Volunteer Management Training: An Overview & Top Resources

If your nonprofit relies on volunteers to further its mission, engaging them effectively should be a top priority. However, you may be wondering where to start or how to navigate volunteer relations in today’s rapidly changing nonprofit landscape. This is where volunteer management training comes in.

Furthering your education in the field of volunteer management allows you to build a toolkit of strategies and skills to keep your organization’s volunteer program thriving for years to come. In this guide, you’ll learn all you need to know about volunteer management training, including:

• Why is training important for volunteer coordinators?
• Types of Volunteer Management Training
• Top Volunteer Management Training Opportunities

Before we dive into some of the best resources available today, let’s discuss the general benefits of volunteer management training.

Why is training important for volunteer coordinators?

Improving your volunteer management skills as a dedicated professional in volunteer coordination comes with various benefits, such as:

• Improving your nonprofit’s volunteer program. Through professional development, you’ll be better equipped to recruit, engage, and retain volunteers effectively, leading to a more positive experience for everyone involved. Plus, you can become more efficient at managing your volunteer program, leading to cost savings for your organization.

• Boosting your credibility in the space. When volunteers know that the people coordinating their efforts have undergone advanced training and education, it instills trust. Whether you display credentials you’ve earned online or cite resources you’ve used when onboarding volunteers, you can show them concretely that their volunteer experience is in good hands.

• Expanding your professional network. Especially in more collaborative training spaces, you can meet other dedicated volunteer managers and share ideas with them, allowing you to build community in your field and tap into mentorship opportunities. Having more extensive training can also make you a more appealing candidate if you want to change jobs or go for a promotion. 
• Staying up-to-date on changes in the field. Continuous learning ensures you always know about the current trends, technology, best practices, legalities, and ethical considerations involved with volunteer management. This knowledge minimizes risks, protects volunteers, and increases satisfaction with your program.

Volunteer management training doesn’t just benefit you as a volunteer coordinator—the advantages also trickle down to your volunteers and other team members at your nonprofit. Even if your role at your organization isn’t entirely dedicated to volunteer management, having some knowledge of the field can be helpful if you interact with volunteers in any capacity.

Types of Volunteer Management Training

Your approach to improving your volunteer management skills can be formal or informal, independent or collaborative, online or offline—the possibilities for learning and development are endless! Generally speaking, most volunteer management training resources will fall into one of the following categories:

• Certifications: Comprehensive, standardized learning opportunities offered by recognized authorities or organizations in the volunteer space. They typically end with an extensive assessment to determine your proficiency in volunteer management before awarding the credential.

• Certificates: Shorter educational programs that focus on specific skills or knowledge areas. They also typically end with assessments, but they’re less detailed and demanding than certifications.

• Conferences: Gatherings of volunteer management professionals that include multiple educational sessions and networking opportunities, often over several days. These may take place in person, virtually, or in a hybrid format.
• Webinars and panels: Digital information sessions involving one (webinar) or a few (panel) experts on a topic related to volunteers. In many cases, the audience can ask the expert(s) questions after they’ve covered their prepared material.
• Blogs and newsletters: Don’t discount the value of free online resources for enhancing your volunteer management skills! Since these resources are often updated weekly or monthly, they’re among the best ways to learn about recent developments in the field.

When deciding which opportunities you want to incorporate into your professional development, consider your:

• Learning style: Do you prefer listening to speakers, working through guided courses, or doing independent research?
• Goals: Do you want an official stamp of approval for your resume, an expanded professional network, or just to dive deeper into concepts that interest you?
• Knowledge gaps: What specific areas of volunteer management do you want to learn more about to improve your approach to your job?
• Budget: Do you or your organization have the financial flexibility to pay registration fees or travel expenses, or would it be best to stick to free resources for now?

Carefully examine each opportunity you come across to ensure it aligns with your needs and comes from a credible source or organization in the volunteer management space.

Top Volunteer Management Training Opportunities

To help you begin your research, we’ve compiled a list of our favorite resources across all five categories discussed above. Feel free to browse the whole list or jump directly to the section that most interests you.

• Certifications
• Certificates
• Conferences
• Webinars & Panels
• Blogs & Newsletters

Certifications

• Council for Certification in Volunteer Administration (CCVA). This global organization allows you to earn the title of Certified in Volunteer Management (CVA) by passing an online exam offered in the spring and fall of each year. As the top credential in the volunteer space, you’ll need to maintain it by earning Professional Development Units (PDUs) and renewing your certification every five years.
• The Beryl Institute Credentialing Center. This organization offers a Certified Administrator of Volunteer Services (CAVS) credential for healthcare volunteer management professionals who pass a multiple-choice test offered twice a year. Requiring at least two years of paid experience as a prerequisite, the goal of CAVS is to recognize expertise, promote professional growth, and maintain healthcare industry standards worldwide.
• Volunteering Australia. For members of regional volunteer management organizations in Australia, this parent organization offers a Continuous Professional Development (CPD) Program for Professional Leaders of Volunteers (PLVs). If you complete enough CPD activities, you’ll earn points toward a certification that allows you to place “PLV” after your name.

Certificates

• Nonprofit Leadership Center. Conducted by a Nonprofit Leadership Center trainer, this certificate course consists of three half-days of interactive in-person training on current volunteer management best practices. It prepares volunteer managers to more effectively recruit, retain and recognize volunteers. Certificates are awarded by the Florida Association for Volunteer Resource Management (FAVRM).
• Arkansas Public Administration Consortium (APAC) via the University of Arkansas at Little Rock. APAC’s Certified Volunteer Manager (CVM) program “equips professionals with the skills and knowledge necessary to lead impactful volunteer programs.” The CVM certificate centers on an in-person retreat with independent preparation work beforehand and a capstone project afterward that serves as the assessment.
• North Carolina State University. Open to individuals with bachelor’s degrees and current NCSU students, the Graduate Certificate in Leadership and Volunteer Management requires participants to complete four online courses and achieve a 3.0 cumulative grade point average (GPA). It’s intended to enhance students’ work in organizational administration and volunteer management to prepare them for leadership roles in community-based organizations. 
• University of North Texas. UNT’s Volunteer and Community Resource Management Certificate “is designed for professionals and students who want to add a competitive edge to their careers through specialized training in volunteer management, leadership, community asset mapping, program planning and evaluation.” It also requires four online courses (three mandatory and one elective), and applicants need a bachelor’s degree.
• Conestoga College. The longest-running volunteer management certificate program in Canada, this online program offered by Conestoga College requires three online courses and a final portfolio project. The courses align with the accepted professional and program standards established by the Volunteer Management Professionals of Canada (VMPC), Volunteer Canada, and the National Occupational Standards.
• Fleming College. This certificate, which requires four online courses, “focuses on the specialized skills set of managing volunteers as opposed to employees.” It was developed based on the standards and practices of the Human Resources Council of Canada and the VMPC.

Conferences

• Better Impact's Volunteer Management Hybrid Conference. We host this one-day conference each fall to give volunteer managers a space to gain expert insights, learn actionable strategies, and connect with professionals across North America. Participants can register for the online-only experience or join one of the in-person groups hosted by nonprofits around the United States and Canada.

• Society for Healthcare Volunteer Leaders (SHVL) Annual Education Conference. This in-person conference in New Orleans, LA, is open to members and non-members of SHVL—anyone interested in learning more about healthcare volunteer management. It offers three full days of keynote speakers, breakout sessions, and vendor shows.

• National Youth Leadership Council (NYLC) National Service-Learning Conference. This three-day, in-person event in St. Paul, MN, brings together educators, nonprofit leaders, and students for leadership development training in the field of service learning. If your organization involves youth leaders and students in its volunteer program, this may be the conference for you.

• VMPC National Forum. This conference brings together volunteer leaders from across Canada to learn and grow professionally. It focuses particularly on engagement, including current challenges, innovations, and best practices for building relationships with volunteers.
• Points of Light Conference. Held in person in New Orleans, LA, over three days, this conference “brings together social impact leaders from across the sector. It empowers nonprofit/NGO, government, business and civic leaders to make a bold impact in their communities, providing resources and inspiration for every step of the journey.”

Webinars & Panels

• Better Impact Webinars. Our webinars cover a wide range of topics, from volunteer engagement and relationship-building to credentialing and program insurance. We have different sessions that cater to audience members in different countries, and you can earn PDUs to maintain your certifications by attending. Plus, you can always watch older webinars through our webinar library anytime!

• The Learning Center by VolunteerMatch. VolunteerMatch, a well-known volunteer networking site, offers webinar series on topics like volunteer recruitment, creating inclusive volunteer programs, and group volunteer event management. They post recordings post-webinar so you can catch up on any sessions you miss. 
• NXUnite by Nexus Marketing. NXUnite is an online community that “partners with leading experts and influencers in the nonprofit sector to bring you and your team educational sessions that will transform your operations.” While their webinars and panels focus on various topics around the nonprofit sector, they feature volunteering-related content occasionally, and joining the community offers networking opportunities as well as access to the back-catalog of event recordings.

Blogs & Newsletters

• Better Impact blog. Our blog offers thought leadership on a variety of topics in volunteer management and donor relations to help you navigate the ever-changing world of nonprofit work.

• Better Impact monthly newsletter. Sign up to be the first to know about developments in the sector and with our top-of-the-line volunteer management tools!
• Association of Leaders in Volunteer Engagement (AL!VE). Get the latest news from around the nonprofit world through AL!VE’s newsroom and newsletters.

Wrapping Up: Additional Resources on Volunteer Management

All of the training opportunities above should help you as a volunteer management professional advance your career and improve your ability to effectively engage and mobilize volunteers. If you still aren’t sure which avenues are right for you, ask your peers in the sector for their reviews of the resources they’ve used—oftentimes, firsthand perspectives are the most valuable!

For more information on volunteer management training, check out these resources:

• Mastering Volunteer Management: The Ultimate Nonprofit Guide. Start your learning by exploring the nuts and bolts of every stage of the volunteer management lifecycle.
• Recognising the Vital Role of Volunteer Managers. Dive deeper into some recent trends and best practices for volunteer coordinators to follow.
• 18 Best Volunteer Management Software Tools for Nonprofits. Discover the best platforms to help you manage your volunteer program effectively in a modern context.