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.

Title	Keyword	Tags	Year
State of Corporate Volunteering 2026 Report; Finds Growing Chasm Between Corporate Interests and Nonprofit Needs as Employee Volunteering Reaches Record Levels A new report reveals a growing tension between corporate volunteering and nonprofit needs as employee volunteering reaches record levels. The report… more	Engaging High Impact Volunteers	corporate	2026
How Nonprofits Can Improve Volunteer Retention Volunteers are more likely to commit to a nonprofit based on their expectations about the mission and its organizational effectiveness . . .… more	Staff Training, Capacity Building	retention	2026
The Gen Z Volunteer Blueprint: How Nonprofits Can Recruit and Inspire a Generation This brief article is based on Red Cross research about how to get and keep Gen Z involved.	Millennials	Gen Z, Recruitment	2026
Four Ways I'm Using Artificial Intelligence In this article, well-known volunteer engagement consultant Rob Jackson shares four practical ways in which he is using AI in his work as a Volunteer… more	Capacity Building, Staff Training	Artificial Intelligence, AI	2026
Enhancing Volunteer Retention: The Role of Experienced Volunteers This research focused on volunteer retention found that that the presence of experienced volunteers on a shift increases new volunteer… more	Capacity Building, Staff Training	retention	2026
Susan J. Ellis Hot Topics Reference Guide Susan J. Ellis Hot Topics – A Thematic Reference Guide for Volunteer Engagement Professionals (1997 – 2020 – energizeinc.com) This is an awesome AI… more	Staff Training	Training	2026
Young Volunteers are Redefining Service Questions about younger generations’ community service habits abound for nonprofits, which are contending with an aging volunteer base whose… more	Millennials	Youth, young volunteers, informal volunteering	2026
Create/Revitalize Volunteer Engagement at your Library Carla Lehn, Project Manager of California's Get Involved initiative presented this webinar in January 2026 for RAILS ( Reaching Across Illinois… more	Staff Training, Capacity Building	Position Descriptions, Recruitment, staff buy-in	2026
Are Your Volunteers Disengaged? Here’s What Might Be Going Wrong Volunteer engagement is not just about who shows up. It is about whether people feel their time and effort actually matter.  When communication is… more	Staff Training	morale, volunteer engagement	2026
9 Proven Ways to Boost Volunteer Morale Here’s a sobering reality: 76% of volunteers who leave say feeling underappreciated was a major reason for their decision. In other words, three out… more	Staff Training	morale, volunteer engagement, retention	2026
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
Volunteer Recruitment Workshop Series This 2025 series of 5 Idealist webinars was recorded and are stored together with their slides and handouts. Topics include: Position Descriptions,… more	On-line Volunteer Recruitment, Staff Training, Capacity Building	Recruitment, Position Descriptions, job descriptions	2025
9 Proven Volunteer Retention Strategies Strategies for improving your volunteer retention rate.	Staff Training, Capacity Building	retention	2025
8 Strategies for Creating a More Inclusive Volunteer Program A good summary from Idealist of the Minnesota Alliance for Volunteer Administration (MAVA)'s research study which resulted in a set of… more	Staff Training	Recruitment, diversity, equity, inclusion	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 Recognition Beyond the Basics: Creative & Impactful Strategies Webinar recording: Learning Goals: Explore budget-friendly ways to celebrate volunteers, from social media spotlights to personalized gestures… more	Capacity Building, Staff Training	recognition	2025
Train Volunteers with this Simple 4-Step Framework This is a June 2025 episode of Tobi Johnson's podcast. She says: "Whether you’re building a new training from scratch or refreshing your… more	Staff Training	Training, volunteer training	2025
Is Everyone Welcome? Tools to Broaden Volunteer Engagement The "Is Everyone Welcome Toolkit" aims to support leaders of volunteers to be more equitable in their practice so more people feel welcome in the… more	Staff Training, Engaging High Impact Volunteers, Capacity Building	diversity, equity, inclusion	2025
Is Everyone Welcome? Tools to Broaden Volunteer Engagement This is the recording of the April 15, 2025 webinar: Is Everyone Welcome? Tools to Broaden Volunteer Engagement. When segments of the community do… more	Staff Training, Capacity Building	diversity, equity, inclusion, Recruitment	2025
How Can the Nonprofit Field Better Support Volunteerism? A very brief article to challenge the way you think about volunteers, and think about ways you can be more supportive to increase effectiveness.	Staff Training	Recruitment, supervising	2025