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
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
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
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
The Four Appreciation Languages
A nice article from Karen Knight Consulting discussing the various forms of volunteer recognition.
Staff Training recognition 2023
Sensory Story Time Volunteers - Redwood City CA
This one hour webinar was presented for the Get Involved: Powered by Your Library initiative on December 6 2023 by Pam Evans, Youth Services… more
Staff Training Storytime, story time, sensory, disabilities 2023
Shelve-it!
This shelving game could be used as a portion of your training for volunteers who do shelving. -- See also:
https://getinvolvedclearinghouse.org/… more
Job Specific Volunteer Training Shelving, shelver 2023
Library Shelving Quiz
This quiz could be used as part of your training for volunteers who do shelving. See also:
https://getinvolvedclearinghouse.org/training-materials/… more
Job Specific Volunteer Training Shelving, shelver 2023
How to Build a Truly Inclusive Nonprofit Volunteer Program
In 2023, the Assessing Diversity and Equity in Volunteer Involvement (ADEVI) project started with a survey of 564 individuals with a Certification in… more
Staff Training diversity, equity, inclusion 2023
Asking Inclusive Questions About Gender
Things to consider when listing gender questions on your application or survey
Staff Training inclusive, equity, diversity, Gender 2023
How to Recruit and Retain Gen Z Volunteers
Interesting facts and trends about Gen Z presented by Gen Z members themselves.
Slides available here: https://drive.google.com/file/d/… more
Capacity Building Gen Z, Recruitment 2023
Volunteer Recognition Ideas
Sixty volunteer appreciation ideas from Keela.com
Staff Training recognition 2023
Mirror, Mirror on the wall - The role of self-awareness in equity work
Take a moment to read this very brief article about how to be more self aware while doing equity work.
Staff Training diversity, equity, inclusion 2023
Survey Design: The Top 10 Best Practices to Maximize Your Results
Survey design is extremely important as it can make or break your survey's completion rate. This article reviews some survey design fundamentals, and… more
Capacity BuildingStaff Training surveys 2022
Volunteer Orientation and Training: The Ultimate Guide
A 2022 article from Wild Apricot on what to consider when planning volunteer orientation and Training.
Capacity Building volunteer training, orientation 2022
Fun Volunteer Teambuilding Activities That Will Keep Your Remote Team Engaged
This article from Tobi Johnson about Volunteer Team Building activities includes instructions for both in-person and virtual activities.
Capacity BuildingEngaging High Impact Volunteers team building 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
Changing the Frame: Civic Engagement Through A Racial Equity Lens
Since Robert Putnam’s book Bowling Alone: America’s Declining Social Capital came out in 2000, policymakers, nonprofit funders, and pundits have sent… more
Capacity BuildingStaff Training diversity, equity, inclusion 2022
Online Book Sale Operation - Mesa AZ
The link below to a 10 minute video will introduce you to the Mesa Public Library's amazing online booksale operation (about $100,000/year) which is… more
Engaging High Impact VolunteersCapacity BuildingJob Specific Volunteer Training online booksales, Friends, Friends of the Library, Booksales 2022
Preparing Co-Workers to Lead Volunteers Online and On Land
Ideas for training staff to engage with volunteers.
Staff TrainingCapacity Building Staff Resistance, staff buy-in, staff training 2022
Research and Case Studies Regarding Virtual Volunteering
Research on virtual volunteering compiled and updated in March 2022 by Jayne Cravens of Coyote Communications.
Capacity BuildingEngaging High Impact Volunteers virtual, virtual volunteer 2022