Volunteer Management Training
The Volunteer Management Training Series is designed to provide individuals and organizations with the resources and skills necessary to effectively manage, develop and retain volunteers. Participants will leave each module with key takeaways to implement in their own organizations and volunteer programs.
The series is open to CU Boulder students, staff and faculty as well as non-profit organizations. All modules will be conducted online via Zoom. Participants will be provided a Zoom link after registering on CUServes.
This training series has been developed by the Volunteer Resource Center, which was founded at the University of Colorado Boulder in 1965. Training content was adapted from Betty Stalling’s Training Busy Staff to Succeed with Volunteers: The 55-Minute Training Series.
Designing Positions for Volunteers
Being able to effectively design positions for volunteers is a key step in the process of creating and managing volunteer roles. Join us as we explore the significance of volunteer position design and tools that can be utilized to enhance efforts in creating effective volunteer positions.
Through this module, participants will be able to describe the significance and importance of volunteer position design, analyze the trends in volunteering and their impact, and name the necessary components of position descriptions.
- Date: Tuesday, October 18
- Time: 10-11:30 a.m. MDT
Register for Designing Positions for Volunteers
Volunteer Recruitment
Effective recruitment of volunteers is essential to successfully achieving the goals of an organization. Join us for this training as we provide you with the necessary tools to recruit volunteers who are not only going to do the job well but will be excited about supporting your organization.
Through this module, participants will be able to understand recruitment and its importance, define barriers that folks might experience to volunteering with their organization, and design an effective recruitment message.
- Date: Tuesday, October 25
- Time: 10-11:30 a.m. MDT
Register for Volunteer Recruitment
Educating, Orienting and Training Volunteers
The early relationship a volunteer has with an organization has a tremendous impact on the future success of the partnership between the organization and the volunteer. Join us for this training as we explore the tools necessary to best educate, orient and train your volunteers.
Through this module, participants will be able to distinguish between volunteer education, orientation and training; know what should be included in each of those areas, and how they can best be delivered; identify and respond to challenges that arise; and how to evaluate and improve education, orientation and training so as to continually keep it relevant and useful.
- Date: Tuesday, November 1
- Time: 10-11:30 a.m. MDT
Register for Educating, Orienting and Training Volunteers
Volunteer Recognition
Recognition is an integral part of volunteer management that involves the acknowledgment of contributions made by volunteers. Powerful and meaningful recognition begins when we recognize the talents and desires of prospective volunteers and offer opportunities which respond to the motivational needs they are looking to fulfill through volunteering.
Through this module, participants will be able to identify barriers to giving volunteer recognition at their organization, explore the spectrum of ways volunteers can be appreciated, and describe the essential guidelines for effective recognition.
- Date: Tuesday, November 8
- Time: 10-11:30 a.m. MST
Register for Volunteer Recognition
Volunteer Program Assessment and Evaluation
Due to increasing pressure for accountability in volunteer programs, expectations have been mounting to demonstrate the value of those programs. “Doing nice things” simply is not enough in today’s world of diminishing resources. Donors, board members and the communities we serve all want to be able to tell the story of the work we do, and utilizing the data you collect can be the perfect conduit to do just that.
Through this module, participants will be able to discuss the purpose and value of carrying out volunteer program evaluation, identify key steps and questions to be answered before designing an evaluation or assessment, and identify key stakeholders who must be engaged in the creation and approval of the evaluation and assessment process.
- Date: Tuesday, November 15
- Time: 10-11:30 a.m. MST
Register for Volunteer Program Assessment and Evaluation
Risk Management and Volunteer Programs
Risk management policies, procedures and practices must be integrated into every aspect of an organization. Although much of the policy development falls on the board and administrators of an organization, the overall effectiveness is only as good as the staff and volunteers who carry it out.
Through this module, participants will be able to explain risk management and its importance, identify and evaluate potential volunteer risks, and discuss preventative strategies and techniques to address and diminish risk.
- Date: Tuesday, November 29
- Time: 10-11:30 a.m. MST
Register for Risk Management and Volunteer Programs
Volunteer Motivation and Retention
At the heart of a successful volunteer, motivation is taking the time to discover what needs a person wants to meet while volunteering within your organization. These needs will vary from person to person. Therefore, successful recruitment and retention involves ongoing monitoring of what volunteers need to bring them into your organization and to keep them coming back.
Through this module, participants will be able to underscore that success in volunteer programs involves matching an organization’s needs with a volunteer’s ability and motivation, explain the variety of reasons that people volunteer today, and examine motivation theory in light of the organization’s ability to attract and retain volunteers.
- Date: Tuesday, December 6
- Time: 10-11:30 a.m. MST
Register for Volunteer Motivation and Retention
More information
Volunteer Management Trainings are offered each semester. Organizations and departments can request any of these presentations by contacting the Volunteer Resource Center.
Questions? Contact the Volunteer Resource Center.
SKOServe: Change the way you help
Why do we need to change the way we help? Service has impact! Even when volunteers have the best intentions, service can be frustrating and even harmful to individuals and communities if it is not aligned with community needs, when volunteers are not informed about the communities they are serving, and when volunteers do not have the resources and skills they need to be successful.
SKOServe: Change the Way You Help is an engaging series of discussion-based trainings that explore various topics related to volunteering and social and environmental justice issues. If you want to help but you aren’t sure where to start and you want to make sure you’re having the impact that is intended, SKOServe is the program for you! Students who attend any or all of the trainings in the series will have the opportunity to gain new knowledge and skills, examine their connection to community issues, develop new ways to engage, and learn about ways to get involved. No previous experience is necessary!
How to set up a SKOServe training
To request a SKOServe presentation for your student organization or class, please contact us at vrcevents@colorado.edu and we will be happy to arrange for a time that fits your schedule. Our team can facilitate virtually or in-person, and we are open to new topic ideas as needed. Reach out to us with your questions and ideas any time!
SKOServe topics available upon request
Culture Shock: How to volunteer effectively in different settings
When we serve communities that are different from our own, or when volunteering exposes us to someone else’s experience that is very different from what we know, we can experience a form of culture shock. This training offers skills for how to cope with challenges and embrace navigating differences in order to build resilience and volunteer more effectively.
Ethical Photography and Social Media Posts about Service
How do the photos we take impact the communities we seek to serve? What stories do photos and posts tell about our service work? This training explores photos, posts and captions related to volunteering that we typically see on social media and how we can change the way we help through ethical photography.
Feed the Stampede: Combating food insecurity at CU Boulder
What is food insecurity? Who does it affect and why is it important to address? How can I help combat food insecurity in my community? In this SKOserve, participants will be able to learn the details about food insecurity and how it impacts university and college students across the nation, specifically at CU Boulder. With special guest facilitators from the Buff Pantry, this is an opportunity you don’t want to miss!
Homelessness: How to have more effective and empathetic interactions
What perceptions shape our interactions with members of our community who are experiencing homelessness? What barriers exist for folks who want to engage and help? Students who attend this training will learn about ways to challenge stereotypes and learn new ways to engage with community members who are experiencing homelessness in their everyday interactions and/or through service.
Volunteer for Your Career
How can volunteering contribute to your work journey/career? What is the best way to display and talk about volunteer experience in application materials and in interviews? Join the VRC and Career Services for this unique training that examines how students can volunteer to gain experience, skills and insights for their work journey. Students who attend will have the opportunity to learn about how to talk about and display their volunteer experience in interviews and application materials, approaches to meaningful service, and learn about how to get started volunteering for their career.
Volunteers in Disasters
How can volunteers be helpful during or in the aftermath of a disaster? How can we make sure our help is beneficial to communities most impacted when the stakes are high? Join the VRC and Office of Emergency Management for this unique training that examines how volunteers can be most effective in understanding and responding to community needs during disasters.
Voluntourism: How to be an intentional volunteer and tourist
What is voluntourism and who does it serve? What are the impacts of volunteers acting as tourists and tourists who volunteer? In this session students will gain a deeper understanding of voluntourism, explore questions about its impact, and develop skills for how to be effective if they choose to engage in voluntourism.
SKOServe!