Before you design and deliver your volunteer training program, you need to assess your goals and needs as an organization and as a project. What are the objectives and outcomes of your volunteer work? What are the roles and responsibilities of your volunteers? What are the skills and competencies that they need to perform their tasks? What are the risks and challenges that they might face? How will you measure and evaluate their performance and impact? These questions will help you define the scope and content of your training program, as well as the resources and methods that you will use.
The next step is to know your audience, that is, the population or community that you are serving and working with. You need to research and understand their background, culture, values, beliefs, preferences, needs, and goals. You also need to be aware of any potential barriers or difficulties that they might have, such as language, literacy, access, discrimination, trauma, or stigma. You can use various sources of information, such as reports, surveys, interviews, focus groups, or observation, to gather and analyze data about your audience. You can also involve them in the design and delivery of your training program, by asking for their feedback, input, or participation.
Once you have a clear picture of your goals, needs, and audience, you can choose the format and methods of your training program. You can opt for online or offline, synchronous or asynchronous, individual or group, formal or informal, or a combination of these options, depending on your resources, time, and objectives. You can also use different methods and techniques to deliver your training content, such as lectures, videos, podcasts, webinars, slides, manuals, handouts, quizzes, games, simulations, role-plays, case studies, scenarios, discussions, or mentoring. You should select the format and methods that best suit your audience's learning styles, preferences, and needs.
Your training program should cover both the basic and the specific aspects of working with different populations or communities. The basic aspects include the general principles and guidelines of volunteering, such as ethics, values, policies, procedures, safety, confidentiality, accountability, and communication. The specific aspects include the particular knowledge and skills that are relevant and useful for working with your audience, such as cultural awareness, diversity, inclusion, empathy, respect, rapport, listening, feedback, problem-solving, conflict resolution, or advocacy. You should balance the theory and the practice of your training content, and provide examples, stories, testimonials, or tips from your own or other volunteers' experiences.
Training is not a one-time event, but an ongoing process that requires support and feedback from both the trainers and the trainees. You should provide your volunteers with adequate support and feedback before, during, and after their training program. Before the training program, you should inform them about the goals, expectations, agenda, and logistics of the training program, and answer any questions or concerns that they might have. During the training program, you should monitor their progress, participation, and satisfaction, and address any issues or challenges that they might encounter. After the training program, you should follow up with them, solicit their feedback and evaluation, acknowledge their achievements, and offer them opportunities for further learning and development.
The last step is to review and improve your training program based on the data and feedback that you collect from your volunteers and your audience. You should measure and evaluate the effectiveness and impact of your training program, using quantitative and qualitative indicators and methods. You should also identify the strengths and weaknesses of your training program, and the areas that need improvement or modification. You should then implement the necessary changes and updates to your training program, and communicate them to your volunteers and your audience. You should also celebrate and share your successes and lessons learned with your stakeholders and partners.