Located in San Francisco, California, Nora is founder and director of The Volunteerism Project (www.volunteerismproject.org), a collaboration of foundations working together with volunteer centers to strengthen, increase and diversify volunteerism.
Currently The Volunteerism Project is involved in two innovative projects: an original research project, Telling the Whole Story, which is convening focus groups in 14 diverse cultural and ethnic groups to “tell the story” of community involvement, and Ready to Respond, a disaster response program to engage a wide variety of volunteers to help the most vulnerable people in times of disaster.
In addition to her work with The Volunteerism Project, Nora has consulted with over 200 organizations worldwide, is a trainer for the Peter F. Drucker Foundation on organizational self-assessment and public-private collaboration, and speaks regularly on issues of community involvement, inclusiveness, and leadership.
Nora’s background includes a Ph.D. in organizational and clinical psychology; and publications including a book, At The Heart: The New Volunteer Challenge to Community Agencies, a pamphlet for volunteer management professionals, “Positioning the Profession,” and journal articles.
In earlier work, Nora directed a domestic violence shelter, taught in a community college and in an inner city junior high school, counseled people, and translated for terminally ill children and their families at a medical center.
