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
3 Tips for Finding New Board Members
Great advice for how to think about and plan for board member recruitment.
Capacity BuildingEngaging High Impact Volunteers boards, Trustees, Recruitment 2021
Strategies for Attracting Today's Volunteers - DOVIA Sacramento Webinar
This archived webinar was presented by Carla Lehn for DOVIA Sacramento in February 2021. Learning Objectives for the session:
Participants in this… more
Staff TrainingOn-line Volunteer RecruitmentEngaging High Impact Volunteers Recruitment, online recruitment, Volunteer Job Description, Webinar 2021
Insights & Impact 2020: Measuring the Social Impact of Volunteerism
This report describes new ways to calculate the value of volunteer time. These approaches rely on data from Independent Sector and from the U.S.… more
Capacity Building ROI, Reporting, annual report 2021
Engaging Volunteers: A Comprehensive Literature Review
Literature Review completed for AmeriCorps by ICF International in 2021.
Capacity BuildingStaff Training literature 2021
Volunteer COVID-19 Protocol Training - Huntington Beach CA
Protocol training for volunteers returning to the library during/after COVID-19 pandemic
Volunteer Orientation COVID-19 2021
Addressing Issues of Equity in Volunteerism
A brief article on this important subject with some ideas about where to look and what to do.
Capacity Building diversity, equity, inclusion 2021
Questionnaire Design Tip Sheet - Harvard University
A tip sheet on question wording from the Harvard University Program on Survey Research.
Capacity BuildingStaff Training surveys 2021
Recruit Volunteers Online: Find Your Next 20 COVID Superheroes with Smarter Strategy
The author describes three essential strategies needed to build a presence online that can recruit the ideal volunteers you need, those that are… more
On-line Volunteer Recruitment Recruitment, online recruitment 2021
Outdoor Programming and Outreach Best Practices - Oklahoma City OK
Developed by the Metropolitan Library System in Oklahoma City during the COVID-19 pandemic as a guide for staff.
Capacity Building outdoor, outreach, programming, COVID-19 2021
Volunteers and the Law: Legal Considerations
A good summary of legal issues from Tobi Johnson & Associates, 2021.
Staff Training law, legal 2021
A Savior No One Needs: Unpacking and Overcoming the White Savior Complex
White savior complex is a term that’s used to describe white people who consider themselves wonderful helpers to Black, Indigenous and People of… more
Staff Training diversity, equity, inclusion 2021
How to Write Volunteer Recruitment Messaging that Converts
Strategies to enhance your volunteer recruitment.
Capacity Building Recruitment, Volunteer Recruitment 2021
Co-Creating Racial Equity in Volunteer Engagement - MAVA
The Minnesota Alliance for Volunteer Advancement has been conducting research and education on race equity in volunteerism for 5 years. This is the… more
Staff Training diversity, equity, inclusion 2021
Getting it Right! Nine Areas Managers of Volunteers Sometimes Get Wrong
A terrific brief article by Martin Cowling to help us find our way.
Capacity Building 2021
22 Simple Tips for Managing Virtual Volunteers
Help with planning for, implementing and managing volunteers who work remotely.
Engaging High Impact VolunteersStaff Training virtual, virtual volunteer, remote 2021
Homebound Delivery Volunteer Safety Requirements Sign-Off Sheet - Boulder CO
This list of safety requirements was created for Boulder Colorado Homebound Delivery volunteers returning to service during COVID-19. The volunteer… more
Job Specific Volunteer TrainingCapacity Building Homebound, COVID-19 2020
Skills Based Volunteerism 201: Project Scoping and Planning
This 1 hour archived webinar on preparing for skills-based volunteerism was presented by Serve Ohio in January 2020.
Engaging High Impact VolunteersCapacity BuildingStaff Training Skilled Volunteers, Skills Based Volunteers, high-impact volunteers 2020
Tech Made Easy - Instructional Guides (Includes Zoom)
These new Tech Guides are now available for public use. They contain step-by-step instructions on how to teach seniors, who are often late-tech… more
Capacity BuildingJob Specific Volunteer Training tech coach, tech tutor 2020
Virtual Volunteer Orientation - San Jose CA
This online training was developed to introduce new volunteers to the San José Public Library and provide a basic overview of the volunteer policies… more
Engaging High Impact VolunteersCapacity Building virtual volunteer, virtual, orientation, Volunteer Orientation 2020
The Ellis Archive - The Susan J. Ellis Foundation
The archive primarily consists of digitized documents from Susan J. Ellis' personal resource library. Focused on Susan’s passion -- the… more
Staff Training 2020