Training, Consultation and Customized Materials

Workshops on Leadership of Volunteers & Keynote Presentations

The Fundamentals: Beginning and Advanced Levels

Topics can include: Assessment of a Volunteer Program, volunteer/staff relations, planning and budgeting, forms and record keeping, trends, job design, recruitment, interviewing, motivation, orientation, training (staff and volunteers), supervision, delegation, problem volunteer situations, recognition, risk management, public relations and team building.

Strategies for Persuasion and Influence

Volunteer managers devote much of their time to selling their ideas, organization, needs and services and products to others. This highly interactive workshop focuses on selling volunteer programs internally to administrators and staff and externally to volunteers and funders. Every participant walks away with a unique strategy to get to "Yes!" in response to his/her request(s).

 A New Look at the Leader of Today's Volunteers

This workshop takes an important new look at the need for change in the role of today's leader of volunteer programs.  The ultimate success of a volunteer program involves true integration and buy-in of volunteers' involvement throughout the organization.  This frequently necessitates a shift in emphasis for the volunteer manager form being reactive to pro-active, form doing to delegating and from managing to leading.  New emphasis focuses on staff training and support, internal consultation, program design and re-design, planning, persuasion, marketing and delegation.

The Team Approach to Enhancing Volunteer Programs

A volunteer program requires the involvement and support of the top administrators, board members, a manager of volunteer resources and others who, together, can carry out the roles necessary to build effective programs. Experience a new tool which will focus on the elements of a good volunteer program and the roles and support needed by team members to ensure that the volunteer program reaches it's potential.

Creative Recognition: The Art of Letting Someone Know You Noticed

Participants will learn how to keep volunteers, donors and the media tied to their organization by providing personal, powerful and plentiful recognition.

Is Your Volunteer program The Best It Can Be?

This seminar gives participants an opportunity to discover the key issues, strengths and weaknesses of their current volunteer program. It serves as a stimulus and a guide for planning an enhanced program and gaining staff commitment to it. Participants receive sample tools, techniques and tips to use and/or adapt in assessing their volunteer program.

Designing Jobs for Today’s Volunteers

A practical workshop which examines the demographics, values and time availability of today’s volunteers, followed by a process to design or re-design jobs to fit this new volunteer profile.

Recruiting and Retaining Today’s Volunteers

Participants will learn the profiles and motivations of today’s volunteers. Job design and market based recruitment strategies will be explored to attract and keep volunteers connected to your organization.

Training Busy Staff To Succeed with Volunteers
(or Building Staff Commitment and Competence in Utilizing Today’s Volunteers)

Staff who directly supervise volunteers must have the skills, knowledge and attitude to carry out this important function. Today’s Manager of Volunteer Programs must become the resource person to other staff and lead volunteers who supervise volunteer activity. Topics include: uncovering and responding to staff resistance, orienting staff to the volunteer program, assessing staff training needs, gaining access to staff for training, essential training topics for staff and tips on training and adult learning. The trainer’s highly acclaimed, 55-Minute Staff Training Series is demonstrated, time allowing.

Is It Time to Re-invent Your Volunteer Program?

In this workshop, participants spend creative time re-engineering a new volunteer program for their organization: examining or creating a philosophical statement for the volunteer program, exploring boundaries, barriers and presumptions, volunteer job potential, altered roles for the volunteer manager, etc. The workshop also looks at strategies for influencing the organization’s board and staff leadership so as to gain their endorsement and support on this demanding journey.

Risk Management for Your Volunteer Program: Essential in Today’s World

Learn how volunteer liability issues affect your organization and what you can do to minimize risk through effective screening, job design, training, supervision and policies. Don’t let carelessness or haste destroy what you deeply care about! Workshop can also be presented with a specialist in nonprofit insurance.

Membership Organizations: Changes, Challenges and Choices

Many membership organizations are struggling with declining numbers and decreasing participation. This vital seminar helps participants take a good look at their organization and assess the challenges it faces, the changes it may need to make and the choices they have. Participants will surface indicators of potential trouble in their organization, discuss what keeps a membership organization healthy, examine the role of mission, purpose and vision and learn how to attract people to join, actively participate and provide leadership for the future.

Taking Charge of Your Professional Development (for Volunteer Managers)

Topics include: identification of skills necessary to manage volunteers; a self-inventory of interests and abilities related to current job; future career options, personal change management; planning tools to reach career goals.

Keynote Talks on Volunteer Leadership

• The Challenges and Opportunities of Leading Today’s Volunteers

• The Seasons of Volunteering ( appropriate for recognition events )

• Volunteering, Our Choice to Change Tomorrow

• The Amazing Impact of Volunteer Engagement - When Organizational Leaders Team for Success!

• Numerous others designed for audience and topics desired