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 |
|---|---|---|---|
Why Your Library Needs a Reading Dog
In 2010, the University Of California - Davis completed a study on reading dog programs, which found that readers who participated in a 10-week… more |
Staff Training, Job Specific Volunteer Training | Pet Therapy, dog, reading | 2025 |
From Nice to Necessary: Unleashing the Impact of Volunteering Through Transformative Investment
Points of Light believes volunteering is one of the most powerful tools we have to strengthen communities. They commissioned this report in 2025 —… more |
Staff Training, Capacity Building | funding, investment | 2025 |
Hands-On Help and Generous Giving: How Volunteering and Donations Fuel Each Other’s Impact
Studies show that giving and volunteering work collaboratively to support each other and that volunteers are 14.5 percentage points more likely to… more |
Capacity Building, Staff Training | fundraising, giving and volunteering | 2025 |
VolunteerMatch Boot Camp: Recruiting 101
This webinar presents ways to get the most from your VolunteerMatch account, and how to use some of their new tools. |
On-line Volunteer Recruitment, VolunteerMatch Tools and Resources, Capacity Building | Recruitment | 2025 |
Volunteering: An Antidote to the Epidemic of Loneliness
In this webinar, experts and global leaders explore how volunteering serves as a powerful antidote to the growing epidemic of loneliness. The… more |
Capacity Building, Staff Training | loneliness | 2025 |
Let’s Make Volunteering Accessible to All
In this episode of Volunteer Nation, Tobi Johnson is joined by Allyson Ferrari, Director of Connections at Lighthouse for the Blind and Visually… more |
Staff Training, Capacity Building | diversity, equity, inclusion | 2025 |
6 Ways to Make Your Volunteer Opportunities Appeal to Short-Term Volunteers
Short-term volunteers bring invaluable fresh energy and a diverse skill set, contributing significantly to the success of initiatives. However, to… more |
Engaging High Impact Volunteers, Staff Training | short term, job descriptions | 2025 |
6 Ways to Make Your Volunteer Opportunities Appeal to Short-Term Volunteers
The shift towards shorter volunteer commitments is no longer a passing trend; it's a lasting change. Short-term volunteers bring invaluable… more |
Capacity Building, Staff Training | Recruitment, job descriptions | 2025 |
Revitalizing Your Friends
Here’s the link to the recording and slides from our July 8 2025 webinar - Strategies for Revitalizing Your Friends presented by Isabella… more |
Staff Training, Capacity Building, Engaging High Impact Volunteers | Friends, Friends of the Library, Teens | 2025 |
Engaging Youth Volunteers: How Young People are Showing up in Service
2025 Galaxy Digital webinar on youth volunteers. |
Millennials | Youth, Teens, young adult | 2025 |
Ask an Exec: What Execs Really Think About Volunteer Programs
Recording of July 2025 webinar from the Association of Leaders in Volunteer Engagement dealing with executive director and leadership team support (… more |
Staff Training | leadership, staff buy-in, Director | 2025 |
Volunteer Recruitment Activities
Good overview of recruitment ideas in a 3 & 1/2 minute video. Check it out to see if you're missing a piece of the puzzle. |
Staff Training | Recruitment | 2025 |
Volunteers Can Make or Break Your Space: Volunteer Involvement in a Makerspace
In this July 24, 2025 webinar, Makerspace Librarian Trina Camping of the Woodland Public Library (CA) shares what she’s learned about how best to… more |
Engaging High Impact Volunteers, Capacity Building | maker space | 2025 |
Multi-Generational Panel on Volunteering
This March 2025 panel of volunteers from varying generations provides some keen insights into engaging each group. This event was produced by the… more |
Baby Boomers, Staff Training | generations, Gen X, Gen Y, Gen Z, Millenials | 2025 |
Where Do I Go From Here? Engage Volunteers in New Ways
This 1 hour webinar was presented for the Get Involved initiative by Jennifer Bennett, Director of Education and Training at VolunteerMatch on… more |
Capacity Building, Staff Training | Recruitment, strategic planning | 2025 |
Engaging Gen Alpha to the Silent Generation: Volunteer Strategies for Nonprofits
This brief article gives a great description of each generation along with what defines them and tips for engaging each in volunteering. |
Baby Boomers, Staff Training | generations, Gen X, Gen Y, Gen Z, Millenials, Gen Alpha | 2025 |
6 HR Strategies for Nonprofits to Enhance Volunteer-Staff Collaboration
A quick read with ideas on maximizing volunteer-staff interactions. |
Staff Training, Engaging Staff and Unions | Staff Resistance, staff buy-in, volunteer staff relations | 2025 |
Social Media and Volunteer Engagement
This is the 30 minute recording of Jennifer Bennett’s March 2025 presentation on utilizing social media in your library volunteer engagement efforts… more |
On-line Volunteer Recruitment | social media, Recruitment | 2025 |
Preparing for an Internship Program - Indianapolis IN
Attached are a treasure trove of documents that will help to establish and/or update your library's internship efforts. Many thanks to Wendy Johnson… more |
Capacity Building, Engaging High Impact Volunteers | intern, internship | 2025 |
Volunteer Recruitment Workshop Series
This 2025 series of 5 VolunteerMatch webinars was recorded and are stored together with their slides and handouts. Topics include: Position… more |
On-line Volunteer Recruitment, Staff Training, Capacity Building | Recruitment, Position Descriptions, job descriptions | 2025 |