 in Washington DC
The deadline to apply for these professional development opportunities is as follows:
- 2024 Points of Light is May 28, 2024.
- 2024 Certification in Volunteer Administration fall exam is September 17, 2024
- 2025 National Mentor Summit is January 15, 2025
Following the professional development opportunity, participants will be required to share what they have learned with the Commission. These remarks, along with any submitted photos, may be used in newsletter and social media promotions.
