Free Nonprofit Tools–With Love, VolPro

The Top Line:

Ah, it’s too bad Valentine’s Day only happens once a year. Here at VolunteerPro, we love helping nonprofits and volunteer organizations elevate programs and accelerate growth through our world-class training and professional membership community. We don’t need an excuse like Valentine’s Day and the loving month of February. Now’s the perfect time to share that love with all our followers with free nonprofit tools, downloads, and templates from the VolPro vault.

We hope that you’ll find great value in each of these resources, and we’d love to hear how you use each one to benefit your own volunteer program. Let us know with an email to wecare@volpro.net!

Read on to Discover:
Volunteer Management Progress Report
Miracle Mindset Worksheet
The (Deceptively) Simple 2-Page Plan For Volunteer Managers
The Quick Guide to Amazingly Simple Volunteer Impact & ROI
Volunteer Resourcing Plan Template
How to Overcome a Dysfunctional Board Webinar
Volunteer Interview Questions Cheat Sheet
The Amazingly Simple Volunteer Training Evaluation Worksheet
The Goal Cascade Worksheet

Free Nonprofit Tools from VolPro for You!

Freebie: 2025 Volunteer Management Progress Report

We start this list labor or love with a biggie – the 2025 Volunteer Management Progress Report! This annual report, now in its tenth year, is the largest crowdsourcing of data for volunteer administration in the world. It gives nonprofit organizations the tools to compare progress and improve community engagement practices. These invaluable insights will help leaders of volunteers make informed decisions in a rapidly shifting environment.

Download your own free copy of the 2025 VMPR today – simply click HERE to start your download!

Freebie: Miracle Mindset Worksheet

There are many things we can’t change in the world, but one thing we definitely have control over…our mindset. Especially at nonprofits, our mindset pervades how we budget, set resources, staff projects (both volunteer and paid), and approach things in general.  

Negative mindsets impact our own self-care. Rather than seek new ways to solve problems and get work done through the engagement of community volunteers at all levels, we do more with less. In other words, we work unreasonably long hours and sacrifice self-care. The result is burnout and high turnover.  

This isn’t good because your nonprofit has so much important work to do! So, with this freebie, we want to help you evaluate where you are right now with our Miracle Mindset Worksheet.

Click HERE to download your free copy of the Miracle Mindset Worksheet and begin working in the right frame of mind! 

Freebie: The (Deceptively) Simple 2-Page Plan For Volunteer Managers

This free nonprofit tool is designed to help you quickly strategize for the coming year. Just as importantly, it helps you share them with others to inspire buy-in and enlist active participation.   

There is a time and place for massive 20-page strategy plans, with 30 pages of appendices (hello, project implementation plans!), but this is not that. The secret sauce in this freebie is simplicity.  

With this worksheet, you’ll create a two-page focused overview of what you will achieve together with your volunteer team. Then you can share that overview to help generate excitement and momentum for where your team is headed. Because after all, the more people understand your strategic goals, the more likely they’ll want to support them. 

Helpful Tip

When drafting your goals and outcome indicators, remember the SMART-ER acronym. Evaluate each goal you set against the following criteria and make adjustments to strengthen it. 

Consider whether your goals are … 

• Specific – Is the goal focused on one clear objective that all parties understand? 
• Measurable – Are the results quantifiable and objectively verifiable? 
• Attainable – Is the goal realistic? Are resources available to achieve it? Are people committed to it? 
• Relevant – Does the goal offer relevant information to the process and its stakeholders? 
• Time-bound – Is the goal attached to a time frame within which progress will be measured? 
• Evaluated – Will the goal measure what it was supposed to measure? Is it a well-calibrated “stretch” goal? 
• Re-evaluated – Do you have a plan to revisit the goal to ensure it still works in the current context, and whether it’s still a priority?

Ready to dive into strategic planning? Download The (Deceptively) Simple 2-Page Plan for Volunteer Managers to create and communicate an easy-to-understand plan that will generate excitement and momentum!

Freebie: The Quick Guide to Amazingly Simple Volunteer Impact & ROI

Return on investment (ROI) is simply a ratio used to calculate the benefit an investor (or organization) receives in relation to their investment cost. The higher the ratio, the greater the benefit earned.

When applied to volunteer services, it takes into account the costs to support volunteer engagement and programming, and benefits gained through volunteer involvement via time, talent, and financial contributions.

This may sound a little complicated. Good news: VolPro created The Quick Guide to Amazingly Simple Volunteer Impact & ROI to you get started!

Nine Smart Reasons to Track ROI

• Deeply assess your organization’s assets and liabilities
• Determine the impact of program changes
• Justify investments in improving volunteer coordination
• Identify specific areas for volunteer appreciation
• Demonstrate effective use of contributions
• Provide evidence of community in-kind support for grant proposals
• Paint a more complete organizational picture
• Market the volunteer function inside and outside the organization
• Remove some of the guessing game & build trust

Use the tips in this guide to help you check each one of those bullet points – download today to get started!

Freebie: Volunteer Resourcing Plan Template

Having a plan for your volunteers is one of the most important aspects of being a volunteer management professional. BUT, with the many hats, the fires, and the burnout, you may find yourself stretched to the limit already.

You want your volunteer program to be rock solid. Therefore, you need a tested system to use (rather than starting from scratch). That’s where the Volunteer Resourcing Plan Template comes in.

Plan Your Volunteer Goals in the Following Areas

• Episodic/Event Volunteer Goals
• Ongoing Volunteer Roles
• Agency Volunteer Roles

Ready to proactively map your goals and roles for volunteers in the coming year? Download this easy-to-use template to start getting your plan out of your head and down on paper!

Freebie: How to Overcome a Dysfunctional Board Webinar 

Shout out to all the nonprofit executives and board members. This freebie is just for you!  

We know that nonprofit board members are often overlooked and underserved as part of the volunteer team. We recognize, however, your HUGE effect on the success of an organization’s fundraising and strategic decision-making.

So, we’ve partnered with our friends over at the Nonprofit Leadership Lab to bring you a unique free webinar: How to Overcome a Dysfunctional Board.

VolunteerPro’s own Tobi Johnson volunteered as a board member. This webinar covers some of the hot-mess issues she’s experienced firsthand. Thankfully, it’s designed to provide nonprofit leaders with everything to build a high-functioning board. If you seek a board that aligns with your organization, has a passion for your mission, and a full understanding of its role and responsibilities, this webinar is for you.

Ready to move your board from hot-mess to high-functioning? Register for this free webinar and pick the time that works best for you.

(Note: As an affiliate, VolunteerPro may make a commission on some of the resources offered by The Lab.)

Freebie: Volunteer Interview Questions Cheat Sheet

So, your team has been absolutely rocking new volunteer recruitment, and now it’s time to do some volunteer interviews. Excellent!

Now you can use one of VolPro’s handy free nonprofit tools – the Volunteer Interview Questions Cheat Sheet – as a guide in your next one-on-one. This tool helps you to better understand the motivations, skills, capabilities, and interests of prospective volunteers. Moreover, it allows you to ensure they are a good fit for your organization. 

This cheat sheet gives you the top ten questions to ask potential volunteers. Additionally, it shows you how to start your next interview the right way. 

Click HERE to download your free copy of the Volunteer Interview Questions Cheat Sheet for your next round of interviews! 

Freebie: The Amazingly Simple Volunteer Training Evaluation Worksheet

Instructional design research shows that satisfaction does not necessarily indicate learning. In other words, you can’t assume that just because volunteers rate your training highly, they are actually learning the skills that can help them be successful during volunteer events, projects, and shifts.

As an alternative to more traditional ratings, VolPro has designed the Amazingly Simple Volunteer Training Evaluation Worksheet based on the Kirkpatrick Model of Training Evaluation. The evaluation outlines four levels at which the effectiveness of training modules can be assessed.  

You can use this tip sheet to gather feedback, document your learning assessment goals, and plan your levels of training evaluation to ensure a positive return on your training investment.

To download your own Amazingly Simple Volunteer Training Evaluation Worksheet, simply click HERE!

Freebie: The Goal Cascade Worksheet

Managing volunteers in nonprofit organizations can be challenging. Ever wondered where your community, program, and organization goals intersect?

Look no further. This easy Goal Cascade Worksheet will help you:

• Decide on a definitive direction for your volunteer program that coincides with your agency’s goals
• Simultaneously address goals that both your volunteers and communities have
• Take the necessary action to get started

To prioritize your goals using this simple worksheet, click HERE! 

Final Thoughts on Free Nonprofit Tools:

At VolunteerPro, our love for empowering nonprofits is year-round. Now’s the perfect time to spread the love by diving into our free tools, downloads, and templates designed to help your organization thrive every day of the year. Once more, let us know how VolunteerPro can help you build, grow, and scale the volunteer program at your organization – simply email us at wecare@volpro.net!