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 |
|---|---|---|---|
From Nice to Necessary: Unleashing the Impact of Volunteering Through Transformative Investment
Points of Light believes volunteering is one of the most powerful tools we have to strengthen communities. They commissioned this report in 2025 —… more |
Staff Training, Capacity Building | funding, investment | 2025 |
The Volunteer Engagement Leader’s Playbook: Building Influence, Credibility, and Impact
Too often, volunteer involvement is treated as a program—a siloed effort managed by one department—rather than as a strategy that can transform an… more |
Staff Training, Capacity Building | 2025 | |
Toolkit for Working with Rural Volunteers
After completing a three-year research project on rural volunteerism the Rural Volunteerism Initiative created the Toolkit for Working with Rural… more |
Staff Training, Capacity Building | rural, volunteer engagement | 2025 |
Bibliography on Volunteer Engagement
Bibliography and Web Resources on Volunteer Engagement developed by Carla Lehn |
Capacity Building, Staff Training | bibliography, Lehn | 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 Training, Job Specific Volunteer Training | Pet Therapy, dog, reading | 2025 |
Hands-On Help and Generous Giving: How Volunteering and Donations Fuel Each Other’s Impact
Studies show that giving and volunteering work collaboratively to support each other and that volunteers are 14.5 percentage points more likely to… more |
Capacity Building, Staff Training | fundraising, giving and volunteering | 2025 |
Resources for Internship Programs - Idealist
Several articles on interviewing, hiring, and training interns, as well as managing an internship program. |
Interviewing Volunteers, Capacity Building | intern, internship | 2025 |
Volunteering: An Antidote to the Epidemic of Loneliness
In this webinar, experts and global leaders explore how volunteering serves as a powerful antidote to the growing epidemic of loneliness. The… more |
Capacity Building, Staff Training | loneliness | 2025 |
20+ Volunteer Survey Questions to Improve Your Program
This guide covers the ins and outs of volunteer surveys, from the best questions to ask to top tips for making the survey process a success. |
Staff Training, Capacity Building | surveys | 2025 |
Let’s Make Volunteering Accessible to All
In this episode of Volunteer Nation, Tobi Johnson is joined by Allyson Ferrari, Director of Connections at Lighthouse for the Blind and Visually… more |
Staff Training, Capacity Building | diversity, equity, inclusion | 2025 |
If Volunteers Were Yelp Reviewers: Would You Get 5 Stars?
Imagine if volunteers could rate their experience with you like they rate restaurants . . . what would they say? This article suggests 5 ways to… more |
Staff Training | recognition, impact, appreciation | 2025 |
6 Ways to Make Your Volunteer Opportunities Appeal to Short-Term Volunteers
Short-term volunteers bring invaluable fresh energy and a diverse skill set, contributing significantly to the success of initiatives. However, to… more |
Engaging High Impact Volunteers, Staff Training | short term, job descriptions | 2025 |
8 Volunteer Recognition Ideas to Show Your Gratitude
A few new ideas mixed in with some old ones . . . worth a look. |
Staff Training | recognition, appreciation | 2025 |
Time Management for Volunteer Engagement Coordinators: Putting Volunteers to Work to Help YOU
This one hour webinar was recorded March 7, 2024, and was presented by Jennifer Bennett, CVA, Director of Education and Training for VolunteerMatch.… more |
Staff Training | time management, Program Assistant | 2024 |
6 Strategies to Involve Young People in Your Nonprofit
Great suggestions from Nonprofit Tech for Good. |
Millennials | young volunteers | 2024 |
Book to Action - Santa Barbara CA
A history of Santa Barbara Public Library's Book to Action programs since 2019. |
Staff Training | Book to action | 2024 |
Introduction to LGBTQ+ Inclusion
This 90-minute webinar presented by All Children - All Families covers foundational information related to serving LGBTQ+ youth and families. Topics… more |
Staff Training | LGBTQ+, equity, diversity, inclusion | 2024 |
Disability Inclusive Volunteering Toolkit
Whether your organization already understands the benefits of welcoming volunteers of differing abilities, or has less experience with including… more |
Staff Training, Capacity Building | disabilities, inclusive, inclusion, diversity, equity | 2024 |
Neither//Nor: Stories of Life Beyond Binary Gender
More and more people are negotiating gender beyond the binaries of Male/Female/Man/Woman/Boy/Girl. This 60-minute webinar from the Human Rights… more |
Staff Training | diversity, equity, inclusion, non-binary, Gender | 2024 |
Inclusive Volunteering Training Video
This 8 minute video is an accompaniment to the Disability Inclusive Volunteering Toolkit developed by Volunteer Fairfax. You can find it here:… more |
Staff Training, Capacity Building | disabilities, inclusive, inclusion, equity, diversity | 2024 |