Developed by the HandsOn Network to assist in exploring the basics of volunteer management. It is a user-friendly resource for developing volunteer recruiting, retention and recognition strategies, and includes a number of templates and worksheets.

Don't have a full time volunteer coordinator at your library? In this 3 minute video, learn how Monrovia has engaged high impact volunteers as a "Volunteer Management Team" to ensure that all the important tasks get completed! See also: "Meet the Volunteer Management Team - Part 1" about how Monrovia Public Library uses volunteer leaders to plan, coordinate and support their overall volunteer program.

Orientation slides used by Huntington Beach Public Library with volunteers in Circulation.

Powerpoint slides used in orientation of Huntington Beach Public Library's Media Center volunteers.

As part of a day-long training, Jennifer Rackow discusses how to hold volunteers accountable for their performance and outcomes. Search for other training videos from the day on this site.

As part of a day-long training, Jill Friedman Fixler discusses how to design position descriptions that attract and engage volunteers in high-impact roles. Search for additional training videos from the day on this site.

The practices are on a continuum that begins with statements that reflect “Volunteer Management” procedures and ends with statements that reflect “Volunteer Engagement” procedures. Allows you to assess where your library is in relation to these practices as a method of planning for change.

Gathering candid opinions from your volunteers will help you gain insights around what you need to improve. Despite our best efforts, however, sometimes our surveys raise more questions than insights and don’t help us understand the specific actions we need to take next. If that’s the case for you, here are some suggestions that will help generate the rich, actionable feedback you need.

I often get asked – how do we retain volunteers – meaning how to we keep them longer. Here’s the news about baby boomers and the generations that follow – they may not stay as long as volunteers of previous generations. I created this document to help think about not necessarily "retaining" the volunteer for the rest of their lives, but how to "sustain" the work if/when a volunteer leaves.

Links to materials on orienting and training volunteers.