Book Clubs: Not Just for Neighbors Any More!

We all know that volunteer engagement is rapidly changing. So it is critical that volunteer administrators continue to grow, learn new things, share ideas, and identify trends when it comes to professional development and staying relevant.

You may be surprised, but one way to do this is to take an old idea and give it a new twist: start a professional book club. In this Training Designs, authors Mary Ella Douglas and Melissa Gilmore share what they’ve learned about professional development through their efforts to create and sustain a book club. While a book club provides an incentive to read, the authors explain that it can also encourage discussion and networking while enhancing skill sets that are useful in volunteer management. The authors provide lessons learned, tips on developing a book club, and book club selections for this new twist on professional development tools.