Volunteer Oxford to Host Nonprofit Training Seminar

A Lafayette County Literacy Council volunteer reads to children during the Martin Luther King, Jr. Day of Service. / Photo Courtesy of Volunteer Oxford

By Kelly Graeber, Volunteer Oxford Director

Email Kelly Graeber at volunteer@oxfordms.net

Many nonprofits know first-hand that operating on a shoestring budget, or even on no budget at all, is the norm for their organization.

Volunteer Oxford wants to provide a breath of fresh air for community organizations by providing trainings at little or no cost to local community partners. The community volunteer center will host its first-ever webinar, led by Jimmy and Tonja Caldwell of Caldwell’s Management Services, on Thursday, March 21 at 10 a.m. for all local nonprofits and organizations with volunteer needs. The free webinar is open to all community organizations and nonprofits and will focus on How to Develop a Sustainable Volunteer Management Program.

Volunteer Oxford, the Lafayette-Oxford-University community volunteer center, is teaming up with Caldwell’s Management Services to offer this training and others in the near future in order to provide training opportunities for community organizations at little or no cost.

Photo Courtesy of Volunteer Oxford

“Many other volunteer centers across the state of Mississippi are providing trainings such as this to community partners because it is an integral part of the volunteer center network statewide,” said Kelly Graeber, Director of Volunteer Oxford.

In this content driven webinar, participants will learn from presenters Jimmy and Tonja Caldwell the four best practices for developing and organizing a sustainable volunteer program: how to develop policies for your volunteer program, how to design volunteer roles/jobs, how to recruit and retain volunteers, and how to recognize volunteers by matching motivation to rewards.

“Volunteer Oxford’s mission is to develop, promote and support volunteerism for the Lafayette-Oxford-University community. To fulfill this mission, nonprofits and community organizations need access to trainings such as this to better perform their daily tasks when relating to volunteers, engaging the general public in service and sustaining their organization’s volunteer base,” said Graeber.

Seminar presenter Tonja Caldwell, a Certified Nonprofit Accounting Professional with over 15 years of small business and nonprofit experience, sees the need for trainings like this. She says it is a necessary tool for nonprofits and community organizations with volunteer needs to have in order to thrive and be successful.

“Whether you are managing volunteers in a nonprofit, church, civic group, serving on a nonprofit board, or leading service projects in the community, this training is for you,” said Tonja Caldwell. “In this program participants will learn how to maximize one of their organization’s most valuable assets—volunteers.”

Interested community organizations or nonprofits can still register to sign up for this free webinar before Thursday. Deadline for registration is 9 a.m. Thursday morning. To sign up, call Volunteer Oxford at 662-236-6662 or email volunteer@oxfordms.net.

For more information on area volunteer opportunities or future trainings, contact Volunteer Oxford today or visit us online at www.volunteeroxford.org.

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