Building from Susan J. Ellis’ legacy of advocacy for the professionalization of the volunteer engagement field, we are presently focused on providing two resources to the field – a professional journal and the Ellis Archive.
Professional Journal
The Foundation publishes a professional quarterly journal called Engage (formerly e-Volunteerism) which is written for leaders of volunteer engagement around the world who want to be informed and challenged about volunteering trends and issues. Originally established in September 2000 by Ellis and her colleague, Steve McCurley, e-Volunteerism was the first and only electronic publication for the field, combining the best characteristics of a printed professional journal with the advantages and potential of Internet technology.
In 2020, the journal’s new editor-in-chief Rob Jackson, led a review of the journal’s content and design and re-launched the journal for its 20th anniversary in October 2020 as Engage: The global voice of leaders of volunteer engagement.
The Journal strives to:
- provide thought-provoking information on all aspects of volunteer involvement;
- tap into an international base of knowledge and experience; and
- maximize interactions among readers and authors.
Ellis Archives
The Foundation maintains the Ellis Archive on the Professional Leadership of Volunteers, a centralized online repository of materials and information which documents the evolution of the field of volunteer engagement and the profession of volunteer administration.
As the lead archivist, Katie Campbell compiled the Ellis Archive from the many articles, sample materials and other documents that Susan saved throughout her career – most of these from pre-internet eras. The Foundation anticipates expanding the Ellis Archive with collections from other experts in the field.