Upcoming Trainings
NYC Service 2026 Trainings for Volunteer Engagement Staff Overview
Our volunteer management trainings are designed to support nonprofits at every stage of growth from building foundational systems to navigating complex operational and safety challenges. Grounded in real world needs, theses sessions center the realities nonprofit organizations face daily when managing volunteers across diverse program, communities, and levels of risk. Each training brings together city agency partners, policy and program experts and most importantly, peer nonprofits, who will share practical lessons, tested strategies and insights from their own work. Participants will learn from organizations doing the work on the ground and adapting volunteer programs to meet evolving community needs.
This collaborative, cross sector approach ensure that participants gain:
- Policy and compliance context from city agencies and subject matter experts
- Actionable best practices from peer nonprofits managing similar challenges
- Opportunities for shared learning, discussion, and problem solving across organizations
These trainings emphasize practical application, scalability and sustainability, equipping nonprofit staff with tools they can implement immediately while also building a stronger, more connected volunteer management ecosystem citywide.
Volunteer Management 101: Recruitment and Retention
Nonprofits invest in recruiting volunteers but lose them due to unclear roles, poor onboarding, or lack of follow up. This training helps organizations reduce turnover, increase volunteer reliability and build long term relationships that strengthen programs and community trust. This foundational training equips nonprofit staff with the tools to intentionally recruit, onboard and retain volunteers in ways that support mission delivery. Participants will learn how to move beyond ad-hoc volunteer signs ups toward building a reliable, values aligned volunteer pipeline that keeps people engaged over time.
- How to design volunteer roles that attract the right volunteers that are mission aligned
- Proven recruitment channels and messaging that align with organizational needs
- Onboarding practices that set clear expectations and roles
- Retention strategies that keep volunteers engaged, appreciated and accountable
- Simple systems for managing volunteers without overwhelming staff
Tracking Volunteer Impact for Storytelling and Fundraising
Volunteer work is often under counted or poorly communicated leaving significant value off the table in fundraising efforts. This training helps nonprofits connect volunteer engagement directly to outcomes, making volunteer programs a strategic fundraising asset. It focuses on how nonprofits can effectively measure, document and communicate volunteer impact to strengthen fundraising, grant reporting and strategic partnership development. Participants will learn how to translate volunteer contributions into compelling data and stories that funders care about.
- What funders and donors want to know about volunteer impact
- How to track volunteer hours, outputs and outcomes meaningfully
- Turning volunteer data into grant ready metrics and narratives
- Aligning volunteer impact with program and fundraising goals
- Tools and templates for simple, sustainable impact tracking
Managing Organizational Growth with Volunteers
Many nonprofits want to grow but lack the staffing or budget to do so sustainably. This training shows how strategically deployed volunteers can support expansion, pilot new initiatives, and strengthen core programs without overextending staff. It explores how nonprofits can intentionally scale programs and expand focus areas by leveraging volunteers as capacity builders. Participants will learn how to align volunteer roles with organizational growth strategies while maintaining quality and accountability.
- How to assess where volunteers can meaningfully support growth
- Designing volunteer roles that expand capacity without mission drift
- Structuring volunteer leadership and skill based roles
- Building long term organizational planning for volunteers such as ambassador programs
- Avoiding common pitfalls of poor volunteer engagement and management
Working with Volunteers with Disabilities
Inclusive volunteer engagement expands community participation and strengthens organizational values but many nonprofits lack clarity on how to do this well. This training demystifies accessibility and helps volunteers move from uncertainty to confident, inclusive practice. It provides nonprofit staff with practical guidance on creating inclusive, accessible volunteer programs that welcome volunteers with disabilities. Participants will learn how to design roles, provide accommodations, and foster a culture of dignity, respect and belonging.
- Understanding disability through a rights and inclusion lens
- Identifying and flexible volunteer roles that accommodate diverse needs
- Best practices for accommodations in volunteer settings
- Communication strategies that center dignity and autonomy
- Legal and ethical considerations for inclusive volunteer engagement
Volunteer Safety: Staying Prepared and Protected in the Field
Volunteers play a vital role in keeping our communities strong as they lead community facing work and maintaining safety is important. This training equips nonprofits with strategies to promote volunteer safety, manage risk and deescalate tense situations, particularly in contexts involving immigration status, public facing roles, and working with an intergenerational volunteer base. Participants will learn about how different volunteer roles and identities create distinct safety concerns and how to respond appropriately.
- Identifying safety risks across different volunteer roles
- Understanding how immigration status can shape volunteer vulnerability
- Deescalation techniques for tense or confrontational situations
- Managing intergenerational dynamics and understanding safety concerns for each demographic base
- Creating safety protocols and response plans for volunteers and staff
Training dates and times will be finalized and communicated prior to the start of the series. Each training may be offered in person or remotely. If you require accessibility accommodations or have specific access needs, please contact Sandra Choi, Community Initiatives Director at sachoi@nycservice.nyc.gov to support your participation.
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Addressing Collective Trauma from COVID-19
A presentation of action-oriented recommendations related to safe workspaces, peer support, and management to address the collective trauma on workers during the COVID-19 pandemic.
November 5, 2020 at 2 – 3:30 pm EST
Open the PDF "Addressing Collective Trauma from COVID-19"
Promoting Mental Health in the Workplace during COVID-19
Training on evidence-based strategies to identify and cope with mental health challenges for organizations to support employees, as well as volunteers manage emotional stress and anxiety during COVID-19.
November 12, 2020 at 2– 3:30 pm EST
Open the PDF "Promoting Mental Health in the Workplace during COVID-19"
Managing for Mental Health: Performance Management and Mental Health
Training to equip volunteer managers with the skills to manage performance while providing support and compassion for volunteers.
November 19th, 2020 at 2– 3:30 pm EST
Open the PDF "Managing for Mental Health: Performance Management and Mental Health"
Getting Started with Volunteer Tracking
This 101 training is designed for organizations interested in learning more about volunteer tracking.
December 10th, 2020 at 2-3:00PM EST
Open the PDF "Getting Started with Volunteer Tracking"
DEIA in Nonprofit Volunteer Programs Training
A training for nonprofits to learn how to use DEIA principles and strategies when recruiting, managing, and working with volunteers.
December 15th, 2020 at 11-12:30PM EST
Open the PDF "Nonprofit DEIA Volunteer Training"
Volunteer Management: Managing Volunteers in Times of Crisis
A training for non-profits interested in determining whether engaging volunteers post crisis is the right decision for their organization.
December 17th, 2020 at 2-3:00PM EST
Open the PDF "Managing Volunteers During Times of Crisis"
Virtual Volunteerism as an Emerging Field
This training served as a Virtual Volunteerism 101.
April 13, 2021 at 11am – 12 pm EST
Open the PDF "Virtual Volunteerism as an Emerging Field"
Developing Effective Partnerships
This session explored the importance of volunteer recognition, and the role it plays in retaining volunteers for long-term service.
May 11th, 2021 at 10:30AM-12:00PM EST
Open the PDF "Developing Effective Partnerships"
Volunteer Management: Recognizing and Retaining Volunteers
This session explored the importance of volunteer recognition, and the role it plays in retaining volunteers for long-term service.
May 25th, 2021 at 11AM-12:30PM EST
Open the PDF "Recognizing and Retaining Volunteers"
Maximizing Impact Through Collaborative Partnerships & Volunteer Engagement
Introductory Session
This session explored how organizations can best identify critical needs in both their communities, how they make a plan to increase their organizational capacity through partnerships and volunteers, and shared best practices for building innovative and successful partnerships and for engaging community volunteers.
September 30th, 2021 at 11AM-12:00PM EST
Open the PDF "Maximizing Impact"
Maximizing Impact Through Collaborative Partnerships & Volunteer Engagement
Session I: Understand Your Community and Assess Your Ability to Meet its Needs
This session focused on helping NYC non-profits better understand the importance of taking a deep look at community needs and organizational strengths and opportunities to better devise strategies for increasing community impact. Participants learned how to better engage communities and walked away with a framework and ideas for starting a conversation with key community and organizational stakeholders.
January 27, 2022 at 11AM-12:30PM EST
Open the PDF "Maximizing Impact: Session I"
Session II: Increase Your Capacity for Impact Through Partnerships
This session focused on helping NYC non-profits better build organizational capacity through collaboration with other organizations to have a greater impact together. Participants learned how to build innovative and successful partnerships by identifying potential partners and articulating the value proposition from all sides, to implementation and evaluation.
February 3, 2022 at 11AM-12:30PM EST
Open the PDF "Maximizing Impact: Session II"
Session III: Increase Your Capacity for Impact Through Volunteer Engagement
This session focused on helping NYC non-profits better build organizational capacity by engaging volunteers thoughtfully and intentionally, through providing guidance on the early planning process, volunteer onboarding, and ongoing management and coordination. Participants learned how to effectively manage volunteers and set them up for success to ensure a win-win for both the volunteers and your organization.
February 10, 2022 at 11AM-12:30PM EST
Open the PDF "Maximizing Impact: Session III"
Strategic Approach to Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Accessibility (DEIA) for NYC Nonprofit Boards
A free 3-part virtual training series for nonprofit executives and board members is based on NYC Service's 2018 report recommendations and aims to move away from a surface-level understanding of DEIA to focus on building a deepened and common framework that works to harness board support and action.
Access the NYC Good Governance Blueprint
The NYC Good Governance Blueprint was developed by the NYC Nonprofit Board Development Coalition, led by NYC Service, a division of the Office of the Mayor. The coalition includes 22 organizations that make it their mission to support nonprofits across New York City. The NYC Good Governance Blueprint was originally published in April 2016 and updated in January 2018. In creating the NYC Good Governance Blueprint, the Coalition’s objective was to craft a resource for board and staff leadership that consolidates best practices, resources, and tools for governance. The goal of this publication is not to teach you everything you need to know, but to give you the resources to explore topics further.