Books

Presents a step-by-step framework for creating a team approach to volunteer management, includes how to map the boundaries of the leader's job and clarify expectations, find administrative volunteers and put them to work in vital ways, and share ownership and the work of the volunteer involvement with everyone in your organization. Includes an appendix of electronic volunteerism resources and a detailed task analysis of what it takes to lead volunteer involvement successfully.

Paperback/Kindle version is available for a cost on Amazon: US | UK

Over the course of training more than 20,000 leaders of volunteers, volunteer engagement experts Steve McCurley and Sue Vineyard gathered this collection of odd ideas and useful thoughts about running a volunteer engagement program, including subjects such as recruiting, screening, interviewing, and supervising volunteers. In their words, the book “is, quite simply, a place to start from, a place to browse in, and a place, finally, to steal [ideas] from.”

A continuation of the previously published 101 Ideas for Volunteer Programs. Steve McCurley and Sue Vineyard collect even more practical ideas for engaging volunteers and, this time, include thoughts on improving the role of director of volunteer involvement: problem-solving skills, time management ideas, training techniques, and ways to manage organizational change.

Similar to the previously published 101 Ideas for Volunteer Programs, this book presents hundreds of ideas and thoughts, often in the form of lists, about fundraising (and friend-raising), all collected by Steve McCurley and Sue Vineyard, experts in volunteer engagement. 

A resource for training volunteers to develop analytical and problem-solving skills, this book is a compilation of realistic situations that volunteers may face while volunteering. Leaders of volunteer involvement can use the case studies to prepare volunteers via group discussions or role playing.

The authors explore workplace-based volunteering by profiling the efforts of several corporations promoting community involvement, employee volunteering within small businesses, and volunteer involvement in labor unions. These profiles represent a variety of approaches, each respecting its individual organizational culture while responding to community needs and practicing social responsibility.

A collection of volunteer engagement ideas including techniques for working with volunteers, leading engagement programs, and understanding the context of volunteerism in the U.S. and Canada during the 1990s.

Hundreds of ideas for recognizing the work of volunteers and thanking them for their contributions. Plus a discussion of what effective recognition really entails.   

This book was removed from the archive since it is still available for sale.   You can purchase at:  http://lindagraff.ca/books.html#BeyondPolice

Helps employees and volunteers work together successfully by exploring the reasons for conflict between volunteers and employees. Scheier eases the all-too-common stresses of this relationship with a step-by-step process for analyzing tasks and work preferences for both paid and unpaid staff. Offers a great number of creative and practical solutions. Contains lots of useful planning guides.

From the preface: The authors of this book are social scientists with practical and tested strategies for rebuilding collaborative communities. An important feature of this book is that the authors are not prescriptive-they don't tell you what should be done; they are descriptive - they tell you what has been done that you can draw on. They are reporting on their own action research, done while serving as consultants to eighty-eight communities. From this rich experience they are able to portray a variety of strategies adaptable to a variety of situations.

This is the story of a young girl's search to discover what exactly is a volunteer. Written for elementary-aged children, the book explores the concepts that the image of volunteering can differ greatly, and the opportunities to help our community are endless.  

By the People remains the only book available presenting the full scope and depth of volunteer activity throughout three centuries of American history. Originally published in 1978, Susan Ellis and Katie Campbell reissued this revised New Century Edition in 2005. The book challenges misunderstandings about the role of volunteers and illuminates the impact of volunteers throughout history.

This Self-Assessment Process is an organizational change management tool for guiding staff, leadership, board, and other volunteers to examine the effectiveness of volunteer engagement. The Kit contains a Team Leader's Resource Book, a Team Member Book, and a survey.

How to incorporate  children into an adult volunteer program and find creative ways to use  children's fresh perspectives. Includes examples of actual volunteer  projects accomplished by youngsters, models of child-adult teams and  tips on family volunteering.  Learn how to recruit, train and design  assignments for volunteers under the age of 14. 

An interactive group activity for religious leaders for analyzing how their congregations work, conducting an organizational analysis of their organization, and identifying areas that deserve further attention. Though The Church Puzzle Game uses the word ‘‘church” in its title and instructions, the content of the Game was written with the intention to help any faith community, religious body, or house of worship.

Written in 1960 primarily for the volunteer but also for professional social workers and those who work in the social realm, this book presents a collection of writings exploring the facets of volunteer service at the time. Contributors include executives, supervisors, professors, volunteer involvement directors, and individual volunteers themselves and, therefore, offering diverse points of view.

A toolkit from which to draw strategies for dealing with the many types of difficult behavior that can be exhibited by volunteers.

This short booklet outlines a five-step process to design volunteer engagement programs to be more attractive to volunteers. Author Nancy McDuff presents the methods for conducting a needs assessment, setting objectives, arranging and planning activities, developing an administrative plan to support new volunteer involvement, and evaluating the overall program. 

The 1989 edition of Steve McCurley and Rick Lynch's basic text on operating all facets of volunteer involvement. 

The first booklet in PROVOL's Volunteer Management Made Easy Series, which includes: Research, Recruit, Retain, and Recognize.  This booklet on Research covers the work to be done before that new volunteer walks through the door for the first time, even when the pressure to recruit new volunteers can be pretty intense.

Exploring Volunteer Space: The Recruiting of a Nation is Ivan Scheier’s exploration of the universe of volunteering. Ivan ponders much of what volunteering can be and a great deal of what would happen in volunteering in the future. While Exploring Volunteer Space is a highly conceptual work, it has great and continuing relevance to practitioners who think about the development of volunteer engagement.

A handbook developed for Volunteer Centers, offering tools needed to add family volunteering to existing community involvement activities. There are tips and tricks for every Volunteer Center, from inviting families to join single days of service to creating an entire mission for promoting volunteering by families.

Contains 117 formatted, ready-to-print and copy pages, each about a specific volunteering subject such as working with volunteers, the history of volunteering, and trends in volunteerism. The KOPY KIT also includes a section of ready-to-use graphics including "thank you" and "we miss you" letters, certificates and awards, recruitment flyers and even greeting cards.

This book shows how private citizens and public agencies can work together to provide a wide range of public services -- from neighborhood crime watch to mental health assistance. It describes effective methods for managing volunteer programs sponsored by public agencies, and demonstrates how volunteer programs can enhance the quality and impact of government services. 

Steve McCurley and Sue Vineyard take a lighthearted look at some of the most common volunteer performance problems and deliver some serious solutions. The book assess es the extent and root causes of problems. Examples range from the "Somewhat Annoying Volunteer" with poor interpersonal skills to the "Dangerously Dysfunctional Volunteer," posing risk concerns. Sample volunteer policies directly related to handling problematic volunteer situations are included.

The second booklet in PROVOL's Volunteer Management Made Easy Series, which includes: Research, Recruit, Retain, and Recognize.  This booklet on recruiting advises us to forget outdated perceptions of volunteers and, then, presents a process of recruiting for skills and talents necessary to meet our agencies' needs in a timely and effective manner.

This book for churches points out common problems congregations face when it comes to member involvement and service, establishes management principles, answers questions, and offers a plan to turn the volunteer challenge into a reality. It's written from a Christian perspective.

Each section of Leading the Way focuses on a key aspect of involving volunteers in which it is crucial for executives to take a lead role, such as fund development, planning and policy development, and evaluation. Checklists, worksheets, idea stimulators, real-life examples, self-inquiry assessments, and other practical tools can be used immediately to guide planning and decision-making. 

Making Dreams Come True without Money, Might or Miracles caps Ivan Scheier's long career as philosopher, provocateur, and conscience of the volunteer field.   He urges us all to nurture dreams--our own and those of others.  But this is also a practical, you-can-do-it guidebook for activist volunteers and their mentors, showing what dreamers and "Dream-Catchers" must do to bring dreams to life; how to look beyond money as a need, obstacle or trap; ways to get past barriers, bigots, and anchors; how to create a dream-friendly environment; and what makes dreams die...and what makes them live.   

Nearly 70 tools to help evaluate volunteer involvement in an organization including the plans, volunteers, the organization, the people involved, and the manager of volunteers.  Other key subjects include diagnosing organization norms, the potential for successful change and for fundraising success, hidden problems, meetings, climate health, responsibilities and job stress.

A step-by-step guide to the basic elements of a volunteer recordkeeping system. Includes the why and how of application forms, volunteer data files, assignment records, time and activity reports - for individual volunteers, groups, and off-site service, too. Lots of sample forms, ideas for documenting hard-to-track activities, and ways to demonstrate the work you do in managing volunteer involvement.

Essays written by leading authors in the volunteer world in 2002 about "what was on their mind."   Authors included are: Cara Blank, Susan J. Ellis, Melissa Eystad, Andy Fryar, Linda L. Graff, Stephen McCurley, Ivan H. Scheier, Betty Stallings, Sue Vineyard and Bill Wittich. 

This book is an update of the classic Beyond Banquets, Plaques & Pins. Vineyard describes how to tailor recognition ideas to fit the "achievers," "affiliatiors," and "empowerers" in an organization. Outlines 10 keys to recognizing volunteers, including being timely, creating an appreciative organizational climate, and embracing diversity. Ends with a list of actions to say thank you.

The purpose of this Resource Kit was to provide leaders and managers of volunteers with a succinct, practical guide to the fundamentals of developing a volunteer program.  It has lots of sample forms. This guide covers the 3 R's of Volunteer Management: READY?- RECRUIT and RETAIN, and an appendix which includes a section for local resource information on volunteering and an extensive annotated bibliography on books, videos, and publications in the field.

A landmark book on the application of management principles to administration of volunteer programs.

The Volunteer Management Audit is a unique tool for analyzing the effectiveness of an organization's approach to and procedures for involving volunteers. It's designed to be administered by a team of staff and volunteers. The Audit provides a step-by-step guide to planning, conducting, and following-up the assessment process, with complete Scoresheets and instructions. 

The book first shows how to design the best assignments for volunteers as the initial step to recruit the most qualified people. What follows is a wealth of information on topics ranging from how your organization's image affects your success in recruitment to where to look for new volunteers, including your own backyard. The Volunteer Recruitment (and Membership Development) Book also offers a whole chapter on membership development for all-volunteer organizations, including how to get current members "off the rolls and on their feet." The Appendix,"Outreach in Cyberspace," explains the Internet as a powerful recruitment tool. 

12 ready‑to‑deliver training sessions to teach paid staff the fundamentals of working with volunteers. Each training module is designed for delivery in 55 minutes of staff time. Each electronic module comes with: a complete PowerPoint® presentation; a timed script for the trainer highlighting “4 Key Concepts” on each topic; suggestions for expandable group activities; handout masters ready to duplicate, including a workshop evaluation form; and more.  The 12 topics range from Designing Positions to Volunteer Recognition.