Overview
Volunteer Models and Management introduces and defines the concept of volunteer management to establish a foundation of relevant management definitions, business model comparisons, and how they interrelate with the concepts of volunteer and volunteerism.
Chapter 1 introduces and defines the concept of volunteer management to establish a foundation of relevant management definitions, business model comparisons, and how they interrelate with the concepts of volunteer and volunteerism. The authors provide an important and fundamental definition of volunteer management as ‘‘the systematic and logical process of working with and through volunteers to achieve the organization’s objectives in an ever-changing environment.’’ Historical models of volunteer management are explained, with attention paid to their major contributions to theory and practice, culminating in an in-depth description of the PEP model of volunteer administration: (personal) preparation, (volunteer) engagement, and (program) perpetuation. The authors conclude the discussion of volunteer resource management models by identifying and sequencing competencies and management activities, urging that as practices change—as they inevitably will to reflect changes in the operating environment for NPOs—degree and certification programs should incorporate these changes into their curricula to ensure relevancy and high levels of individual preparation for the workforce.
Contributors
Dr. Dale Safrit
R. Dale Safrit, Ed.D. is a professor, Director of Graduate programs, and Extension specialist in the Department of 4-H Youth Development and Family & Consumer Sciences at North Carolina State University where he coordinates the Master’s program in Family Life and Youth Development, provides leadership to staff development for 4-H Extension field faculty, and teaches graduate courses in youth development leadership. His applied research focuses upon continuing professional development for nonprofit staff, mainly working with community youth development programs. He currently serves as the editor of The International Journal of Volunteer Administration, and is co-author of the book, Developing Programs in Adult Education: A Conceptual Programming Model (2002, Waveland Press, Inc.) as well as author or co-author of more than 85 peer reviewed articles in scholarly and professional journals. Dale has presented invited sessions at 12 International Conferences on Volunteerism, as well as in 41 of the 50 United States, four Canadian provinces, and 14 other countries.
Dr. Ryan Schmiesing
Ryan Schmiesing, Ph.D. is the Director of Programs for the Ohio Community Service Council. In this role, Dr. Schmiesing works collaboratively with community-based organizations to identify and support national service and volunteer programs to strengthen individuals, families, and communities. For thirteen years, Ryan worked for the Cooperative Extension Service on the county, state, and national level with his primary focus being on volunteer and program risk management, volunteer administration, and organizational management. Previously, Ryan has served as an Assistant Professor at The Ohio State University with his research and scholarly interests focusing on effective risk management strategies for youth organizations and volunteer administration competencies for Extension professionals and other non-profit organizations. He has presented workshops and seminars on these and related topics across the United States and abroad. Dr. Schmiesing currently serves as the Associate Editor for the International Journal of Volunteer Administration.