About Us

Championing the profession that powers volunteerism worldwide

International Volunteer Managers Day (IVMDay) was founded and observed for the first time in 1999. The push for IVMDay was led by American Nan Hawthorn who helped form a committee to explore a day recognizing the work of Volunteer Managers. IVMDay was developed in order to bring recognition to individual Managers of Volunteers and their roles in the mobilization and support of the world’s volunteers.

Up until 2005, IVMDay shared its day of celebration with International Volunteers Day on December 5.

In 2006, the IVMDay International Supporters Group was formed. This group of key leaders and organizations from around the world helped to spread the word about IVMDay.

IVMDay moved to its own day in 2006 and was celebrated initially on November 1. A clash with key dates in Europe saw a final shift to the day’s current date of November 5 in 2008.

In 2026, IVMDay transitioned from an independent international committee to becoming part of the Council for Certification in Volunteer Administration, while continuing to be led by an international committee of volunteer administrators.

Our Purpose

We celebrate the profession of volunteer leadership because:

Volunteer Managers have the skills and knowledge to help people be part of the solution in meeting community needs. Even in cynical times, they practice the art of the possible.
Volunteer Managers change lives — both the lives of volunteers themselves and of those served by well-led volunteers. It is a life-changing profession. Volunteer managers provide the leadership and direction that allows people to build a good and just society and to mend the social fabric. Without professional leadership, people’s time, talents and efforts could be wasted.
A well-run volunteer program shows the community, including potential donors, that the organization is not afraid of public scrutiny and involvement and endeavors to make the most efficient use of monetary assets
Well-led volunteers become an advocacy and public relations force for an agency or program — a force no amount of money could buy.