To give a boost to managers of volunteers and the projects they lead, the Volunteer & Community Resource Center (VCRC) once again is offering the Florida Volunteer Administration Certification program.

“Volunteers form the backbone of so many agency projects in Martin County,” said Carol Hodnett, director of VCRC, a program of United Way of Martin County. “If you think of volunteers as unpaid staff, then you understand how important it is to have an effective manager to lead them.”

This six-week certification program includes a series of courses developed by the Points of Light Foundation. It includes these modules:

• Volunteer Program Management.

• Volunteer Program Planning.

• Volunteer Recruitment and Placement.

• Volunteer Training.

• Volunteer Supervision.

• Volunteer Program Evaluation.

The next round of training runs 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. each Thursday from April 13 through May 18. Classes will be held in the training room of the Martin County Sheriff’s Office Administrative Annex, 1823 SE Airport Road, Stuart.

Cost of the program is $240 for the instruction, materials and certification. The cost of an individual course is $50.

This is will be the fourth class of certification students. Past participants have included representatives from agencies as varied as Big Brothers Big Sisters, the Council on Aging, the American Red Cross, the Florida Oceanographic Coastal Center, the 20/200 Fellowship, the Martin County Literacy Council, and Hobe Sound Child Care Center, among others 

For more information, please contact Carol Hodnett at (772) 220-4472, ext. 221 or chodnett@martinvolunteers.org.

Information and a registration form can be found at www.martinvolunteers.org/certification.