Developing and Managing Volunteer Programs
© Copyright Carter McNamara, MBA, PhD, Authenticity Consulting,
LLC.
Adapted from the Field Guide to Leadership and Supervision in Business
and Field Guide to Leadership and Supervision for Nonprofit Staff.
The Library topic is called "Developing and Managing Volunteer Programs" to emphasize that, for the organization and its volunteers to benefit the most from each other, volunteers should be managed as part of an overall, systematic program, somewhat similar to the systematic approach that should be used to managing employees. Certainly there are differences between how employees and volunteers are managed, but the differences are probably much less than most people realize.
The following links are to sections in this overall topic and the sections are organized in the order in which they might be needed in an organization that is starting a volunteer management program -- the order of the links themselves suggest the systematic nature of a well designed volunteer management program. Organizations that already have established programs can use this overall topic by going directly to the sections that are relevant to current priorities in their current program. The links below present a wide variety of perspectives and materials about volunteer management programs/systems.
Sections of This Topic Include
Planning Your Volunteer Program
Considerations in Establishing or
Modifying Volunteer Management Systems
Online Tutorial About Volunteer Management
Programs
Role of Volunteer Managers
Staffing Analysis (Deciding Whether Volunteers
Are Needed)
Legal and Risk Considerations
Policies and Procedures
Volunteer Job/Task Descriptions
Operating Your Volunteer Program
Volunteer Recruitment
Screening Volunteers
Selecting ("Hiring") Volunteers
Orienting and Training Volunteers
Supervising (delegating, evaluating,
addressing issues, rewarding, etc.)
Volunteer and Staff Relations
Assessing Your Volunteer Management Practices
Additional Information
Virtual Volunteering
General Resources
Also consider
Related Library Topics
Learn More in the Library's Blogs Related to Volunteers and Volunteer Programs
In addition to the articles on this current page, also see the following blogs that have posts related to Volunteers and Volunteer Programs. Scan down the blog's page to see various posts. Also see the section "Recent Blog Posts" in the sidebar of the blog or click on "next" near the bottom of a post in the blog. The blog also links to numerous free related resources.
Library's
Human Resources Blog
Library's
Leadership Blog
Library's
Supervision Blog
PLANNING YOUR VOLUNTEER PROGRAM
Designing and Operating Your Volunteer Management System
Considerations in Establishing or Modifying Volunteer Management Systems
Note that the extent to which an organization develops and
implements a volunteer management system depends on the nature
of the activities to be conducted by the volunteers. For example,
an organization that uses many volunteers, some of whom directly
serve people, will probably use a very comprehensive system. In
contrast, an organization that occasionally uses volunteers to
stuff envelopes, might do a brief solicitation to recruit any
volunteers that the organization can get and then do a very brief
training, afterwards leaving the volunteers alone to perform their
task.
Definition of Volunteer
Rethinking Volunteer Engagement
Managing Volunteer Boundaries
Are Nonprofits Keeping Up With the New Volunteer?
Guide To Volunteering
The concept of micro-volunteering gains momentum
Volunteer Recruitment and Management
Online Tutorial about Volunteer Management
Volunteer Program Management Mini-University
Role of Volunteer Managers
The primary role of the volunteer manager is to establish and
operate the volunteer management system.
Susan
Ellis' resources for volunteer managers
Volunteer
Managers and the Time Management Trap
Resources and Research for Volunteer Managers
Staffing Analysis (Deciding Whether Volunteers Are Needed)
Staffing analysis includes the activities to examine what expertise
is needed to achieve the business and/or strategic goals of the
organization. Then the types of needed expertise are further examined
in order to discern which types might be provided by paid employees
and by volunteers.
Also consider the topic for employees: Workforce
planning (including succession planning)
Legal and Risk Considerations
There are a variety of types of legal and risk considerations
when using volunteers in an organization, eg, what insurance is
needed, what rights to volunteers have in the workplace, what
employment laws also apply to volunteers, and how can you ensure
that volunteers act ethically, etc. The reader will get a more
clear understanding of legal and risk considerations by reading
the topics in the following section about management policies
and procedures.
Federal
Law Protects Nonprofit Volunteers
Myths of Risk Management: Part 1
Myths of Risk Management: Part 2
Myths of Risk Management: Part 3
Insuring
Volunteers
Policies
Policies are general guidelines that personnel can reference
in order to make decisions and get guidance on how to act in certain
situations, eg, a policy about dress codes. Procedures are specific
step-by-step directions regarding completion of a specific task,
eg, powering up a computer. Policies help ensure that volunteers
are supervised and that they act according to a legal, ethical
and organizationally-preferred manner in the workplace. Policies
are often in regard to, eg, definition of volunteer, rights and
responsibilities, confidentiality, background checks, safety,
record keeping, conflict-of-interest, dress codes, orientation,
training, supervision, evaluations, corrective actions, etc. The
astute reader will recognize that the policies in regard to volunteers
are very similar in nature to the policies for employees.
Benefits
of Policies
Policies and Procedures for Volunteer Programs
Know Your Boundaries
Volunteer Job/Task Descriptions
You should be clear about what you expect from each of your volunteers. Volunteers
deserve to know what you expect from them, as well. To recruit volunteers for
a specific role or job, you will need a clear job description from which to
develop the advertisements and to show to any potential candidates. Therefore,
each volunteer should have a job, or task, description. The description should
specify at least whom the volunteer reports to, any general duties and responsibilities,
and any specific tasks to perform. Job descriptions might include additional
information, eg, level of expertise and education needed for the job, minimum
requirements of expertise, etc.
Sample job description
Guidelines and Sample Job Description
How to Write a Job Description That Your Volunteers Will Love
Managing Volunteers: Writing Useful Job Descriptions
Volunteer Job Description Worksheet
Also consider the topic for employees: Specifying
Jobs and Roles (analysis, description and competencies)
Also consider the topic for employees: Job
Descriptions
OPERATING YOUR VOLUNTEER PROGRAM
Volunteer Recruitment
Recruitment usually involves identifying the most likely sources of suitable candidates for volunteer positions, how to approach those sources, and then approaching each source. Sources might include, eg, advertisements in the newspaper, word-of-mouth of employees, recommendations from clients, online (or virtual) sources, professional placement advisors ("headhunters"), volunteer fairs (events in which many organizations that need volunteers attend to recruit volunteers), etc. Candidates who are interested in certain positions often complete an application form, including providing a resume.
General Guidelines
Successful Recruitment Techniques
Recruiting Boomers, Gen-Xers, and Millennials
Big Brothers/Big Sisters: A Study of Volunteer Recruitment and Screening
Advertising
Characteristics of Good Recruitment Message
7 Super Steps to Recruit Volunteers
Online Recruitment
10 Reasons Why You Need to Recruit Online Volunteers
Also consider the topic for employees: Recruiting
(sourcing and advertising)
Recruiting
and Engaging Volunteers Online
Screening Volunteers
Each potential candidate for a volunteer position is usually screened. The extent of screening for each position depends on the nature of the tasks to be performed by the volunteer, eg, whether the volunteer will be working directly with people in a health facility, etc. Screening often involves carefully examining each application, conducting background checks (eg, to verify information in the resume, identify any legal problems, etc.), and interviewing the most suitable candidates.
General Guidelines
Screening and Selecting Volunteers: Powerful Ambassadors
or Massive Headaches?
How to conduct volunteer screening
Also consider the topic for employees: Screening
Applicants
Application forms
The
Volunteer Application Form
What should not be on an application?
Background Checks
Criminal Records Checks for Prospective Staff
and Volunteers
Volunteer Background Checks: Giving Back Without
Giving Up on Privacy
Interviewing
Screening and Interviewing Volunteer Applicant
Volunteer Screening: The Interview
Also consider the topic for employees: Interviews
Selecting ("Hiring") Volunteers
After candidates have been screened, ideally there is one candidate
that seems to be the most suitable for each unfilled volunteer
position. Each suitable candidate should be formally (or officially)
approached with an offer letter that describes the terms that
the organization is offering and the activities that the organization
wants the volunteer to conduct. The offer might include any benefits,
eg, free trainings, use of facilities for private use, etc.
Sample Volunteer Contract
How to Identify Great Volunteers
Also consider the topic for employees: Selecting
(Hiring) New Employees
Orienting and Training Volunteers
If the nature of the volunteer's work is very basic and routine,
then a volunteer might require only a very basic and general introduction
to the organization and task they are to complete. In contrast,
if the nature of the volunteer's work is rather complex, eg, supervising
patients in a particular setting in a health facility, then the
volunteer will likely require a complex orientation to the organization
and also training about, eg, policies and procedures, how to respond
to particular situations, when to ask for help, how to use certain
facilities, etc.
Volunteer Training and Development Got You Down? Consider Going Online
Also consider the topic for employees: Employee
Orientation Programs
Also consider the topic for employees: Training
Basics for Supervisors and Learners
Supervising Volunteers (Retaining, Feedback and Motivation, Evaluating, Rewarding, and Firing Volunteers)
Supervision includes a variety of activities, eg, establishing goals with the volunteer, observing the volunteer's activities to achieve the goals, providing guidance so the volunteer achieves the goals effectively and efficiently (ie, has strong "performance"), evaluates the volunteer's performance, rewards strong performance, addresses any performance issues, and fires the volunteer, if necessary. Some supervisors are also closely involved in staffing analysis, development of job descriptions, recruiting, selecting, and orienting and training, as well. The activities to establish goals and provide guidance are usually considered to be the activities of delegation. If the goals are specifically assigned to the volunteer, with little or no involvement from the volunteer, and the supervisor closely watches the volunteer (rather than generally guides them) and provides specific directions, then those activities might more aptly be described as work directing, rather than delegating.
Supervision and Delegation
Supporting, Recognizing and Challenging Volunteers
Seven Steps to Effective Volunteer Support
How to Get the Best from Your Volunteer Workforce
Purposefully managing projects: Using project
management principles to manage volunteers and expectations
Management
and Supervision
Volunteers, Part I: What Makes them Stay?
Volunteers, Part II: What Makes them Leave?
Strategies for Dealing with Unreliable Volunteers
Setting Goals for Your Volunteer Program
5 Critical Questions for Your High Performing
Team of Volunteers or Employees
Also consider the topic for employees: Delegating
Also consider the topic for employees: Establishing
Performance Goals
Retaining Volunteers
Volunteer
Retention
Manage Staff and Volunteer Turnover
Also consider the topic for employees: Retaining
Employees
Giving Feedback and Motivating
Also consider the topic for employees: Observation
and Feedback
Also consider the topic for employees: Coaching
Also consider the topic for employees: Morale
(Boosting)
Also consider the topic for employees: Motivating
3-Step Communications to Re-engage Volunteers
Motivating and Thanking Volunteers
Evaluating
Also consider the topic for employees: Evaluating Performance
Rewarding
Matching the "Thank You" to the Volunteer
Twenty Great Ways to Reward Volunteers
Also consider the topic for employees: Rewarding
Performance
Addressing Performance Issues
When is a Volunteer Burnt Out?
Also consider the topic for employees: Performance
Plans
Also consider the topic for employees: Recognizing
Performance Problems ("Performance Gaps")
Also consider the topic for employees: Performance
Improvement / Development Plans
Firing
When and How to Fire a Nonprofit Volunteer
How and When to Let a Volunteer Go
Dealing with Difficult Volunteers
Also consider the topic for employees: Firing
Employees
Volunteer and Staff Relations
Sometimes employees and volunteers can perceive themselves
to be so different from each other that they spend little time
together, don't communicate between each other, and eventually
experience conflict between each other.
How to Deal With Conflict
Reducing conflict between staff and volunteers
Assessing Volunteer Management Programs
To ensure that the volunteer management system remains high-quality,
including that the organization and its volunteers are benefiting
a great deal from their relationship, it's necessary to regularly
assess the quality of each activity (eg, developing job descriptions,
recruiting, training, supervising, etc.) to conclude if the activity
is being conducted effectively and efficiently. Results of this
overall evaluation should be used to adjust activities. Thus,
the cycle of the volunteer management system starts over again.
Volunteer
- HR Management system audit
Developing a volunteer program: Initial assessment
Virtual Volunteering
Virtual volunteering is when the volunteer provides their donated
services entirely over the Internet or from a home computer. Information
about virtual volunteering can be about the entire range of activities
in a volunteer management system.
Virtual
Volunteering
Virtual Volunteering Research
Virtual
Volunteering Guidebook
Wikipedia
entry regarding Virtual Volunteering
General Resources
Susan
Ellis' comprehensive Volunteer Management Library
Ellis'
extensive list of general resources
International Center
for Volunteer Effort
Volunteer Today Volunteer Resources
VolResource
Volunteers of America
Points
of Light Foundation
Innovations in International Youth Volunteering
For the Category of Human Resources:
To round out your knowledge of this Library topic, you may
want to review some related topics, available from the link below.
Each of the related topics includes free, online resources.
Also, scan the Recommended Books listed below. They have been
selected for their relevance and highly practical nature.