It's your organisation's responsibility to make sure volunteers can carry out their role. Training is one way to make sure they're well prepared.
If their training is good, volunteers will feel more able to do their role. This is likely to make them want to continue volunteering.
Volunteers may be hoping to enhance their CVs or to develop new skills by volunteering. Training is often a way to meet this need.
For new volunteers, see our guidance on running a volunteer induction.
You'll need to train volunteers on whatever they need to:
This may vary depending on:
Providing opportunities for your volunteers to develop outside of formal training courses or workshops is also important.
Training and development can involve:
Some volunteers will take longer to build their skills and confidence, and some may be resistant to completing training or development activities. The following can help.
To decide how much training to offer, think about:
Keep any mandatory training concise, relevant and appropriate to the volunteer's role. This shows that you respect your volunteers’ time.
It also makes sure training and development isn't seen as a perk or reward, which could make the volunteering look like paid work.
The training and development you offer should be inclusive and accessible so that all volunteers can participate and benefit from it. You should:
Ask volunteers for their feedback on the training and development you offer and respond to their suggestions to make improvements. You could create a review schedule to help ensure your training materials remain fit for purpose.
Local volunteer centres often provide training for volunteers and volunteer managers. Find your local volunteer centre.
Last reviewed: 12 April 2021
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