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
Revitalizing Library Volunteer Engagement One hour archived recording of a WebJunction webinar: Library volunteerism is evolving. Gone are the days of looking for tasks to keep your… more	Engaging High Impact Volunteers, Engaging Staff and Unions, On-line Volunteer Recruitment		2018
How to Create Your Volunteer Program Budget A format for developing a budget for your volunteer engagement service.	Staff Training, Capacity Building	budget justification	2018
Demographic Trends Shaping America and Service Beth Steinhorn of VQ Strategies takes 2018 Pew Research results and extrapolates them for volunteer engagement professionals by addressing the… more	Capacity Building, Millennials		2018
Gaining Staff Buy-In for Volunteer Engagement This chart created by Carla Lehn identifies the common reasons that staff are resistant to the idea of engaging volunteers in their work, and… more	Capacity Building, Staff Training	staff buy-in	2018
Diagnosing the Causes of Volunteer Recruitment Problems Jayne Cravens provides Questions to diagnose your volunteer recruitment problems.	Staff Training	Recruitment	2018
Volunteer Management: How to Get it Right A 2018 study by MAVA (Minnesota Association of Volunteer Administrators) showed a lack of understanding about the essential nature of volunteers and… more	Capacity Building	volunteer coordinator	2018
Volunteer Background Checks: Giving Back without Giving Up on Privacy How do nonprofit organizations screen volunteers? There are several options. The choices depend largely on the volunteer job involved and the… more	Volunteer Screening / Interviewing, Capacity Building, Staff Training	background checks, screening	2018
Three Things We Know About Engaging Millennials in Your Cause A quick read on what Millennials are interested in to help you in your recruitment efforts.	Millennials	Millennials	2018
Getting Staff Buy-In for Volunteer Engagement Video clip on this topic from a Get Involved Volunteer Engagement Institute in Oakland California in May 2015. (26.5 minutes)	Engaging Staff and Unions		2018
Can We Reject a Volunteer? What do you do when someone applies to volunteer and you realize they will not work out? How can we justify rejecting anyone who steps forward and… more	Interviewing Volunteers, Staff Training	Fire, reject, complaints	2018
You Can't Fire Me, I'm a Volunteer! This quick read from Blue Avocado focuses on addressing volunteer dissatisfaction points to the right way to handle disgruntled volunteers.	Staff Training	Fire, disgruntled	2018
Are You in a Volunteer Management Silo? A classic piece by Susan Ellis describing why we need to get out of our comfort zone and expand our thinking once in a while.	Staff Training	Professional Development	2017
Volunteers are the Reputational Assets Your Organization is Overlooking A great reminder in a brief article by Erin Rebecca Spink.	Capacity Building, Staff Training		2017
Checklist to Minimize the Most Common Volunteer Risks A good basic list of issues to consider and how to approach them.	Capacity Building, Staff Training	Risk Management	2016
Why Company Sponsored Volunteer Programs are Keeping Millennials Happy at Work What motivates millennials to stay in a job is having an impact on corporate social responsibility.	Volunteer Recruitment, Millennials	Millennials, high-impact volunteers, Recruitment	2016
Working with Volunteers who have Full Time Jobs This 5 minute video explores working with volunteers who have full time jobs with Cathy from the Sacramento Public Library, and one of her working… more	Capacity Building, Staff Training		2015
Help for the Volunteer Engagement Coordinator This is a 3 minute interview with volunteer Kellie, who came on board as our volunteer Assistant Volunteer Coordinator at the California State… more	Capacity Building, Staff Training		2015
Skilled Volunteer Interview: Public Relations Strategist Watch this 6 minute interview with Dan, a highly skilled Public Relations volunteer who came aboard to create a statewide PR campaign for California… more	Graphic Design, Marketing and Publicity, Capacity Building, Staff Training		2015
A Few Pointers on the Unpleasant Topic of Firing Volunteers Sarah Jane Rehnborg, Ph.D. discusses some of the "whys" and "hows" on this important topic.	Staff Training	Fire, dismiss, problem	2015
Inclusive Volunteering: Recommendations for Volunteer Coordinators on how to Develop a More Inclusive Volunteer Programme This booklet consists of two parts. Part I covers general aspects of inclusive volunteering and Part II includes recommendations for volunteer… more	Capacity Building, Staff Training	disabilities	2015