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
Bibliography on Volunteer Engagement
Bibliography and Web Resources on Volunteer Engagement developed by Carla Lehn
Capacity BuildingStaff Training bibliography, Lehn 2023
5 Myths About Volunteer Engagement
Beth Steinhorn, President of VQ Volunteer Strategies prepared a 4 - 5 minute YouTube video on each of her top 5 Volunteer Engagement Myths. They can… more
Staff Training myths 2023
Creating Innovative Volunteer Recognition Strategies
This webinar was presented for the Get Involved initiative by Jennifer Bennett, Director of Education and Training at VolunteerMatch on April 19,… more
Staff Training recognition 2023
Gamifying Volunteer Training
gDo volunteers cringe when you bring up the subject of training? The author argues that gamifying volunteer training can be an effective way to build… more
Volunteer OrientationJob Specific Volunteer TrainingStaff Training Gamifying, Gamification 2023
When and Where to Use Volunteer Replacement Rates (Or Not) for Volunteer Value
In this 2023 blog post, Dr. Sue Carter Kahl thoughtfully discusses the pros and cons of using volunteer dollar values. The most common forms of wage… more
Staff Training ROI, Return on Investment 2023
Up Your Game with Skills-Based Volunteering
A discussion of skills-based volunteering which can be provided through specialized volunteer-matching organizations.
Staff TrainingCapacity Building Skilled Volunteers 2023
It's Spring: Let's Renew/Reinvigorate/Revamp Volunteer Engagement
This one-hour live online meeting was held on April 20, 2023 and features library volunteer engagement leaders sharing their thoughts on how to… more
Staff Training Recruitment, job descriptions, recognition 2023
Makerspace Volunteer Training Examples
Many thanks for these Makerspace Volunteer Training Examples – from San Mateo County Libraries – Check out their online training for maker volunteers… more
Job Specific Volunteer Training maker space, Niche Academy, online training 2023
The Value – and Potential – of Virtual Volunteers
This April 2023 webinar led by Jennifer Bennett, Director of Education and Training for VolunteerMatch also featured staff leaders from Junior… more
Engaging High Impact VolunteersCapacity Building virtual, remote 2023
Talking racial equity? Make sure you understand these 17 words
A shared vocabulary is the necessary first step for discussing racial equity. This glossary of terms might be helpful.
Capacity BuildingStaff Training diversity, equity, inclusion 2023
Best Practices for Recruiting and Engaging Volunteers from Zoomers to Boomers
This April 2023 webinar led by Jennifer Bennett, Director of Education and Training for VolunteerMatch also featured staff leaders from AARP and… more
Baby BoomersMillennials boomers, Millenials 2023
Volunteer Matching: Finding the Right Role for Every Volunteer
Fitting each volunteer with the right role is critical to success.
Engaging High Impact VolunteersCapacity BuildingStaff Training job descriptions, placement, onboarding, interview 2023
Activating the Power of Strategic Volunteer Engagement for a Better World
Driven by the power of volunteer energy and grounded in comprehensive research, the Initiative for Strategic Volunteer Engagement  launched to… more
Capacity Building Strategic, fund development 2023
An Introduction to Ethics for the Volunteer Engagement Profession
Katie Campbell, former Executive Director of the CCVA (Council for Certification in Volunteer Administration) and Ethics Editor Erin Spink introduce… more
Staff Training Ethics 2023
New Volunteer Manager's ToolKit
This one hour webinar recording was presented for the Get Involved initiative by Jennifer Bennett, Director of Education and Training at… more
Staff TrainingCapacity Building toolkit 2023
Tools for Volunteer Engagement Success
This one hour archived video was presented by Carla Lehn of the Get Involved: Powered by Your Library initiative for the incoming AmeriCorps members… more
On-line Volunteer RecruitmentVolunteerMatch Tools and ResourcesStaff Training VolunteerMatch, online recruitment 2023
Get Z and Millennials: How They Use Public Libraries and Identify Through Media Use
This 2023 report is organized into five parts:

1. Gen Z library use and non-use.
2. How Gen Z and millennials use media and discover books.
3. Gen Z… more
Capacity Building Gen Z, Millennials 2023
Consequences of Good v. Bad Volunteer Experiences
A brief article detailing a couple of ways to make your volunteers have a good experience, or to respond to situations where someone's had a bad… more
Staff Training 2022
5 Tips for Recruiting Volunteers
Five recruitment tips for volunteer management consultant, Rob Jackson.
Capacity Building Recruitment 2022
Sticky Situations: Applying Ethics to Your Work with Volunteers
We all encounter ethical dilemmas in our daily work.  But rarely do organizations focus on ethics related to volunteer engagement.  This… more
Staff Training Ethics 2022