Why MAVA’s 2026 Summer Conference is a Can’t-Miss Event

Whether MAVA is new to you or if you’ve been around MAVA for a while, our conference gatherings are a great opportunity to build knowledge, meet others, and focus on your professional development. This year, however, it feels particularly timely to be hosting an in-person volunteer engagement conference in Minnesota. Here are a few thoughts on why MAVA’s 2026 Summer Conference: Volunteerism Without Borders on June 11-12 shouldn’t be missed.

It’s been too long since we’ve seen each other in person.

With the technology to meet virtually, it’s often easier and more convenient to gather via screens. But virtual meetings and conferences don’t allow for one of the most important parts of networking – connecting one on one with other volunteer engagement leaders. It’s vital that, at least once in a while, we gather in the same space – to share knowledge, meals, laughs, and wisdom in a way that simply isn’t possible from behind a screen. 

Come connect with your peers. Be in community with others pursuing similar goals and facing similar challenges. Share stories and brainstorm solutions – together, in the same space, around the same table. Forge new partnerships. When a session is over don’t simply click a box and return to solitude – discuss it with other smart, insightful, and experienced volunteer engagement leaders. It will fill your bucket in a way only relationships can.

Minnesota has been through a lot this year.

The impact of Operation Metro Surge on our state was deep and far reaching. Yet the response from Minnesota citizens – like you – was just as impactful. There was a lot to process during the first few months of this year, and we are still learning from the community-based support that arose through mutual aid and neighboring.

The opening plenary session at MAVA’s 2026 Summer Conference will focus on this topic. How can we, as volunteer engagement leaders, reflect on the mutual aid work led by Minnesota communities? How can we connect with one another to learn from these experiences and envision more inclusive pathways to volunteering? The conference will offer many opportunities for thoughtful reflection, new connections, and collective visioning of what could come next. The last few months were hard. Let’s come together to decompress and learn.

MAVA continues to lead the way in making volunteerism more equitable.

Equity was a major focus for most organizations in 2020, but over the last few years many efforts to promote equity have slowly shifted direction or been eliminated altogether. At MAVA, we continue to believe that volunteerism can and should be an equitable experience and we are committed to taking steps – both small and large – to steer the field of volunteer engagement in that direction.

At our 2026 Summer Conference, both the opening and closing plenary have an equity theme, along with many breakout sessions. Take a look at the session titles and descriptions! From engaging LatinX and neurodivergent volunteers, to building movements, to inclusive leadership – there is so much content that will both challenge participants and grow them into stronger leaders.

If those reasons aren’t enough, MAVA is offering an Early Bird registration rate through May 8! We hope you’ll join us to connect with one another, reflect on the past year, challenge the status quo, and grow your volunteer engagement skills and expertise. 



Learn more and register today!