Toolkit for Working with Rural Volunteers

"A one-of-a-kind toolkit needed by rural organizations to build sustainable volunteer management infrastructure."

The OSM/VISTA Teams completed a pioneering three-year research project on rural volunteerism throughout Appalachia and the Rocky Mountain West with funding from the Environmental Protection Agency's Office of Wetlands, Oceans, and Watersheds. After engaging in place-based research in 34 rural communities, we created the Toolkit for Working with Rural Volunteers to share approaches to volunteer recruitment, management and retention that are successful in rural settings. It also contains one-of-a-kind tools needed by rural organizations to build sustainable volunteer management infrastructure.

Case Studies

The following pages give a brief overview of 25 practices selected as successful volunteer management strategies and the trial practices conducted by other organizations.

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Each page offers a full case study featuring:
-Snapshot of the area served by each organization
-Contact information
-Detailed accounts of the needs being addressed
-Explanation of the planning process from inception to implementation
-Analysis and recommendations from real organizations after an entire year of work
-Useful planning documents and resources provided by participating organizations

Not sure where to start? Complete this quiz to identify practices that meet your needs.

Appalachian Coal Country Team
2795 Robert C Byrd Drive, Beckley, WV 25801

Western Hardrock Watershed Team
701 Camino del Rio Suite 101, Durango, CO 81301

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