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
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
Trends in Volunteer Training Brief article highlights things volunteer engagement leaders should be sure they are considering when designing training for volunteers.	Capacity Building	Training	2026
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
Free Time Does Not Predict Americans’ Community Involvement In a study of more than 20,000 Americans, Gallup and the Kettering Foundation found that the biggest differentiator between those who volunteer in… more	Capacity Building	Motivation, Recruitment	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
How to Use your Idealist Account to Recruit Volunteers This is a 31 minute recording of Carla Lehn demonstrating how to use Idealist and giving some “Tips and Tricks” to a group of library literacy… more	On-line Volunteer Recruitment	Recruitment, Idealist	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
10 Volunteer Management Strategies for Nonprofits (+ Best Practices for Retention) A great summary of the basics of successful volunteer engagement. Good review for experienced folks, and a great introduction for new volunteer… more	Capacity Building, Staff Training	Volunteer management 101	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
Volunteer Recruitment Activities Good overview of recruitment ideas in a 3 & 1/2 minute video. Check it out to see if you're missing a piece of the puzzle.	Staff Training	Recruitment	2025
Volunteers Can Make or Break Your Space: Volunteer Involvement in a Makerspace In this July 24, 2025 webinar, Makerspace Librarian Trina Camping of the Woodland Public Library (CA) shares what she’s learned about how best to… more	Engaging High Impact Volunteers, Capacity Building	maker space	2025
How to Engage Gen Zers as Volunteers and Advocates Trying to attract younger supporters sometimes feels as foreign as deciphering an ancient scroll. Compared to the traditional methods we’re… more	Capacity Building	Gen Z	2025
Building the Case to Fund Volunteer Engagement Based on our annual survey of the Get Involved listserv, we find far too many missed opportunities to engage community members as library supporters… more	Staff Training, Capacity Building	funding, staff buy-in, leadership buy-in	2025