Lyngblomsten certified as a Service Enterprise

Lyngblomsten, 1415 Almond Ave. W., has been certified as a Service Enterprise, a designation given to a small percentage of nonprofits nationwide for their exceptional volunteer programs. Lyngblomsten is the first senior care organization in Minnesota to become a Service Enterprise.

“In my estimation,” said Jeff Heinecke, President and CEO of Lyngblomsten, “our volunteer program is one of the biggest differentiators between Lyngblomsten and other senior healthcare organizations in the Twin Cities. Volunteerism has been a part of our history since our beginning in the early 1900s, and I think the Service Enterprise certification affirms that what we’re doing is the right thing.”

The Service Enterprise Initiative, or SEI, recognizes nonprofits that strategically engage volunteers and their skills across all levels of the organization to deliver successfully on their social missions.

Tim Overweg, Manager of Volunteer Services for Lyngblomsten, thinks this designation indicates how Lyngblomsten is a step ahead of other senior care organizations when it comes to volunteer engagement and management.

Overweg said of the more than 300 Service Enterprises across the country, only nine provide services to older adults. And of those nine, only Lyngblomsten provides a full continuum of services, including healthcare, housing, and community-based resources.

Katie Walsh, Program Director for HandsOn Twin Cities, worked with Lyngblomsten during the certification process. She wasn’t surprised by how high it scored on the initial SED assessment.

“This is the highest SED score that I have seen to date,” Walsh said, comparing it to the scores of over 45 Minnesota nonprofits with which HandsOn Twin Cities and MAVA have worked. Lyngblomsten’s overall score, she continued, was 84 out of a possible 100, which indicated that it already appeared to be operating as a Service Enterprise. “It’s fair to say that Lyngblomsten is that ‘gold star standard’ for strategic and integrated volunteer engagement within an organization,” Walsh said.

Using insights gained from the certification process, Overweg said thatt Lyngblomsten plans on pursuing additional goals over the next several years. These include providing volunteers with more opportunities for skills-based volunteering, creating a culture where all staff see volunteers as important partners in their work and increasing Lyngblomsten’s presence at volunteer recruitment events in the community.