Training Available For Management Of Volunteer Community Organizations

DANBURY — The Volunteer Center serving Western Connecticut, a member of the HandsOn Network and Points of Light Institute, will offer a Volunteer Management Training Series (VMTS) this spring to help community-based organizations recruit, train, manage, and engage more volunteers to aid in delivering social services in western Connecticut. The series will begin on April 21.

The Volunteer Management Training Series is a comprehensive series of courses in volunteer management designed for those running volunteer programs at the community level. The VMTS consists of six courses: “Understanding Volunteering,” “Planning a Volunteer Program,” “Recruiting and Placing Volunteers,” “Orienting and Training Volunteers,” “Supervising Volunteers,” and “Evaluating Your Volunteer Program.” The curriculum is interactive and is based on research and effective practices in volunteer management. Registration is limited to 20 participants.

The results of recent studies underscore the urgency of volunteer management training. According to the latest figures from the Bureau of Labor Statistics of the US Department of Labor, nearly, 64 million people volunteered an average of 52 hours over a 12-month period.

The Urban Institute’s Volunteer Management Capacity Study revealed most charities and congregations utilize volunteers, and greatly value the contributions those volunteers make to in improving services in a cost-effective manner, have established volunteer management practices at a minimum, and want to take on more volunteers.

“The Volunteer Management Training Series provides new ways of increasing the effectiveness of volunteer programs, in addition to laying the groundwork for building a successful volunteer program,” says Patti Cohen-Hecht, executive director of The Volunteer Center.

Organizations that invest in volunteer management capacity have fewer problems in recruitment, receive benefits from volunteers and have the greater capability to involve more volunteers without increasing their staff, according to the recent Urban Institute study.

For more information about the Volunteer Management Training Series, contact The Volunteer Center at 203-797-1154 or send email to JLasecki@VolunteerDanbury.org.