Volunteer Programs

Volunteers become trusted companions to those navigating illness, aging, and other life transitions. Yet when loss and grief come into the picture, even the most dedicated volunteers can feel uncertain. They want to extend care, but they may not know what to say or how to respond.

Instead of worrying about saying the wrong thing, volunteers can develop the ability to respond with steadiness, compassionate presence, and practical support. How? By strengthening their grief literacy—the knowledge, language, and skills needed to care for people through loss. In doing so, they build the capacity to remain grounded, maintain healthy boundaries, and create connections while representing your organization well.

Overview

The Grief Literacy Program Kit is a pre-built, ready-to-use training and resource bundle designed to equip volunteers with beneficial skills for supporting people experiencing loss or transition. Centered on Kindred Grief Care, a community grief care guidebook, the kit includes facilitated discussion materials and curated resources.

Created by bereavement educator, author, and researcher Francesca Lynn Arnoldy, this program combines evidence-informed learning with actionable tools that organizations can immediately put into practice.

What Volunteers Gain

By completing the program, your volunteers will be prepared to:

• Recognize both universal and unique grief experiences
• Support various reactions and responses to loss
• Catch stories with increased sensitivity and skill
• Use language to connect and validate
• Strengthen trust within your care community

This thoughtful training also encourages continued engagement and commitment to service because volunteers feel more supported and confident in their role. Exceptional care begins with prepared volunteers.

Kit Contents

The Grief Literacy Program Kit provides everything needed to deliver meaningful grief literacy training while building a resource collection volunteers can return to long after the program ends. Ideal for onboarding as well as continuing education for volunteers (and staff)—helping your organization become an even stronger care web.

What’s Included:

1. A comprehensive training guide, including preparation tips, invitational language, facilitation strategies, and reflective discussion prompts.
2. A bulk order of Kindred Grief Care guidebooks (paperbacks or eBooks).
3. Master copies of handouts for organization-wide use: Compassionate Condolences, Practical Offerings, and Grief Visits.
4. Email support for planning and running grief literacy programming, because your success is the project’s success.
5. Optional add-on: A virtual workshop (“The Language and Listening of Loss”) with the author to deepen learning.

Kit Options

Choose the size that’s best for your organization.

*Need a tax-exempt payment link? Send a message through the contact form.

For Smaller Programs:

For Larger Programs:

Extend your Impact:

Have a wider reach with a special message. Gift customized books beyond your program/organization to network partners and donors.

• Paperback orders generally take 2-4 weeks to arrive. Custom message orders can take longer. A bonus eBook will be emailed sooner so your programming lead can begin reading and preparing.
• eBook orders are generally processed within 2-4 business days.
• Downloadable files will be emailed generally within 2-4 business days.

Looking for a Collaborative Experience?

Many organizations choose to complement their Grief Literacy Program Kit with live, virtual facilitation tailored to their team’s goals and context.

Customized programming can include:

• Facilitated book discussions
• Grief literacy presentations (“The Language and Listening of Loss”)
• Organization-specific alignment within program design

If you’re looking for a more supported approach, contact us to start the conversation.

Info Sheet

PDF to print/email (share with the volunteer services manager):

Ready to Strengthen your Volunteer Program?

We’d be happy to help you choose the right Program Kit for your organization, answer questions, or provide a tax-exempt payment link. Use the form below to get started. We look forward to welcoming you into the Community Grief Literacy network.