What are the best online courses or resources for learning volunteer program evaluation?

1 Benefits of online learning

Online learning offers many advantages over traditional classroom-based education, especially for busy volunteer managers who need to balance their work and personal commitments. These advantages include flexibility to learn at one's own pace, schedule, and location; affordability, as online courses and resources are often cheaper or even free; variety, with a wide range of topics, formats, and levels of difficulty; and support, with interaction with other learners, instructors, and experts through online forums, chats, and feedback systems.

4 Tips for making the most of online learning

To make the most of your online learning experience and achieve your learning goals, it is important to plan ahead. Set a clear and realistic timeline with objectives and milestones, and use a calendar or reminder system to keep track of your progress. Additionally, find ways to stay motivated throughout your learning journey - rewarding yourself for completing tasks, joining a study group or community of practice, or sharing your learnings. Furthermore, apply what you have learned to your own volunteer program or project as soon as possible in order to consolidate your knowledge and skills. Last but not least, seek feedback from instructors, peers, mentors, or colleagues on your work and performance to identify strengths and areas for improvement.

5 Resources for further learning

If you're interested in learning more about volunteer program evaluation, there are many online courses and resources available. We recommend BetterEvaluation, EvalPartners, the American Evaluation Association, the Volunteering Evidence Portal, and the Voluntary Action History Society. These are all reputable sources that can provide guidance, resources, examples, and opportunities for evaluators and evaluation users. Additionally, the Voluntary Action History Society explores and documents the history of volunteering and voluntary action.