Free · Certificate included
Volunteer Recruitment & Retention
Fill your roster with the right people — and keep them coming back year after year.
What you’ll learn
- Write role descriptions that lead with impact and convert browsers into applicants
- Recruit modern volunteers where they are — including micro and virtual opportunities
- Onboard new volunteers so the first shift becomes a long-term commitment
- Measure retention, prevent burnout, and win back lapsed volunteers
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
Know the modern volunteer
Recruitment fails most often because we picture a volunteer who no longer exists — someone with open weekday mornings and decades of free time.
5 min Quiz Interactive - 2
Write role descriptions that convert
Your role description is your recruitment ad.
6 min Quiz Interactive - 3
Where & how to recruit
Even a perfect role description does nothing if the right people never see it.
6 min Quiz Interactive - 4
Onboarding that makes them stay
The gap between “yes, I’ll volunteer” and a committed regular is won or lost in the first few touchpoints.
6 min Quiz Interactive - 5
Recognition & preventing burnout
Volunteers don’t leave only because they’re busy.
6 min Quiz Interactive - 6
Measuring retention
You can’t improve what you don’t measure.
5 min Quiz Interactive - 7
Re-engaging lapsed volunteers
Some of your best future volunteers already volunteered for you once.
6 min Quiz Interactive
Sources & further reading
- AmeriCorps & U.S. Census Bureau — Volunteering and Civic Life in America (2023 data)
- Independent Sector — Value of Volunteer Time
- Points of Light — From Burnout to Re-Engagement: Volunteer Retention & Aligning Values
- VolunteerMatch — Volunteer Recruitment & Engagement Resources
- Energize, Inc. — Volunteer Management Resource Library
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 Content may contain errors or omissions and may become outdated, and laws, regulations, standards, and best practices vary by jurisdiction and change over time.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.