Free Volunteer Educational Opportunities

August - September 2023

The Volunteer Manager’s Essential Inventory: Policies, Documents, Data, and More

A 30-minute webinar

Thursday, August 3, 9:30 – 10 am EDT

Is your volunteer program always ready for anything? Let’s discuss the essential documents, policies, data points, and communications vehicles you should have in place. Take an inventory of what has been developed as well as what still needs to be written, tweaked or revised. This is a great opportunity to stop and take stock of your volunteer program.

Hidden Biases in Volunteer Management 

Wednesday, August 9 

2 pm – 3 pm EDT

While we may say we want greater diversity and inclusion in our volunteer programs, our actions may not always support that vision. Hidden Biases in Volunteer Management allow participants to reflect on the ways we -- as leaders of volunteer programs -- can discover, face and fight hidden biases in our volunteer program’s practices, procedures and policies. We will reflect on the established structures of our sector and the volunteer programs that may unintentionally be less than welcoming. While this webinar will not solve structural racism and unconscious bias in an hour, we will provide a safe space for volunteer directors, managers, or coordinators to reflect on their own volunteer program and how we can best make a difference.

Preparing for VolunteerFest 2023

Wednesday, September 6, 2023

2 – 3 pm

This webinar is for VolunteerFest projects in the Northern Virginia area.  

Thinking of hosting a VolunteerFest 2023 project? Volunteer Fest is a community-wide day of service event, is set for Saturday, October 22, 2023. Volunteer Fairfax handles the volunteer recruitment, and you focus on hosting a project that can impact your organization and community! 

This webinar will cover how to prepare for a day to accomplish wish list projects with volunteers ready to work! We will share past projects – with successes or lessons learned – to help you craft an effective 1-day engagement project.  Plus, we will address how this is an opportunity to introduce new volunteers to your organization!

Whether new to VolunteerFest or a veteran of many years of our flagship program, please join us get inspired. This webinar is ideal for any Volunteer Director, Manager, Coordinator or a Team Lead who is looking for ideas on how to engage volunteers with in-person and select at-home service projects.  

Note: Project applications for VolunteerFest will be accepted from August 7 through September 15. 

Diagnosis Imposter Syndrome: Believing in Yourself as a Leader of Volunteers

Thursday, September 7, 2023

12 – 1 pm EDT

Are you hearing whispers of doubt? Do you think others will discover at any moment that you’re more of a fraud than a bona fide leader of volunteers? That’s the problem so many of us face no matter where we are in our careers. Join us for a talk about building self-confidence as we face and fight imposter syndrome as volunteer directors, managers and coordinators. We will chat about this very common feeling, identify coping skills and figure out how to believe that we can be a great leader of volunteers! 

Turning Volunteers into Donors

Thursday, September 14

2:00 – 3:00 pm

So which comes first-- the volunteers or the donor? Did you know that 42 percent of donors first volunteered before they gave to an organization? An average volunteer is FOUR TIMES as likely to donate as someone who does not volunteer, and they typically give TEN TIMES as much! So, some of your best donor sources may already be invested in your organization by giving you that other gift…time. What is the risk to ask the givers of time for money, too? It depends. We will talk about setting priorities, boundaries and understanding your goals and your organization’s goals. Volunteer Administrators, bring your Development Directors!