If you know me then you know I love training volunteers. When I was a director and did not have many other people on staff, it was always hard to try to fit in the time for training with all the other hats I had to wear. Preparing for and facilitating the training was hard enough let alone the pre-training work of applications, references, background checks, and interviews.
In this blog I want to help you think of various formats for the Equipped to Serve training. These are some general formats that you can adapt to the specific needs of your Center. Each Center is unique concerning its volunteer training. Use what works and don’t be afraid to get creative with the training as long as you eventually cover the material each volunteer needs in their specific position. Start with the end in mind. What skills must each volunteer master in order to serve the clients God sends to your Center?
Train in-person two times a week for 3 hours each session.
I usually did Monday and Thursdays for four weeks. This gives a bit of breathing time between sessions for reflection and homework. It gets the whole training accomplished in one month so new volunteers can move on to on-the-job training and hopefully begin serving clients sooner.
Teach the foundations section of the manual as an introductory class.
Add in your Center’s history and your expectations for volunteer positions. This prepares volunteers for the rest of the training. It also allows interested people to decide if they should move ahead with volunteering and what role they think is best for them. This is helpful because often there is a lot of attrition in a volunteer training. It is frustrating to have a class of 10 or 15 people but end up with less than half of those people actually volunteering.
Teach what every volunteer needs to know in the classroom and then train to the specific volunteer positions.
I believe that everyone serving clients must learn the Seven Fundamentals. Teach them to everyone and then creatively train to the specific job descriptions. Those volunteering in support ministry like materials assistance, ultrasounds, etc., have to learn different applications of the Seven Fundamentals than Advocates who are serving clients in the midst of crisis. Everyone needs to know the Seven Fundamentals so there is consistency of care and interaction with clients between different arms of the ministry. Each volunteer position will apply the Fundamentals uniquely for their client interactions. You can use current volunteers and/or staff members who are working in various arms of the ministry to train those volunteers as long as they have a firm grasp and experience utilizing the Seven Fundamentals in their specific program. Do this during on-the-job training or using break-out sessions during in-service training, which would need to happen once a month.
Conduct a hybrid training.
Now that people are much more accustomed to using Zoom and other online services, you can have some training in-person and on Zoom. Some parts of the training lend themselves to an online format while others should be done in person. I would do role-play in person but you can even teach the RIGHT communication skills online and break the larger group into breakout rooms to practice the skills. It is important to know all the capabilities of software like Zoom. Having a second host dealing with the technical aspects and all the moving parts of the software is most-helpful. This kind of hybrid training feels like classroom training because everyone can see and hear each other’s responses. Each volunteer would need a copy of the training manual. You can record these sessions for trainees who missed a session with their cohort of trainees.
Online Training
You know that I have an online version of Equipped to Serve Volunteer Training. I imagine this being used mostly for volunteers who miss a lot of training sessions or that perfect volunteer who comes into the Center the week after you have completed a training class. It will continue to be helpful during this transitional time of the Covid-19 pandemic where some people are still hesitant to gather in groups. Whoever takes this training does not need a manual because all the information is online and the most-important skills and exercises are downloadable and printable for future reference. It is as interactive as I could possible make it and walks a person through the material in the manual from beginning to the end. There are built-in check-ins with the volunteer supervisor in almost every section of the training.
Self study with staff role-play and check-ins.
The Equipped to Serve manual is very detailed with a variety of exercises to practice the skills and reflection questions that require trainees to think about how the skills they are learning will apply in serving clients. Volunteers can study the manual on their own and check-in with Center staff to discuss what they are learning and role-play to show their understanding and application of the Seven Fundamentals. This is an option if it is hard to get enough volunteers together for a class.
Making training decisions.
If possible, I prefer to train in person in the shortest amount of time. It gets volunteers into the Center doing in-service training and working with clients much sooner than some of the other options. I also know that you have to adapt to the ever- changing needs and issues of your volunteer population. You know your community and volunteer pool and must try to accommodate them as much as possible without compromising the excellence of the services you provide to your clients. It is a lot to juggle.
It’s okay to get creative. It’s great to try new things. Just be sure of your end goal.
What I know for sure.
The best gift you can give a client is a well-trained volunteer who knows what is expected of them and is demonstrating those skills as they serve.
I would love to hear any of your training format ideas and pass them along to others. Email me!
