This full-day course focuses on the major building blocks of successful volunteer programs.

Topics covered include:
planning, marketing, developing position descriptions, preparing for risk management and legal issues, training, recordkeeping and reporting, providing recognition, recruiting, and selecting.

Continuing Education Unit credits are awarded for completion of this course by Carroll Community College.

Participants in this interactive course learn from a team of seasoned professional volunteer administrators, as well as other students with whom they exchange ideas throughout the day. This course appeals to both newcomers to the field and experienced volunteer managers who need a refresher.

MCDVS annually sponsors a fee-based all-day workshop on a hot topic in volunteer management. The presenter is always an expert in the selected area and a skilled facilitator or consultant. Past Professional Development workshops included: "Change: Moving Volunteer Management Into New Territory" (including online professional development and virtual volunteering, positioning the volunteer program within our organizations, designing programs to attract and retain diverse populations, creating accountable episodic and cyber volunteer positions); Building Excellent Volunteer and Volunteer-Employee Teams; and High Power Resource Sharing (written forms and policies combined with focus groups addressing liability issues, creative recruitment and recognition and benefits, interviewing and selection). In recent years, the MCDVS annual meeting has been scheduled as a morning breakfast prior to the Professional Development Workshop. The site varies, but is in the Baltimore metropolitan area. Guests are welcome. Members attend at a discounted rate.

Carroll Community College's Professional Volunteer Management Training Online is designed to help you create and run a volunteer program, or to hone your skills if you are already running a program. Topics included in this course are: basic elements of volunteer administration; motivating and recognizing volunteers; risk management; public relations and marketing; recruitment; and gaining organizational support for your program. Tips on dealing with difficult people, implementing changes and recruiting a diverse volunteer staff will also be provided. This course is offered online when there is a need. For more information, contact Helen Jones, Director of Career Programs at Carroll Community College (hjones@carrollcc.edu).