Newly Certified: Ashley "AK" Diefenbach on Earning Her CVA and Why Volunteers Have Always Been Her Thread

If you've worked with our Customer Success team, there's a good chance you've met Ashley "AK" Diefenbach. What you might not know is that AK just earned her CVA (Certified in Volunteer Administration) credential, the professional standard for leaders of volunteers.

We sat down with AK to talk about her path to the CVA, what it's changed about how she supports clients, and the one piece of advice she'd give to every volunteer manager out there.

Volunteers have always been the thread

AK has spent 20 years in nonprofits, informal education, and experiential learning. No matter the role, one thing kept showing up: volunteers.

Early on, she worked in the education department at Walt Disney World. Inside one of the world's largest companies, she stayed close to her nonprofit roots through Disney's employee volunteer program, VoluntEARS. Those local connections led her to the Orlando Science Center, where she managed volunteers for its summer camp program.

"Once you see how important volunteers are to these structures, you cannot unsee that," AK said. In every new role, she went looking for the volunteers and asked how they were being supported. That meant finding funding for volunteer programs, partnering with local universities and nonprofits to expand opportunities, and even launching an AmeriCorps program that still runs today.

When she moved into supporting volunteer programs from the technology side, it felt like coming full circle. Now she could see the bigger picture of how volunteers are supported across a whole network.

Finding the CVA community

AK's first brush with the CVA came at a Points of Light networking event for CVAs, where she was invited to be "a fly on the wall." She listened to credentialed leaders of volunteers talk about their work and realized she'd found her people: a network doing exactly what she'd been doing for years, advocating for credibility in the field.

So, when Better Impact invested in supporting volunteer leaders on their CVA journey, AK made sure she was on the list. With guidance from Karen Goulet, our Community Success Advocate Lead, she was invited to co-lead our CVA study group, guiding peers through the process while studying for the credential herself.

For AK, the CVA isn't a finish line. "It's really just a step in my journey," she said. It's a step toward credibility, and a step toward the next phase of learning.

Her role at Better Impact

As a Customer Success Strategist, AK partners with the volunteer leaders who use Better Impact's volunteer management software. She helps organizations set up their programs, get more from the platform, and plan for where they want to grow.

What makes her a great partner is that she's been in our clients' shoes. She has managed volunteers, found funding for volunteer programs, and built community partnerships to create new opportunities. When a client describes a challenge, she has often lived a version of it herself.

Her CVA adds another layer. AK can now connect day-to-day setup decisions to field-wide standards for volunteer engagement. And for clients thinking about their own CVA, she's a resource who just went through it and knows what the process takes.

From reactive to proactive

The CVA has also sharpened how AK approaches every client conversation.

"There are so many good folks in these roles trying to figure things out," she said. There's rarely just one way to set up a program, or to configure software. The CVA gave her a framework for asking a better question: what's the most proactive way?

Now, when she sees a process that's been running a certain way for years, she can gently ask why. Is it based on something, or is it just how it's always been done? The goal is to set programs up for long-term success, not just to survive the week.

The competency she leans on most

Of the seven CVA competencies, AK points to operational planning and management: understanding how an organization functions and making volunteerism a core pillar of it.

She shared the story of a client who realized volunteers were missing from their mission statement entirely, despite being critical to their infrastructure. That gap sparked a big conversation with leadership and a rethink of where volunteers fit. "That's an organizational piece I think the CVA does a good job of," AK said. It's not just about the volunteer manager's role, but about the role volunteers play in the mission at a strategic level.

Thinking about your CVA?

AK's advice: look beyond your own organization. The CVA sets out field-wide standards you can turn to for guidance, no matter where you work.

It's especially valuable if you know this is your long-term career, or even your calling. "How do you show your commitment to being in this long-term?" AK asked. The CVA is one answer, and it's also a path toward leadership if that's where you want to go. For another first-hand take, read Kayla Paulson's CVA journey.

"You're not alone"

We asked AK what one piece of advice she'd give her former self as a volunteer manager. She didn't hesitate: you're not alone.

The role can feel isolating, even when you're surrounded by people. Professionally, it can feel like you're out on an island. Communities like the CVA open a window to something bigger than your role at one organization. "There are a lot of resources and people out there looking to be a partner for you," AK said, "because everybody needs somebody."

Still showing up

AK doesn't just support volunteer programs. She volunteers herself. When she first joined the team, she spent Friday afternoons teaching a technology course for seniors. Today, she spends weekends with Trailnet, advocating for safer streets for people walking and biking in St. Louis.

That's what it looks like when someone on your Customer Success team has walked in your shoes and is still walking. Want to start your own CVA journey? Explore Better Impact's CVA Community.