How do you assess the training needs of your volunteers?

1 Identify the purpose and scope of volunteer training

Before you start assessing the training needs of your volunteers, you need to have a clear idea of why and what you want to train them for. What are the mission, vision, and values of your organization? What are the roles and responsibilities of your volunteers? What are the skills, knowledge, and attitudes they need to fulfill them? How do you measure and evaluate their performance and impact? These questions will help you define the purpose and scope of your volunteer training and align it with your organizational goals and objectives.

3 Choose the best training methods and formats

Once you have identified the training needs of your volunteers, you need to decide how to deliver the training in the most effective and engaging way. There are many factors to consider when choosing the best training methods and formats, such as the learning objectives, the audience, the content, the resources, the time, and the location. You can use a variety of training methods and formats, such as lectures, workshops, webinars, e-learning, mentoring, coaching, simulations, games, case studies, role plays, and peer learning. You can also mix and match different methods and formats to create a blended learning approach that suits your volunteers' preferences and learning styles.

5 Implement and facilitate the training

The implementation and facilitation of the training is the most visible and interactive part of the training process. It involves delivering the training content and materials to your volunteers and creating a positive and conducive learning environment for them. You need to have good communication, presentation, and facilitation skills to engage your volunteers in the training and encourage their participation and feedback. You also need to be flexible, adaptable, and responsive to their needs and expectations and make adjustments as needed. You can use various techniques and strategies to implement and facilitate the training, such as icebreakers, questions, discussions, quizzes, polls, breakout rooms, chats, and others.

6 Evaluate and follow up on the training

The last step is to evaluate and follow up on the training to measure its effectiveness and impact and identify areas for improvement. You need to have clear and measurable criteria and indicators to assess the quality and outcomes of your volunteer training and collect relevant data and evidence to support your evaluation. You can use various methods and tools to evaluate and follow up on the training, such as tests, surveys, interviews, focus groups, observations, feedback forms, reports, and others. You also need to share the results and recommendations of your evaluation with your volunteers, staff, beneficiaries, and stakeholders and plan for further training and support as needed.