Working with Volunteers

Learning Topic

Many organizations depend on volunteers to accomplish their on-the-ground projects. Managing and working with volunteers is a key way that many organizations interact with their communities, and with the Forest Service.  The National Forest Foundation aims to support partner organizations in their work with volunteers.

Tools and resources for Working with Volunteers:

Tracking In-Kind Contributions & Volunteer Time

FS Volunteer Reimbursement Update 2011

Ideas for Recruiting Volunteers

Examples of Agreements and Waivers:

Appalachian Mountain Club- Trail Adopter Agreement

Appalachian Mountain Club- Volunteer Staff Agreement

Appalachian Mountain Club- Volunteer Staff Agreement

The Wilderness Institute- Agreement for Non-Reimbursed Services

The Wilderness Institute- Acknowledgement of Risk

Need volunteers? This list is a great place to start brainstorming where to find them.

Peer Learning Session on "Working with Volunteers: Best Practices," held November 17, 2011

Working with volunteers for conservation is a crucial component of what many of our nonprofit, collaborative and agency partners do. In this session, the Keagan Zoellner with the Bob Marshall Wilderness Foundation shares their volunteer recruitment and retention strategies: mainly, treat your volunteers well; Alex DeLucia with the Appalachian Mountain Club shares his knowledge of the practical and legal aspects of training and working with volunteers; and Jim Shaklee with the Poudre Wilderness Volunteers shares their online web portal volunteer scheduling and reporting tool, which will hopefully be available in a new and improved version in early summer 2012.

• To view the recorded session, CLICK HERE.

If you are looking for a way to volunteer, visit the National Forest Foundation's Friends of the Forest directory of volunteer activities that take place on our National Forest lands.