Updated: 3/4/2022
Having a good training process is an important first interaction with volunteers. Is your volunteer training program exceeding expectations?
Benjamin Franklin once said, “An investment in knowledge always pays the best interest.” Developing a training program that exceeds the expectations of volunteers will impact retention, engagement, and referral sources for your nonprofit. A study, performed by Middlesex University for Work-Based Learning, found that 74% of people felt they weren’t achieving their full potential due to a lack of development opportunities. Is your nonprofit providing volunteers with opportunities to grow and become a greater asset to your nonprofit, long-term?
Developing a training program with the foundation of engagement is worth the investment. A recent Dale Carnegie survey found that engaged individuals outperform those who are not engaged by up to 202%. Creating opportunities for engagement provides your nonprofit with a substantial avenue to increase volunteer impact and reach new volunteer segments. Many nonprofits say reaching Millennial volunteers is a challenge. Did you know that millennials want to be engaged? 87% of millennials say that development and growth are significant to them and dictate the opportunities they take. Training presents a great opportunity to create engagement from day one.
Developing a volunteer training program that exceeds expectations requires strategy and understanding of supporters. Here are a few ways to exceed expectations through engagement and create a high return on investment from your organization's training program.
Hands-On Training
Hands-on training is one of the best ways to introduce volunteers to a role and engage them at the same time. Allowing volunteers to train in the field introduces them to other volunteers (creating friendships) and allows them to see your organization's mission in action.
Here are a few additional benefits that hands-on training provides:
- Provides supporters with a safe learning environment
- Allow volunteers to link theory, teaching, and practice
- Offers supporters the opportunity to collaborate and learn from others
- Influences emotions increasing knowledge and skills
Leverage Existing Skill-sets
Training should be used as an opportunity to get to know volunteers, identify skills, and leverage those talents to improve your volunteer program. Think of training as a chance to introduce your organization to volunteers and allow them to introduce themselves in return. Supporters want to be utilized to their fullest potential. A recent survey, performed by The Millennial Impact Project, found that 77% of people would be more likely to volunteer if they could use their skills and expertise. Volunteers are also more likely to continue to give if their talents are being utilized in pursuit of the greater good.
Here are a few ways to identify preexisting skills during volunteer training:
- Ask volunteers what they want to do and learn during opportunity fulfillment
- Allow volunteers to train and learn new skill sets (see if they resonate with a task)
- Survey volunteers after training to make sure they feel utilized
- Review a volunteer’s application to identify experience (consider roles that match skills)
Opportunities for Growth
One of the best motivators for volunteers is growth. Providing supporters with an avenue to grow in their volunteer role, personally, and professionally can influence their decision to continue to give. A recent survey, performed by Clear Company, found that 76% of people are looking for growth opportunities.
Consider providing volunteers with skill-development opportunities that can positively impact their lives outside of volunteerism. Learn about each supporter and find ways to deliver value through skill development training.
Flexibility
Many volunteers provide their time to fulfill a desire to learn a specific skill set. As mentioned earlier, skill development is a great way to influence engagement. Allow volunteers to train on roles that are interesting to them. Your organization's volunteer training program should be flexible and allow supporters to help decide their direction. Research suggests that flexibility lowers stress. According to a survey, 97% of people say that flexibility would have a positive impact on their overall quality of life.
Take Training Online
Advancements in technology have made it easier than ever to take your volunteer training program online. For organizations that want to provide volunteers with a convenient way to complete training and track results, learning management software (LMS) is a great solution.
Learn how The City of Dublin is using learning management software to train festival servers here.
Takeaways
Exceeding expectations starts from the very beginning with an in-depth and intuitive volunteer training program. Focus on providing role-specific training that is hands-on, leverages existing skill-sets, motivates through growth, and provides a flexible experience.
