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
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 TrainingEngaging High Impact VolunteersCapacity Building diversity, equity, inclusion 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 BuildingStaff Training recognition 2025
Statement on Artificial Intelligence - Indianapolis Public Library
Statement on AI from the leadership team of the Indianapolis Public Library - February 2025.
Staff Training AI, Artificial Intelligence 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 TrainingCapacity Building diversity, equity, inclusion, Recruitment 2025
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 TrainingJob Specific Volunteer Training Pet Therapy, dog, reading 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 RecruitmentVolunteerMatch Tools and ResourcesCapacity Building Recruitment 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
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
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 BoomersStaff 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 BuildingStaff 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 BoomersStaff 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 TrainingEngaging 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 BuildingEngaging 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 RecruitmentStaff TrainingCapacity Building Recruitment, Position Descriptions, job descriptions 2025
Engaging the Volunteer of the Future
This 1 hour webinar was presented by Jennifer Bennett, Education & Training Director for VolunteerMatch in January 2024.
In this webinar you’ll… more
Capacity BuildingStaff TrainingMillennials Millenials 2024
Surveys in Volunteer Engagement
On February 8, 2024, this Get Involved live Zoom discussion focused on Surveys in Volunteer Engagement. The group discussed types of surveys and… more
Staff Training surveys 2024
Managing Volunteer Risks -- Where Are You Now?
In this blog, Volunteers Insurance Service Association, Inc. (VIS) suggests that to know where you need to be in managing your organization’s risk of… more
Staff Training Risk Management 2024
Engaging People with Disabilities
Links to resources on this topic available from Volunteer Canada.
 
Capacity BuildingStaff Training disabilities, inclusive 2024
Working Together: Developing Neurodivergent and IDD (Intellectually and Developmentally Disabled) Inclusive Volunteer Opportunities
This webinar was recorded on June 6, 2024. Speakers: Cecily Ponce de Leon, Plano Public Library; Jungwon DeVone, Somerset County Library System; and… more
Staff Training neurodivergent, disabilities, special needs 2024