Training Materials | Get Involved! Resource Clearinghouse

Learn more about best practices in volunteer recruitment and engagement, and how to get the results you need.

NOTE: These are examples from public libraries and should be reviewed and modified to ensure fit with local policies and culture.

Keyword

Title	Keyword	Tags	Year
Consequences of Good v. Bad Volunteer Experiences A brief article detailing a couple of ways to make your volunteers have a good experience, or to respond to situations where someone's had a bad… more	Staff Training		2022
5 Tips for Recruiting Volunteers Five recruitment tips for volunteer management consultant, Rob Jackson.	Capacity Building	Recruitment	2022
Sticky Situations: Applying Ethics to Your Work with Volunteers We all encounter ethical dilemmas in our daily work. But rarely do organizations focus on ethics related to volunteer engagement. This… more	Staff Training	Ethics	2022
The Virtual Volunteer Life Cycle: A Complete Guide A good overall guide for recruiting, screening and managing remote volunteers.	Engaging High Impact Volunteers, Capacity Building, Staff Training	virtual	2022
Volunteer Orientation and Training: The Ultimate Guide A 2022 article from Wild Apricot on what to consider when planning volunteer orientation and Training.	Capacity Building	volunteer training, orientation	2022
Preparing Co-Workers to Lead Volunteers Online and On Land Ideas for training staff to engage with volunteers.	Staff Training, Capacity Building	Staff Resistance, staff buy-in, staff training	2022
Rethinking Retention: Understanding Strategic Volunteer Relationships This one hour webinar was presented as part of the Get Involved: Powered by Your Library initiative on September 29, 2022 by Jennifer Bennett,… more	Capacity Building, Interviewing Volunteers	retention, attrition, Recruitment	2022
Research and Case Studies Regarding Virtual Volunteering Research on virtual volunteering compiled and updated in March 2022 by Jayne Cravens of Coyote Communications.	Capacity Building, Engaging High Impact Volunteers	virtual, virtual volunteer	2022
Fun Volunteer Teambuilding Activities That Will Keep Your Remote Team Engaged This article from Tobi Johnson about Volunteer Team Building activities includes instructions for both in-person and virtual activities.	Capacity Building, Engaging High Impact Volunteers	team building	2022
First Day Volunteer Orientation Checklist - Kitchener Public Library This checklist is used by the Kitchener Public Library for a volunteer's first day of orientation/training.	Volunteer Orientation	checklist, orientation, Training	2022
Changing the Frame: Civic Engagement Through A Racial Equity Lens Since Robert Putnam’s book Bowling Alone: America’s Declining Social Capital came out in 2000, policymakers, nonprofit funders, and pundits have sent… more	Capacity Building, Staff Training	diversity, equity, inclusion	2022
Virtual Volunteers: Keys to Success and Sustainability More and more organizations rely on a hybrid workforce – with staff and volunteers working on-site and on-line. More recently, engaging volunteers… more	Staff Training, Capacity Building	virtual volunteer	2022
When and Where to Use Volunteer Replacement Rates (Or Not) for Volunteer Value In this 2023 blog post, Dr. Sue Carter Kahl thoughtfully discusses the pros and cons of using volunteer dollar values. The most common forms of wage… more	Staff Training	ROI, Return on Investment	2023
Up Your Game with Skills-Based Volunteering A discussion of skills-based volunteering which can be provided through specialized volunteer-matching organizations.	Staff Training, Capacity Building	Skilled Volunteers	2023
It's Spring: Let's Renew/Reinvigorate/Revamp Volunteer Engagement This one-hour live online meeting was held on April 20, 2023 and features library volunteer engagement leaders sharing their thoughts on how to… more	Staff Training	Recruitment, job descriptions, recognition	2023
Makerspace Volunteer Training Examples Many thanks for these Makerspace Volunteer Training Examples – from San Mateo County Libraries – Check out their online training for maker volunteers… more	Job Specific Volunteer Training	maker space, Niche Academy, online training	2023
The Value – and Potential – of Virtual Volunteers This April 2023 webinar led by Jennifer Bennett, Director of Education and Training for VolunteerMatch also featured staff leaders from Junior… more	Engaging High Impact Volunteers, Capacity Building	virtual, remote	2023
Talking racial equity? Make sure you understand these 17 words A shared vocabulary is the necessary first step for discussing racial equity. This glossary of terms might be helpful.	Capacity Building, Staff Training	diversity, equity, inclusion	2023
Best Practices for Recruiting and Engaging Volunteers from Zoomers to Boomers This April 2023 webinar led by Jennifer Bennett, Director of Education and Training for VolunteerMatch also featured staff leaders from AARP and… more	Baby Boomers, Millennials	boomers, Millenials	2023
Volunteer Matching: Finding the Right Role for Every Volunteer Fitting each volunteer with the right role is critical to success.	Engaging High Impact Volunteers, Capacity Building, Staff Training	job descriptions, placement, onboarding, interview	2023