The document outlines a volunteer training program, focusing on goals, information delivery systems, and evaluation methods to enhance volunteer engagement and retention. It highlights the importance of understanding what volunteers need to know, creating a tiered curriculum, and utilizing various training methods. Additionally, it provides resources for further learning and support for organizations looking to improve their volunteer training processes.

1. Page

2. To hear the presentation
Creating a Comprehensive and Engaging
by phone call:
Volunteer Training Program
(470) 200-0302
Access Code: 864-469-821
Jennifer Bennett @JenBennettCVA
CVA, Senior Manager, Education & Training
Matt Wallace @ItsMattWallace
Senior Associate, Nonprofit Relations
Jennifer Bennett, CVA, Senior Manager, Education webinar on Twitter to
Follow this & Training
Sarah Christian, Director, Education &join the conversation!
Training
Hash tag: #VMlearn
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3. Agenda
• Goals for Good Training Programs
• Determine What Your Volunteers Should Know
• Information Delivery Systems
• Building Your Training Program
• Evaluating Your Training Program
• Things to Think About
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4. Goals for Training Programs
• Understand how they can participate as part of
the organization
• Understand why what they do is important
• Feel confident and comfortable with the work
• Prevent injuries/accidents and mitigate risk
This can all help to increase retention and build
lasting relationships with volunteers.
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5. What do you Want your Volunteers to Know?
• Information about being a volunteer
– Philosophy, Dos and Don’ts
• Things to know about your organization
– Mission, History
• How to do the job or work you’re asking them to
do
– Program/Organization Specific, or Pro Bono Consultant?
On the Job, or Classroom Work?
• Professional development or continuing
education
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6. Gathering the Information
• Build from existing training programs
– Keep what works
– Ask for feedback from existing or past volunteers
– Involve paid staff
• Identify new information to be included
– Survey paid staff and volunteers
– Include content for new/seasonal programs
– Focus on outcomes “we need volunteers to be able to…”
• Include information from outside the organization
– Best practices, research from the field
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7. Presenting the Information
• In-Person Trainings
– More personalized for each volunteer
– Answer questions immediately
– Only happens at a certain time/place
• Recorded Trainings
– Flexibility for volunteers
– May be hard to stay engaged
– No ability to adjust pace
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8. Presenting the Information
• Pre- Reading/Homework
– Can be more in depth
– Volunteers move at their own pace
– Hard to ensure material is being read
• On the Job Training
– Job and Organization specific
– May be the only way to learn certain actions/processes
– Potentially variable depending on trainer – the “right” way
to do something may be different
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9. Presenting the Information
• Reference Binder or Textbook
– Comprehensive
– Can be used to identify the proper way to complete tasks
– Hard to ensure material is being read
• Job Aids – Posters, signs, cheat sheets
– Just in time training
– Can remind volunteers of procedures
– Inherently brief
– Easily overlooked
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10. Building your Training Program
• The rules of three
– Provide three different ways to access information
– Explain what a volunteer will learn, teach them the information,
remind them what you’ve taught them
• Understand how much information can be shared in
and hour
– About 20 minutes of information at a time
– Allow time for processing/reflection
– Using the rules of three 20 min of content = 1 hour of training
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11. Getting Creative
• Meet your volunteers where they are
– Think about how you would want to learn
– Survey them – what do they know, what do they think they
know
– Involve leadership volunteers in the process as SMEs or as
trainers
• Train outside of the box
– Walk a mile in the client’s shoes
– Use humor, problem solving, or situational training
– Using the rules of three 20 min of content = 1 hour of training
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12. Building your Training Program
• What do your volunteers need to know?
– What needs to be learned on the job?
– What can be learned independently?
– Is team building an important part of the training process?
• Create learning outcomes
– At the end of this training a volunteer will be able to…
• Remember how much can be learned at one time
– Create a tiered curriculum
– Use a variety of training methods
– Contextual learning, mentoring relationships
– Ongoing learning, professional development
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13. Evaluating your Training Program
• What did your volunteers learn? Ask them
– Formal v. informal
– Practical testing – “show me how you would…”
– Situational testing – Mock tour, phone call
• Ask Paid Staff and Clients
• Evaluate retention of information
– Tiered learning
– Build on contextual learning
– Staggered practical or situational testing at 3 months, 6 months
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14. Things to Think About
• What are you doing now?
– What’s working? Where are the holes?
– What are you doing because you’ve always done it that
way?
• Investigate new technology and delivery systems
• Engage others
– Volunteers, paid staff, clients or members
• Build in evaluation points/processes
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15. Resources
Learning Center
Find upcoming webinar dates, how-to videos and more
http://learn.volunteermatch.org
VolunteerMatch Community
Ask and answer questions after the webinar – use keywords Training Program
http://community.volunteermatch.org/volunteer
Related Webinar Topics:
•Where Do I Go From Here? Evolving your Volunteer Program for More
Involvement
•Writing Accurate and Useful Volunteer Position Descriptions
•Walking the Walk: Engage Volunteers in your Volunteer Engagement Program
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16. Thanks for attending!
Join us online:
Like us on Facebook: www.Facebook.com/VolunteerMatch
Follow us on Twitter: @VolunteerMatch
Visit Engaging Volunteers, our nonprofit blog:
blogs.volunteermatch.org/engagingvolunteers/
For any questions contact:
Jennifer Bennett
(415) 321-3639
@JenBennettCVA
jbennett@volunteermatch.org
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