Volunteer Management

by Steve McCurley

Acclaimed as the Bible of the Volunteer Management field , and used in dozens of college and university Non-Profit, Volunteer, and Public Administration programs. This is the textbook on the subject; the authors are consulting and speaking, worldwide, and are widely regarded as the go to people on all aspects of Volunteer Management.
This comprehensive text shows how to involve volunteers in agencies, and covers all the basic information plus special features on supervision, problem volunteers, and more. There is a large reference section, and more than 100 reproducible checklists and assessment tools.
PARTIAL TABLE OF CONTENTS
1.Planning a High-Impact Volunteer Program 2.Creating Motivating Jobs 3.Recruiting the Right Volunteers 4.Screening and Interviewing 5.Supervising for Maximum Performance 6.Evaluation, Positive Corrective Action and Termination 7.Retention and Recognition 8.Volunteer-Staff Relations 9.Risk Management 10.Measuring Volunteer Program Effectiveness
EXCERPT FROM THE BOOK Creating Motivating Jobs
An organization that has interesting and productive positions to offer will have an easy time attracting and keeping volunteers. Too many organizations, instead, provide unsatisfactory work experiences and then have an impossible time retaining volunteers. In such cases, staff may regard volunteers as unreliable. The problem of badly designed volunteer work is seldom diagnosed.

434 pages, Paperback

First published May 1, 1997

Reviews

[CTEP]

This is not your traditional book club book. Yet, I sat down with a nice cup of tea on a cozy rainy day and read “Volunteer Management: Mobilizing all the Resources of the Community.” It definitely falls into the genre of “textbook reading,” but as our program at Wilder grows, I have found myself in the position of managing new volunteers. I was unprepared for this task and have no prior experience, so for the sake of professional development and giving a new opportunity my best shot, I sat and read 236 pages on volunteer management. Because our program is run mainly by volunteer support, I thought it a good investment to our program.


I wouldn’t recommend this book to anyone who isn’t interested in volunteer management, as it doesn't carry an interesting plot nor character development. I would recommend this book for a good overview of how to work with volunteers from planning/recruiting, interviewing, supervising, recognition, etc. divided into 17 chapters. Whichever topic you are interested in, there is a few pages that you could skim through. It helped answer and solve some of my specific questions, such as, “What do I do when a volunteer isn’t meeting program expectations?” or “How do I keep volunteers engaged in between volunteer opportunities?” It will serve as a great reference guide to volunteer management.

[Russ · Rating 3 out of 5]

I remember this being helpful and informative. Easy to read for a textbook. Good lessons on the importance of applying basic management principles to the supervision and engagement of volunteers.

[Cara Lynn]

Read for class

[Island Connect Consulting · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Third Edition (2011; ISBN 978-1-895271-63-8) may be difficult to find in print, but is worth tracking down (or ordering the e-book version from Energize, Inc.) as expands upon this Second Edition significantly.