Free · Certificate included
Sexual Harassment Awareness
Understand, prevent, and respond to sexual harassment in your organization.
What you’ll learn
- Identify quid pro quo and hostile-environment harassment
- Recognize how consent and power dynamics shape what is "welcome"
- Set and respect appropriate boundaries in volunteer settings
- Use bystander intervention to interrupt harassment safely
- Report concerns, understand anti-retaliation protections, and support those affected
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Create a free account →Course outline
- 1
What sexual harassment is — and why it matters here
Before we go further: this course discusses harassment and may touch on experiences that are difficult to read about.
5 min Quiz Interactive - 2
The two legal theories: quid pro quo & hostile environment
The EEOC recognizes two main forms of sexual harassment.
6 min Quiz Interactive - 3
Consent, power dynamics & "welcomeness"
Whether conduct is "welcome" sounds simple, but power changes the picture.
6 min Quiz Interactive - 4
What it looks like in volunteer & nonprofit settings
Harassment in nonprofits often hides behind informality — shared rides to events, late nights prepping for a fundraiser, group chats, and close mission-driven bonds.
5 min Quiz Interactive - 5
Bystander intervention: the 5 D’s
You don’t have to be the target to make a difference.
6 min Quiz Interactive - 6
How to report — and what anti-retaliation means
Reporting can feel daunting, especially when the other person has power.
5 min Quiz Interactive - 7
If you experience or witness it: a trauma-informed response
There’s no single "right" way to react to harassment, and survivors are never to blame for what happened to them.
5 min Quiz Interactive - 8
Prevention, policy & state training mandates
Awareness becomes prevention when it’s built into how your organization runs.
4 min Quiz Interactive
Sources & further reading
- U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission — Sexual Harassment & Policy Guidance on Current Issues of Sexual Harassment
- U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission — Sexual Harassment in Our Nation’s Workplaces (data & charge statistics)
- RAINN (Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network) — Sexual Harassment — definitions and survivor support
- Right To Be / Hollaback! — The 5 D’s of Bystander Intervention
- California Legislative Information — SB 1343 — Employers: sexual harassment training: requirements
- The State of New York — Combating Sexual Harassment in the Workplace — model policy & training
VolunteerBadge Academy courses are provided free for general educational and informational purposes only. Every course is researched from reputable, authoritative sources (cited on the course), but VolunteerBadge and ScreenForge Labs, LLC make no representations or warranties of any kind — express or implied — as to the accuracy, completeness, currentness, reliability, or suitability of the content for any purpose. Content may contain errors or omissions and may become outdated, and laws, regulations, standards, and best practices vary by jurisdiction and change over time. This material is not legal, medical, mental-health, clinical, financial, safety-certification, or other professional advice, and completing a course or earning a certificate creates no professional relationship, license, accreditation, or endorsement and is not a substitute for training, certification, supervision, or policies required by law, your organization, your insurer, or a licensing body. Always follow your organization's own policies and applicable law, use your own judgment, and consult a qualified professional (such as an attorney, licensed clinician, or medical provider) about your specific situation. In an emergency, call 911 (or, for a mental-health crisis, 988). To the fullest extent permitted by law, VolunteerBadge and ScreenForge Labs, LLC disclaim all liability for any loss or harm arising from reliance on this content or participation in any course.