Ongoing Training for Volunteers: 6 ideas to get you started

VIP Americorps member Mira Fielding with volunteers from her partner site, Circle of Sisters, at the 8th Annual Power of Know Conference put on by the Women’s and Gender Studies students at Sonoma State University

Ongoing volunteers provide invaluable support to your organization - so do them a favor and help mix up their volunteer experience by providing some ongoing training!  Help them learn more skills, grow personally or professionally, or learn more about your organization's cause.  Go beyond the basic training and orientation to give them a special training experience that shows them that you care and are invested in them.

Having trouble finding training topics to provide to those volunteers who have been around for a while?   Here are 5 quick tips to get you started:

1. Ask your volunteers what they want to learn about.  Volunteers will be more invested in the training and appreciate it more if it is a topic they are interested in.
2. Ask your organization's staff what they would like volunteers to know.  The people who work with volunteers day-to-day will have a good idea of what additional skills could really help your organization.
3. Provide training on leadership.  Your dedicated volunteers are great candidates for volunteer leaders who can help train, orient, or recruit others to get involved in the organization.  Help them get started by boosting their confidence with some leadership skills.
4. Take your volunteers with you to a training you are going to attend.
5. Invite volunteers to the organization's staff trainings.
6. Check out available workshops and trainings at your local volunteer center, chamber of commerce, or university.  You may as well take advantage of trainings that are already offered in your area!