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Volunteers: How to Get Them, How to Keep Them

Volunteers: How to Get Them, How to Keep Them

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Item Description

Finally, a practical, down-to-earth guide that offers real advice on solving your volunteer shortage. Whether yours is a large international association or a local food pantry, volunteers are the lifeblood of your organization. You rely on volunteers to carry out projects, head up task forces, coordinate events and eventually become the future leaders of your organization. Just as an airline must understand the needs and desires of its customers or lose them to another carrier, you must understand and meet the needs of your volunteers, or they will take their time and talents to someone else who will. Volunteers: How to Get Them, How to Keep Them outlines 12 fundamental needs of volunteers and clearly spells out how to meet those needs. Rich with examples and useful tools, this book is a quick read that you will find yourself referencing again and again. Find out how to: Compete for volunteers Recruit the best person for the job Ensure projects are completed on time Equip new volunteers to hit the ground running Manage volunteers (versus managing employees) Fire a volunteer Keep your best volunteers coming back . . . and more! The perfect gift for your favorite nonprofit and the perfect reference book for every volunteer, volunteer officer, board member, committee chair, local leader and paid staff in all types of nonprofits Trade associations Professional societies Business and civic organizations Charitable organizations Alumni associations Religious and community organizations Education and research foundations A must for every leader in your organization!

Product Details

  • Author: Helen Little
  • Publication Date: 1999-09-01
  • Publisher: Panacea Press
  • Product Group: Book
  • Manufacturer: Panacea Press
  • Binding: Paperback, 128 pages
  • Package Dimensions:
    • Dimensions: 820L x 540W x 40H
    • Weight: 35
  • List Price: $24.95
  • ISBN: 1928892019
  • ASIN: 1928892019

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Customer Reviews

Average Amazon User Rating: Average rating: 4.5 stars

2 stars False advertising 2009-01-02

Reviewer: Cynthia McAlister

As a new Outreach Coordinator for a small non profit, I am looking specifically for information on how to recruit volunteers. The title suggests this book is the one, and other reviewers found it helpful. But, I'll just say, it is not about recruiting, it is about managing volunteers. After a very short Chapter 1 discussing the "myth" of the volunteer shortage, the author tells us "the remainder of the book is dedicated to helping" us recognize and meet the needs of my volunteers. Humm, a very misleading title! I wish I had found it in the library, then I'd have known it was not the book I needed without paying for it.

4 stars A Good Start but Rather Brief 2008-10-19

Reviewer: Lisa Shea

Helen Little has created a nice, although slim, book on how to manage volunteers. She breaks the task out into these sections:

* creating a specific task with start and end
* make sure task matches their interests
* make sure task has value
* write down instructions
* provide deadline
* have open time to task completion
* provide all supplies for task
* train the person
* have comfortable work environment
* follow up with the task
* give feedback
* show appreciation to the person

Helen provides tips on each stage here to help you get through it in a healthy way. For example, she says to recruit people individually, not en masse for a new task. Different volunteers will have very different needs, such as social networking, skill learning and recognition. Helen suggests you always praise publicly and criticize privately.

Finally, Helen provides two case studies that show a project done poorly, then a project done well. Both are real life situations and help to emphasize her points.

The book is helpful as far as it goes, but is very brief. There are other books which go into these tasks in much more detail. This is a good starting book for someone just learning the ropes, but most people will want a more thorough book in their library to handle a wider variety of situations.

2 stars You don't need this book, I promise 2008-04-28

Reviewer: J. Berndt

Unless you've never been a volunteer, never worked with a volunteer, and/or never heard of the word "volunteer", you do not need this book. First, this should cost about $5, as it is essentially an overgrown pamphlet. It contains great insights like "get name tags!" and "seat people with vision trouble near the front". Really?!?

I have no idea why the other reviews were so high. Maybe those of us in non-profits are too nice... I don't know... but I guarantee that no one with previous experience in volunteer management found this book worth the purchase price.

5 stars A volunteer leader MUST READ 2007-12-14

Reviewer: Vincent Socci

Wow, what a concise and comprehensive approach to volunteer recruiting and development! I was looking for guidance to find and develop new volunteer leaders for several organizations. I've read good reviews about this book, so I gave it a shot. I was IMPRESSED! You can read through this book overnight and apply the practices the next day. I am already reaping the fruit. This was just what I needed.

4 stars Sound advice 2007-05-21

Reviewer: Stephen Reid

"Volunteers - how to get them, how to keep them" offers sound and down-to-earth advice on what to do and how to do it when you want to run a volunteer-driven enterprise. The relatively short book (117p) packs in a good bunch of tips & tools. The book has no ambition in being an academic treatise on the subject.