What is volunteer program management? Volunteer Canada tells us:
At its most basic level, volunteer management is the selection, supervision and engagement of volunteers. But it’s much more than that. Volunteer management opens an organization to the community and allows citizens to get involved.
Managers of volunteers ensure the well-being and happiness of an organization’s volunteers. They keep volunteer programs effective and engaging.
You will require the skills and abilities to define projects; plan the work; manage issues, risks, communication, documents, program quality and volunteers; just to name a few. This set of skills required by yourself and your team will change according to the organization’s mission and vision.
Project success can be measured by whether the objectives are met and if the people involved found it rewarding.
Many individuals serving on local Boards and Executives do not think of themselves as volunteer managers, but if you reflect on the number of volunteers required for special events such as tournaments or meets; or the number of volunteer coaches and assistants in an organization, you quickly realize that the term applies.
By incorporating basic strategies in this section, you can increase the efficiency and professionalism of your organization.
Whether you are a fully volunteer association, or have staff as part of the team, the topics covered in this section will.
Resources
- Volunteer Alberta: Volunteers
- Volunteer Management Handbook: A Resource for Service-Providing Organizations Assisting Newcomers to Canada
- Volunteer Canada - Volunteer Management
- Alberta Culture and Tourism - Board Development Program
- Charity Village: Management
- Volunteer Management Professionals of Canada
- Energize: Resources for Involving Volunteers Successfully
- Points of Light Foundation
- Purdue University: Psychology Volunteering and Psychological Health
- How to Create a Volunteer Handbook for your Non-profit
- Guelph General Hospital Volunteer Orientation Handbook - example
- Developing a Management Plan: Section 1 - Community Tool Box
- Providing Support for Staff and Volunteers Section 2 - Community Tool Box
- Promoting Internal Communications: Section 4 - Community Tool Box
- Day to Day Maintenance of an Organization: Section 5 - Community Tool Box
- Providing Support for Staff and Volunteers: Section 3 - Community Tool Box