Ivan Scheier dies: was a pioneer in volunteer management.(MEMORIAL)

Ivan H. Scheier, Ph. D., who forged the path in volunteer management and was constantly looking toward the future, died recently at age 82. Scheier entered the nonprofit sector by coordinating volunteers in juvenile court system programs after working as a court psychologist in the juvenile probation department of Boulder County, Colo. He helped found The National Information Center on Volunteers in Courts in 1967, which later changed its name to the National Information Center on Volunteerism. After multiple name changes and mergers, the original organization was known as The National Volunteer Center before merging with the Points of Light Foundation in 1991.

"He was completely devoted to the concept of volunteering," said Susan J. Ellis, president of Energize, Inc., based in Philadelphia, and a contributing editor to The NonProfit Times. She met Scheier during the early 1970s when she ran the Philadelphia Family Court volunteer program, and called Scheier "a visionary" in volunteer management. "I always felt as though he was 10 years ahead of everyone else," said Ellis.

Scheier was also an independent consultant on volunteering and training. He opened the Voluntas: The Center for Creative Community retreat residence to nurture volunteerism in Madrid, N.M. After VOLUNTAS closed in 1996, Scheier worked at STILLPOINTS health retreat center. The Denver Directors of Volunteers in Agencies (DOVIA) presented the 1997 lifetime achievement award to Scheier and volunteer management trainer Marlene Wilson for their accomplishments in the volunteer sphere and for their help in forming the Denver DOVIA.

Scheier wrote and published more than 100 pamphlets and articles, which he donated to Regis University for free distribution. His writings include poetry, articles on psychology, and the importance and future of volunteerism. His book "Making Dreams Come True without Money, Might or Miracles: A Guide for Dream-Chasers and Dream Catchers," published in 2000, explored how volunteer managers could cultivate volunteers to their fullest potential. "My Dream-Catcher is a person, not a device. He or she takes up the task of helping people achieve their dreams, where 'dream' means a goal, a purpose, a cause or a vision (more in the purposive than the mystic sense)" wrote Scheier.

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Regis University is also home to the Voluntas Time Capsule on Volunteerism. The capsule project began in 1990 and Scheier was the principle organizer. It was sealed on Sept. 20, 2001, stored in Dayton Memorial Library at the university, and will be opened Thanksgiving Day 2050. Scheier wrote "I will be 124 years old at the time and no doubt slowing down a bit (actually, probably completely)," for the capsule's opening. "But as a long-dead busybody, let me make a few suggestions for 2005 to 2050."

Scheier died in Truth or Consequences, N.M. and is survived by a brother. Scheier's archives can be found on Regis University's library Web site at http://academic.regis.edu/volunteer/ivan.

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