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
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
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
Building Super Supporters: The Donor/Volunteer Connection This webinar was recorded on June 11, 2026. Some simple but important concepts and ideas were shared. Session Description: In this fun workshop… more	Capacity Building, Staff Training	fundraising, fund development	2026
What We Learned at the 2026 National Summit on Volunteer Engagement This June 2026 webinar was presented by recipients of a California State Library scholarship to attend the National Summit on Volunteer Engagement… more	Capacity Building, Staff Training		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
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
Neurodiversity Inclusion Tips Have you considered neurodivergent applicants in your organization's recruitment strategy? An estimated 15-20% of the world’s population identifies… more	Staff Training	neurodivergent, neurodiversity, inclusion, diversity, inclusion	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
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
Ten AI Use Cases for Volunteer Managers For folks new to AI, including myself, I found this September 2025 webinar from Civic Champs to be a very helpful overview of what AI can do. The… more	Capacity Building, Staff Training	Artificial Intelligence, AI	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
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