Training Materials

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.

Title Keyword Tags Year
The Virtual Volunteer Life Cycle: A Complete Guide
A good overall guide for recruiting, screening and managing remote volunteers.
Engaging High Impact VolunteersCapacity BuildingStaff 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 TrainingCapacity 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 BuildingInterviewing 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 BuildingEngaging 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 BuildingEngaging 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 BuildingStaff 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 TrainingCapacity Building virtual volunteer 2022
Live Online Discussion of Diversity Equity & Inclusion
California Library Volunteer Leaders: Live Open Online Discussion on Diversity Equity & Inclusion in Volunteer Engagement – This recorded… more
Capacity BuildingStaff Training diversity, equity, inclusion, White Saviorism 2022
White Supremacy in Volunteerism - Perfectionism
This video clip was prepared for the Get Involved Initiative by Breauna Dorelus of Connecting the Cause - https://www.connectingthecause.com. After… more
Staff Training White Saviorism, diversity, equity, inclusion, white supremacy 2022
Privilege, Bias and Microaggressions
On Aug 25, 2022 Points of Light and the Minnesota Association for Volunteer Administration led a conversation exploring identity, privilege, bias and… more
Capacity BuildingStaff Training privilege, bias, microaggression, diversity, equity, inclusion 2022
VolunteerMatch "Tour"
This is a recording of an online meeting "Tour" provided for incoming AmeriCorps members attached to California Library Literacy Services in December… more
VolunteerMatch Tools and ResourcesStaff TrainingOn-line Volunteer Recruitment VolunteerMatch, Skilled Volunteers, skilled, virtual, virtual volunteer 2022
Creating a Community-Centered Volunteer Orientation
This video clip was prepared for the Get Involved Initiative by Breauna Dorelus of Connecting the Cause - https://www.connectingthecause.com. After… more
Staff TrainingVolunteer Orientation diversity, equity, inclusion, White Saviorism, white supremacy, orientation, Training 2022
QuickStart Guide for New Volunteers
Not a library, but a lovely example to get ideas from.
Volunteer Orientation orientation, handbook 2022
Ways to Appreciate Volunteers Without Centering Them as the Hero
This video clip was prepared for the Get Involved Initiative by Breauna Dorelus of Connecting the Cause - https://www.connectingthecause.com. After… more
Staff Training recognition, diversity, equity, inclusion, White Saviorism, appreciation 2022
Memorializing Volunteer Experiences Without Harming the Community You Serve
This video clip was prepared for the Get Involved Initiative by Breauna Dorelus of Connecting the Cause - https://www.connectingthecause.com. After… more
Staff Training social media, diversity, equity, inclusion, White Saviorism 2022
How to Align Your Mission with Millennials and Civic Engagement
America’s millennials are poised to reshape society to a greater degree than any generation since the Greatest Generation. As 2 million baby boomers… more
Millennials Millennials 2022
Online Book Sale Operation - Mesa AZ
The link below to a 10 minute video will introduce you to the Mesa Public Library's amazing online booksale operation (about $100,000/year) which is… more
Engaging High Impact VolunteersCapacity BuildingJob Specific Volunteer Training online booksales, Friends, Friends of the Library, Booksales 2022
10 Must Have's for a Well-Crafted Volunteer Job Description
Great reminders about what every volunteer job description should contain.
Capacity BuildingStaff Training job descriptions, Position Descriptions 2022