501 Commons has compiled a list of best practices in volunteer management to help you engage the people who serve your mission. You will also find other important materials such as sample volunteer handbooks, job descriptions, surveys, training manuals, flow charts, and information to help you assess your needs.
Volunteer Management During COVID-19
For information related to managing volunteers during COVID-19, or other emergencies, check out the following resources:
- Serve Washington has compiled Guidelines for Volunteers and Volunteer Organizations During COVID-19
- Energize, Inc. offers the following resource directory: Supporting Volunteer Efforts During Coronavirus
Need help creating or managing virtual volunteer opportunities?
- Take advantage of free online training on how to develop a skills-based volunteer program
- Capacity Commons offers this Pro Bono Guidebook as well
- Jayne Cravens, co-author of The Last Virtual Volunteering Guidebook, has Examples of Virtual Volunteering Activities
- More ideas can be found on the Good Deeds Day blog: Coronavirus Epidemic: Join the Vast Community of Virtual Volunteering
- WA Nonprofits offers this Liability Form
- You can share your urgent volunteer needs via United Way of King County's Request Support for Emergency Needs During Coronavirus Outbreak
For additional fodder, review COVID-19 & Economic Downturn: Resources for Nonprofits.
Volunteer Management Workshops
501 Commons hosts a variety of workshops, via partnerships with United Way of King County and Serve Washington, that are designed to help you improve your volunteer management practices.
Current offerings are as follows:
Life Cycle of Effective of Volunteer Engagement Webinar Series | Tuesdays 9 am - noon | Online Only
- Session 1 | Volunteer Management Strategy | Aug. 4
- Session 2 | Effective Volunteer Recruitment | Aug. 11
- Session 3 | Volunteer Engagement | Aug. 18
Effectively Engaging Skills-based Volunteers | Tuesday, Sept. 22, 9 am - noon | Online Only
Measuring and Communicating Volunteer Impact | Wednesday, Sept. 23, 10 am - noon | Online Only
Stay tuned for more sessions coming in 2021!
Volunteer Management Assistance
We offer two different programs to vitalize your volunteer engagement program:
Volunteer Navigator: Receive one on one expert level coaching, volunteer program assessment, recommendations, and hands on consulting to realize tangible improvements.
VIP Volunteer Management Corps: Work with two Executive Service Corps consultants to help your organization assess and address areas of improvement in your volunteer program. Many of the resources in this guide were developed for organizations who participated in United Way's VIP Volunteer Manager Corps program!
Further Reading
For more information on successful volunteer programs check out:
- A webinar on The Basics to Building a Strong Volunteer Program, presented by Washington Nonprofits
- VolunteerPro's The Essential Guide to Managing Volunteers at Your Nonprofit
Have any questions?
Do you have a question related to effectively engaging volunteers that you cannot find an answer to? Or a great resource you think we should include in this guide? Please send us your feedback! We would love to hear from you.