Course Description

This course is designed to be relevant for coordinators with established programs as well as those in the process of creating a brand new program. Students will benefit by using their own agency -- if possible -- as a learning laboratory. The course includes readings from texts and volunteer management resources online as well as activities and assignments intended to promote assessment and growth with the students’ own organizations.

Specifically, this course is intended to help volunteer managers train staff to work successfully with volunteers, orient volunteers to individual organizations and animal welfare in general, train volunteers to complete specific duties and ensure the effectiveness of training programs.  Well-trained staff and volunteers are fundamental to the success of any volunteer program. This course will help volunteer managers involved with animal welfare excel at a critical element of their work, and help to benefit the movement as a whole.

This 4-week course is part of the Volunteer Management Certificate Program.

Course Objectives 

By the end of this course, you can expect to:

•    Identify the ways you can increase staff effectiveness in working with volunteers and improve staff participation in the volunteer program. 

•    Understand the elements that make up an effective volunteer orientation and how to incorporate them into the orientation you already offer. 

•    Learn how to create high quality trainings that prepare volunteers for their assigned tasks, and provide the training materials to go with it. 

•    Create the framework of a system to monitor new volunteers to ensure they’ve acquired and retained the skills and knowledge they need to adequately perform their duties.

Class Format: Online

There are no scheduled lecture times; instead, you log on at your convenience to participate in weekly discussions and submit assignments. Expect to spend at least 2-4 hours per week reading materials, completing assignments, and discussing issues.