TWO-DAY Rural Volunteer
Management Training
The Westin Jackson
407 S Congress St, Jackson, MS 39201
June 20-21, 2023

 

This two-day training, sponsored by Volunteer Mississippi and facilitated by Tobi Johnson, MA, CVA of VolunteerPro, provides a foundation of best practices for new and emerging leaders of volunteers, national service members, and other staff responsible for engaging the community in voluntary action, whether it be episodic event-based volunteering, project-based tasks, leadership or governance roles or more traditional volunteering. The goal of the training is to provide participants with an overview of focused best practices in effective volunteer coordination that offer quick wins. The strategies and tactics covered in each module are specifically chosen for their relevance to attracting and retaining volunteers in Mississippi’s rural areas. 

Volunteers are a vital lifeline for rural communities – reducing isolation,

enriching lives, providing essential services, and building community

connections and resilience. However, mobilizing volunteers in this context can

be uniquely challenging for organizations and leaders of volunteers. The lack of

community infrastructure and resources, compounded by the realities of

physical distance can make it more difficult to engage people to help.

Capacity building for better volunteer coordination is a solid investment in time

and energy. Equipped with the right volunteer engagement practices, tailored to

the local needs, Mississippi’s leaders of volunteers can proactively address the

challenges of building, growing, and sustaining rural volunteer involvement and

find success.

By the end of this training, students will be able to 

• Set the stage for success with a clear rationale for volunteer

involvement

• Define roles & responsibilities for volunteers for both short- &

longer-term opportunities

• Assess, prioritize, & manage the risks related to volunteer

involvement

• Create an inclusive onboarding & orientation process that

welcomes volunteers from all walks of life

By the end of this training, students will be able to

• Build evidence-based volunteer motivation & retention strategies

into program

• Choose and delegate tasks to episodic and traditional volunteers

effectively

• Maintain clear, consistent communications with volunteers that

deepen connections

• Use a variety of ways to monitor volunteer satisfaction, including

surveys