The Vermont Association for Mental Health and Addiction Recovery

08/20/2025

In a powerful new opinion piece, Burlington Mayor Emma Mulvaney-Stanak writes: “Now more than ever, it is imperative to maintain our collective EMPATHY.”

She calls out what so many of us already know: Vermont’s towns and cities can’t do it alone. We need bold statewide partnerships to expand housing, services, and pathways to opportunity for every community.

At VAMHAR, we share this vision. Empathy must guide action. Let’s stand together for policies that empower, not hinder, our communities. Share this message and help build momentum for change.

Read the full opinion piece here: https://ow.ly/Ok7350WIjHj

08/19/2025

📣📣📣 New course just dropped!!

In this advanced level course, learners will explore the spirit of Motivational Interviewing. From partnership to acceptance to compassion to empowerment to presence. In addition, foundational processes will be analyzed in detail. This course is designed for those who already have knowledge and skills in Recovery Coaching and Motivational Interviewing.

Head over to the Collective Learning Institute of Vermont aka CLI-VT to enroll. All courses are free of charge and most offer CEUs.
🔗 https://vamhar.learnupon.com

08/16/2025

WE ARE HIRING! JOIN OUR TEAM!

ABOUT VAMHAR
The Vermont Association for Mental Health and Addiction Recovery (VAMHAR) is a statewide nonprofit organization committed to ensuring that all Vermonters have access to equitable, trauma-responsive, and recovery-centered mental health and addiction services. As a key backbone organization, VAMHAR convenes stakeholders, strengthens rural systems, and centers lived experience in all we do.
We are currently hiring a Finance Manager to join our dedicated team. Depending on the candidate’s interests and experience, this position may be structured as a part-time role focused exclusively on financial management, or a full-time position that includes additional responsibilities.

POSITION SUMMARY
The Finance Manager is a key team member responsible for overseeing VAMHAR’s financial systems and supporting our mission-driven operations. This role will be customized based on candidate experience and organizational need:

Option 1: Part-time (hourly) — Focused solely on nonprofit financial management, including budgeting, bookkeeping, grant tracking, and audit preparation.

Option 2: Full-time (salaried) — Includes all financial responsibilities, plus operational support for communications, events, and special initiatives such as Vermont’s Recovery Friendly Workplace efforts.

This is an exciting opportunity for a values-driven professional looking to make a meaningful impact on systems change, mental health, and addiction recovery in Vermont.

CORE RESPONSIBILITIES
Financial Management & Oversight
☑️ Lead or support the preparation of annual organizational and programmatic budgets
☑️ Monitor cash flow, financial performance, and budget-to-actuals
☑️ Ensure all financial operations align with GAAP and nonprofit best practices

Bookkeeping & Reporting
☑️ Manage day-to-day financial transactions and monthly reconciliations in QuickBooks Online
☑️ Maintain internal controls and timely reconciliation of all accounts
☑️ Prepare monthly and quarterly financial statements for leadership, board, and funders

Grants & Contracts
☑️ Track restricted/unrestricted revenue and allowable expenses across multiple funding sources
☑️ Prepare timely financial reports for federal (e.g., HRSA, SAMHSA), state, and foundation grants
☑️ Collaborate with program staff to ensure compliance with funder guidelines

Audit & Compliance
☑️ Serve as primary contact for the annual audit and 990 preparation
☑️ Maintain documentation for all financial policies and funder requirements (Uniform Guidance)
☑️ Ensure compliance with state and federal tax filings and registrations

Organizational Operations (Full-time candidates only)
☑️ Support project coordination and implementation of events, trainings, and outreach
☑️ Contribute to communications efforts such as newsletters, website updates, and social media
☑️ Assist in the development and expansion of Recovery Friendly Workplaces across Vermont
☑️ Serve as a collaborative partner across departments to strengthen organizational infrastructure

QUALIFICATIONS
Required:
☑️ At least 3 years of experience in nonprofit financial management, bookkeeping, or accounting
☑️ Proficiency in QuickBooks Online and Microsoft Excel
☑️ Experience managing and reporting on federal and/or state grants
☑️ Strong attention to detail, systems thinker, and independently motivated

Preferred:
☑️ Bachelor’s degree in accounting, Finance, Business, or related field
☑️ Familiarity with HRSA, SAMHSA, or other federal funding streams
☑️ Experience in nonprofit operations, event planning, or communications (for full-time candidates)
☑️ Passion for mental health, addiction recovery, and community wellbeing in Vermont

COMPENSATION & BENEFITS
☑️ Part-time hourly rate: Commensurate with experience ($35–$45/hour)
☑️ Full-time salary range: Starting at $75,000

Comprehensive benefits package for full-time employees, including:
☑️ Health, dental, and vision insurance
☑️ Paid vacation and holidays
☑️ Professional development support
☑️ Flexible schedule and hybrid work environment

HOW TO APPLY
Please email a resume and cover letter to daniel@vamhar.org with the subject line: Finance Manager Application – Your Name. In your cover letter, please indicate whether you are interested in the part-time, finance-focused role, the full-time operations-focused role, or open to either.

Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis until the position is filled.

At VAMHAR, we are committed to building a diverse, inclusive, and equitable workplace. We strongly encourage applications from individuals with lived experience of mental health and substance use challenges, and from people representing historically marginalized communities.

08/12/2025

Vermonters are stepping up for recovery - and you can too.

Every gift moves us closer to building a Vermont where recovery is visible, supported, and thriving in every community.

Your donation today will:

☑️ Train a peer leader to guide others through recovery

☑️ Support second-chance employment and recovery-friendly workplaces

☑️ Fuel advocacy that changes systems

☑️ Create pathways for Vermonters returning home from incarceration

The need is great. The vision is bold. And your support makes it real.

Let’s keep the momentum going - give today.

🔗 vamhar.org/donate

08/10/2025

New course offering just dropped!
RECOVERY COACHING IN HEALTHCARE SETTINGS 🏥

In this Advanced level course, learners will review and analyze the Vermont specific protocols that pertain to the unique environment of hospital emergency departments. The emphasis for professionalism, boundaries, and self care will also be explored.

In addition, communication skills, with a focus on the hospital setting, will be defined and applied. The goal being to build trust within the healthcare team.

By the end of this course learners will:
✨ Review VT state statutes that impact care
✨ Define which regulations impact care
✨ GPRA and Face Sheets
✨ Review procedures and note taking strategies
✨ Define what a SOAP note is
✨ Define roles and responsibilities of Recovery Coaches
✨ Review Recovery Coach Code of Ethics
✨ Review the concept of resource provisioning
✨ Review Motivational Interviewing best practice
✨ Analyze client ambivalence
✨ Analyze best practices around effective communication in the hospital setting

Jump over to CLI-VT our Collective Learning Institute of Vermont and check it out!
vamhar.learnupon.com

08/09/2025

🌍✨ International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples ✨🌍

Today - and every day - we honor the wisdom, resilience, and sovereignty of Indigenous peoples around the world.

At VAMHAR, we envision a world rooted in respect, equity, and shared humanity.
That vision means:
🌱 Listening to Indigenous voices and leadership
🌱 Protecting the right to cultural identity and traditional knowledge
🌱 Confronting and dismantling systems of oppression and colonial harm
🌱 Building relationships grounded in trust, reciprocity, and care

When we center Indigenous rights and perspectives, we move closer to a future where all communities can thrive - free from stigma, injustice, and exploitation.

Let’s commit to action that matches our values. 💛

08/08/2025

08/08/2025

We know not everyone can donate right now - and that’s more than okay.
You are still part of this movement. And your voice still matters. And you can still make an impact.

There are so many powerful ways to support recovery that don’t cost a thing:

✨ Share this post — help us reach someone who needs to know recovery is possible.
💬 Tag a friend who believes in building a more compassionate, recovery-ready Vermont.
🗣️ Tell your story — or listen to someone else’s. Lived experience is the heart of this work.

At VAMHAR, we believe recovery belongs in every system, every workplace, and every life.
And that includes yours.

Together, we are creating a future where people are seen, supported, and never left behind.
Thank you for being here with us.

vamhar.org/donate

08/07/2025

We’re cooking up some bold, fun, radically loving sticker designs, and we want your voice in the mix! 💬✨

Which sticker speaks to YOU the most?
Drop your fave(s) in the comments!

💥 These stickers are about love, recovery, justice, and belonging - and you might just see them on water bottles, laptops, and cars near you soon.

Vote now & help shape the future of VAMHAR merch!
🖤🧡💜

08/06/2025

When someone joins the Collective Learning Institute of Vermont (CLI-VT), they’re not just attending a training:

They’re stepping into leadership.
They’re transforming lived experience into collective wisdom.
They’re joining a movement to shape Vermont’s recovery-ready future.

CLI-VT centers people, purpose, and possibility - and your support makes it possible.

Give today to invest in peer-led systems change.
Because recovery leadership doesn’t just change lives.
It changes everything.

🔗 vamhar.org/donate

08/04/2025

It’s official — Recovery Belongs Here has launched.
Today marks a new chapter for VAMHAR: our first-ever individual giving campaign, built on a simple but powerful belief:

Recovery belongs everywhere.
In every system.
In every workplace.
In every policy.
And in every life.

We’re inviting you to help us build that future — one grounded in dignity, equity, and lived experience.

Your support fuels:
💛 Peer leadership
💼 Recovery-friendly workplaces
🔁 Second-chance employment
📣 Policy change rooted in real lives

This work happens upstream.
Its impact lasts a lifetime.

Join us. Donate today.
🔗 https://www.vamhar.org/donate

07/31/2025

Thank you VTDigger for sharing this commentary by Kevin Chu, Executive Director of Vermont Futures Project, and Daniel Franklin, Executive Director at The Vermont Association for Mental Health and Addiction Recovery.

"Choosing abundance means valuing every Vermonter’s potential. By embedding recovery into our statewide economic strategy, we move from managing crises to building a more resilient and inclusive future"

Vermont cannot reach its long-term goals without embracing the potential of all Vermonters.