Explore our favorite teaching tools.
Like our service projects, this list is continuously evolving. If you don't see your favorite books or websites, we welcome your suggestions in the comment section below.
Late Elementary
Peers, Cheers, and Volunteers by Danielle M. Chery, illustrated by Jamie Forbes (GP’s Honey Tomes, LLC, 2013). Malik’s isolating attitude takes a turn for the better when he meets Michael, a volunteer that encourages him to accept that people can care for him.
Kids Care
http://www.kidscare.org/
Encourages children to start Kids Care clubs, groups that work together to complete service projects. Different projects with step-by-step instructions and resources are posted on the website each month.
Young Adult
Volunteering Smarts: How to Find Opportunities, Create a Positive Experience, and More by Sandy Donovan (21st Century, 2012). Find volunteer opportunities that align with your interests, from writing to cooking to marketing by following the guidelines in this book.
Adult
365 Ideas for Recruiting, Retaining, Motivating and Rewarding Your Volunteers: A Complete Guide for Non-Profit Organizations by Sunny Fader (Atlantic Publishing Company, 2010). Ensure that your volunteers keep volunteering by following the suggestions outlined in this book.
Citizen You by Jonathan Tisch and Karl Weber (Crown: 2010). Tisch and Weber offer practical tools, inspirational examples, and the simple, philosophical assertion that changing the world isn’t the dream of an 18-year-old but a way of living our daily lives.
Chicken Soup for the Volunteer’s Soul: Stories to Celebrate the Spirit of Courage, Caring and Community by Jack Canfield et al (Backlist, LLC, 2012). Stories from people who have volunteered with large organizations such as Big Brothers, Big Sisters and Habitat for Humanity, as well as smaller organizations.
How to Make the World a Better Place: 116 Ways You Can Make A Difference by Jeffrey Hollender with Linda Catling (W.W. Norton & Co., 2013). Learn what needs to be done in your community and around the world and how you can make it happen.
The Volunteer Management Handbook: Leadership Strategies for Success edited by Tracy D. Connors (Wiley, 2011). Ensure that your volunteer organization can last by carefully planning important but overlooked aspects such as staff analysis and policy making.
Network for Good
http://www.networkforgood.org/
Search for volunteer opportunities or organizations in need of charitable donations. Network for Good also features several innovative and convenient ways to donate, including “good cards,” monthly giving, and the ability to initiate a fundraising campaign for a favorite charity by creating a “charity badge” that can be posted online.
Corporation of National and Community Service
http://www.nationalservice.gov/
Ever wonder how involved your state is with volunteering? Find statistics and research as well as resources about volunteer opportunities for your geographical location.
Points of Light
http://www.pointsoflight.org
Provides links to volunteer opportunities meant to help strengthen communities.
VolunteerMatch
http://www.volunteermatch.org/
Search engine that connects individuals to volunteer opportunities that can be done in-person as well as virtually.
