This is a nice guidebook to being a volunteer manager and having a volunteer program. It covers topics like what might motivate different groups of volunteers (college-age, retiree, family, etc.); different types of opportunities for volunteers; how to plan and run a volunteer program, including working with the departments at your organization, forms to create, interviewing potential volunteers, onboarding a volunteer, and managing and retaining volunteers; and a few case studies that, while being extremely specific and not very generic situations that most people will have, do include a few ideas and "ah-ha"/"hmm...." moments.
The upsides:
- Sample documents, like job descriptions, internal volunteer request forms, volunteer evaluations
- Lists of questions to ask at volunteer interviews and evaluations
The downsides:
- It felt short and very surface-level. But...
Overall:
As I was reading this, I kept thinking, "Yeah, that's basic. But I want more. I wish this were more in-depth," but when I then tried to figure out what it was lacking and what I wish it had, I couldn't think of anything. So I guess this must be a really good resource! :)
I think if you're new to volunteer management (a new volunteer manager or your organization is beginning or tweaking your volunteer program), this is a good book to read. It will give you a good overview, things to do and not do, and ideas that you can implement or expand on for your site.
If you've done volunteer management in the past, or your organization already has a volunteer program, this can be used as a refresher, or even for additional ideas.
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Recruiting and Managing Volunteers in Museums: A Handbook for Volunteer Management, 2016
