Nonprofit Board and Volunteer Development

Course Description

Volunteers are the lifeblood of most nonprofit organizations. And board members are a special type of volunteer, helping to guide the direction of a nonprofit, promote the organization in the community, and ensure that the nonprofit's mission is fulfilled. Learning how best to manage the board and other volunteers is a critical part of nonprofit management. This course covers the fundamentals of board and volunteer development as well as recruiting, effective communication, and retention.

Learning Outcomes

After completing this course, the learner should be able to:

• Explain the reasons why people volunteer and how nonprofits can make volunteer programs more successful
• Describe the responsibilities of the nonprofit board
• Discuss different models for organizing a nonprofit board
• Describe the differences between a nonprofit board and a for-profit board
• Explain different approaches for recruiting and filling a nonprofit board
• Discuss the pros and cons of large versus small boards
• Describe why board evaluations are useful
• Explain why nonprofit boards form committees
• Discuss typical nonprofit board and staff interactions
• Describe how nonprofits can develop and maintain a strong volunteer base