Coaching and Mentoring Volunteers
Develop your volunteers’ skills and confidence through coaching, not commands.
For: Volunteers leading other volunteers
What you’ll learn
- Tell coaching, mentoring, and managing apart — and know when each fits
- Run a coaching conversation with the GROW model
- Shift from telling to asking with powerful, open questions
- Give developmental feedback with the SBI model that motivates instead of deflates
- Mentor volunteers and grow them into your next leaders
Screen your volunteers for $5
VolunteerBadge runs FCRA-compliant background checks for just $5 — with identity verification built in. No monthly fees, no contracts.
Create a free account →Course outline
- 1
Coaching vs. mentoring vs. managing
5 min
- 2
Why coaching beats telling
4 min
- 3
The GROW model
6 min
- 4
Asking instead of telling: powerful questions
5 min
- 5
Listening like a coach
4 min
- 6
Developmental feedback with SBI
5 min
- 7
Mentoring volunteers into leaders
4 min
Sources & further reading
- Harvard Business Review — Ibarra & Scoular, "The Leader as Coach" (Nov–Dec 2019)
- Performance Consultants (Sir John Whitmore) — A Complete Guide to the GROW Coaching Model
- International Coaching Federation (ICF) — ICF Core Competencies & definition of coaching
- Center for Creative Leadership (CCL) — Use SBI (Situation-Behavior-Impact) to Understand Intent
- MindTools — The Situation-Behavior-Impact™ Feedback Tool
This course is educational and provides general information about the Fair Credit Reporting Act and volunteer-screening best practices. It is not legal advice. Laws vary by state and change over time — consult a qualified attorney about your organization’s specific obligations.