Nonprofits: Volunteer Management Training Series
What: The Volunteer Management Training Series, developed by The Points of Light Foundation and the Volunteer Center National Network, increases the effectiveness of your volunteer management program. Our goal is to build the capacity of local organizations to utilize volunteers effectively.
When: Six Sessions: March 26 – April 30, 2008,
Wednesday mornings, 9:00 am – 12:00 pm
 Facilitator: Patti Cohen-Hecht, Executive Director, The Volunteer Center
Where: The Volunteer Center, 58 Division Street, Danbury
Cost: $150 – 1st participant, $75 – 2nd participant from the same agency
The class is limited to 16 students, registration opens January 2008.
Target Audience: Volunteer Coordinators and/or anyone who works with volunteers.
 The Volunteer Management Training Series is a sequence of six courses on
organizing and implementing a volunteer program in a nonprofit organization.
The topics of the six courses that comprise the series are:
Session 1: Understanding Volunteering
Identifying key elements of a volunteer program; the characteristics of organizations that successfully engage volunteers; the current trends in volunteering and social motivators to volunteering.
Session 2: Planning Your Volunteer Program
Conducting needs assessments; writing a purpose statement for the volunteer program; determining the appropriate roles for volunteers; writing volunteer position descriptions.
Session 3: Recruiting and Placing Volunteers
Learning and applying effective volunteer recruitment and placement methods,
Session 4: Orienting and Training Volunteers
Orienting and training volunteers to perform their roles.
Session 5: Supervising Volunteers
Designing and using strategies for effective volunteer supervision.
Session 6: Evaluating Your Volunteer Program
Developing ongoing evaluation and how to utilize the evaluations to improve your volunteer program.
 The Volunteer Center Certificate of Volunteer Management
The purpose of the Volunteer Management Training Series (VMTS) is to build the capacity of local organizations to utilize volunteers effectively. Volunteer Management Training Series provides the following benefits to the participants:
- High job efficiency and effectiveness
- Increased value and respect of the volunteer program within your organization
- Improved volunteer administration knowledge and skills which can be immediately applied to existing or new volunteer programs
- Higher level of satisfaction by volunteers and co-workers
- Expanded organizational partnerships and resources
- Broadened leadership skills that can be used across the organization
- Heightened credibility among your peers and leaders
- Keener awareness of ways to identify and respond to volunteer trends and resulting needs
- Opportunity to remain engaged in a local network of volunteer administrators
VMTS participants who have completed all six sessions will receive The Volunteer Center's Certificate of Volunteer Management. This series utilizes the curriculum developed by the Points of Light Foundation and the Volunteer Center National Network.
Often we embrace the myth that volunteers are free. This is not true. Volunteers are unpaid staff who need a competent individual to lead and manage them. If you invest wisely in the development of the volunteer administration, then you will reap the benefits by:
- Increasing the number of appropriately selected, placed and trained volunteers that will assist in achieving the organization's mission
- Improving volunteer's satisfaction and their willingness to donate time and resources
- Enhancing staff and volunteer productivity, performance and enjoyment
- Bringing more resources into your organizations that serve your clients better
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