Volunteer Training and Resources

Thank you for volunteering to deliver interactive online health lessons. Your passion for helping others and your gift of time is supporting the American Heart Association’s mission to be a relentless force for a world of longer, healthier lives. With your help, this information will engage and motivate communities to create a culture of health and help fight heart disease and stroke, two of our nation’s leading killers. 

There is no experience needed to become a facilitator. All talking points and resources will be provided, so a health background is not required.

Volunteer time commitment

• About 4-5 hours of prep before the AHA interactive training session

• 60-minute live kick-off /Q & A Session with AHA staff before lesson delivery begins

• 30-minute weekly office hours with AHA to answer questions (optional)

• Delivery of at least two health lessons with a partner (health lessons take 60 minutes to deliver and about 30-45 minutes to prepare)

Overview of everything you need to sign up and start delivering the health lessons

• Download volunteer checklist

NOTE: Be sure to prepare any questions you may have as you review the materials. We will offer three options for attending a mandatory interactive kick-off/60-minute Q&A session before volunteers begin delivering the lessons.

Complete steps 1-3 three weeks before lessons begin

Step 1 – Review the pre-selected health lessons and resources.   

The EmPOWERED to Serve health lessons offer a way to engage and motivate communities to create a culture of health. Twelve science-based resources cover two essential areas: health education and community advocacy. These 60-minute lessons engage communities and motivate people to create an enduring culture of health where the healthy choice is the easy choice. Volunteers will need to review the pre-selected resources for the online health lessons including lesson plans, PowerPoint presentations, host notes/chat prompts and other resources for each topic using the links below. (Estimated time commitment: two hours, work at your own pace)

IMPORTANT: If you hear questions from participants that you cannot answer because they are not included in the training materials, please refer individuals directly to the AHA resources provided in the presentation materials or the Host Chat Notes. If the answer is not found in the presentation resources, please encourage participants to contact the American Heart Association’s National Engagement Center at 1-800-AHA-USA-1 or their health care professional. The National Engagement Center team provides answers for more than 300,000 people each year. If someone asks a question that indicates they may be experiencing a health emergency, please advise them to call their doctor or 9-1-1.

Step 2 – Attend one of the mandatory 60-minute AHA-led kick-off/Q & A sessions.

• Please prepare any questions you have after reviewing the resources for the lessons.

Step 3 –Using the sign-up sheet sent to you, volunteer to lead health lessons that fit your schedule. Lessons will be led in pairs. You may sign up with a partner or wait and see if someone signs up to lead a lesson with you. Please note that time slots with only one presenter 48 hours before a lesson will be canceled.

Volunteers can also schedule additional lessons for groups or organizations interested in a private session.

*Note Be sure to connect with your partner to determine who will complete Step 4 and set up the webinar. 

Complete steps 4-6 one week before lessons begin

Step 4 – Set up webinar. Once you’ve signed up, you or your partner need to set up the webinar in Zoom for the selected date/time of your lessons. Zoom is the preferred platform because it provides options to participate on a computer or a phone as well as a “listen-only” mode. Below are instructions on how to get started with Zoom, set up lessons, lead a webinar, pull attendee lists and troubleshoot potential issues.

• Zoom  Webinar Tutorial- Part 1
  
  
• Zoom Webinar Tutorial - Part 2
  
  
• Zoom instructions (PDF)

IMPORTANT: Once you set up a webinar, send the registration link to [email protected] so the link can be placed on the website. Updates to the class schedule will be made on a weekly basis.

Step 5 – Attend one of the AHA weekly office hours sessions (calendar requests will be sent for these sessions before the lessons start.)

Step 6 – Schedule a rehearsal in Zoom with your partner and complete at least three days before your first scheduled lesson

The purpose of the Zoom rehearsal to review roles and responsibilities for the presentation.

For example:

• Who will share their screen and monitor the chat?

• Who will do the intro?

• How will you divide up the presentation between the two presenters?

Tip: Log in about 20 minutes before the health lesson to test sound, video and ability to share your screen with the health lesson presentation. Make sure you click the boxes to share your computer sound and optimize screen sharing for video clips. Then click “share screen.” Test your sound, unmute yourself, start your video. You may use your regular background or add a virtual background. Practice: Run through the start of the webinar, any transitions between speakers, sharing your screen and video and transitioning to the Q&A.

Complete steps 7-9 within 48 hours of completing an online lesson

Step 7 – Prepare follow-up email using the provided template and send to attendees 24 hours after a lesson is delivered. The template will be emailed to you once you are signed up to deliver an online lesson.

Step 8 – Pull an attendee list and send the follow-up email (follow-up email is in development) (including survey link) to all attendees who signed up for the class.

Step 9 – Email your notes to [email protected] with any questions, concerns and feedback.