Free volunteer training that actually sticks.
Interactive courses on keeping people safe, leading well, and serving with heart — with animations, real scenarios, and a certificate when you pass. Assign them to your volunteers, or take them yourself. No cost, no catch, no expiration.
Built for both sides of great volunteering
Whether you run the program or show up to serve, there’s a path here for you.
For nonprofit leaders
Turn “we should train our volunteers” into done — for free.
- Assign the right courses to the right volunteers — child safety for youth programs, elder care for senior visits.
- Get notified the moment a volunteer passes a course and earns a certificate.
- Build a documented, certificate-backed training record for your program.
For volunteers
Grow your skills and show what you know — on your own time.
- Search the whole library and pick what matters to your role.
- Build a personal learning plan and work through it at your pace.
- Collect certificates you can share — proof you take your service seriously.
Start with a favorite
Deep, genuinely useful courses — with animated graphics, real-life scenarios, and expert-sourced videos.
Child Abuse Prevention Awareness
Recognize abuse, set safe boundaries, and protect the children your organization serves.
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Elder Abuse Prevention Awareness
Recognize, prevent, and respond to the abuse, neglect, and financial exploitation of older adults.
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Developing Patience with Children
Stay calm, respond with intention, and build the patience that helps children thrive.
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Patience & Compassion with Older Adults
Serve older adults with patience, dignity, and genuine connection.
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Volunteer Screening Fundamentals
Build one consistent, fair, defensible screening process — and use it for every volunteer.
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Volunteer Coordinator Certification
Master the full volunteer lifecycle — from planning roles to measuring impact — and earn your certificate.
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Explore every topic
219+ courses across every part of running — and serving in — a volunteer program.
Why is it free?
Because nonprofits shouldn’t have to choose between training their people and their budget. Safer, more confident volunteers make stronger communities — and that’s a mission we’re glad to fund. The training is free forever; VolunteerBadge simply also offers $5 background checks when you’re ready to screen. No bait, no switch.
Questions, answered
Is the training really free?
Yes — 100% free, forever. Every course, quiz, and certificate is free with no credit card, no trial, and no upsell to “premium.” We build it as a genuine resource for the nonprofit community.
How do certificates work?
Finish a course and pass the short exam (you can retake it as many times as you like) and you earn a shareable Certificate of Completion with a verification ID. Download the PDF, share the verification page, or click Add to LinkedIn to prefill Licenses & Certifications — you confirm it in LinkedIn.
Can I assign courses to my volunteers?
Absolutely. Share a course link, or point volunteers to the Academy, and they can complete training on their own time. Volunteers with a VolunteerBadge portal can search courses, build a learning plan, and track their certificates — and you’re notified when they pass.
Who writes the courses?
Each course is researched and grounded in reputable sources — government agencies, sector bodies, and established nonprofits — and cites them. They’re practical and interactive, not dry slideshows.
Do I need a VolunteerBadge account?
No account is needed to take a course and earn a certificate. An account simply unlocks extras like assigning training, tracking your team, and the $5 background checks.
Start training today — it’s on us
Pick a course, learn something that matters, and earn a certificate. Free forever, for every volunteer and every nonprofit.