Volunteer Management Resources & Helpful Links

Energize, Inc. is an international training, consulting and publishing firm specializing in volunteerism. Founded in 1977 by Susan Ellis, Energize assists organizations of all types with their volunteer efforts--whether they are health and human service organizations, cultural arts groups, professional associations, or schools. The Energize website provides a wealth of resources to volunteer managers and anyone interested in learning more about volunteerism. Library area with articles and complete electronic books available for free; annotated links to website containing information on everything from statistics on volunteering to service in specific settings. (www.energizeinc.com)

Court Appointed Special Advocates - This site has an extensive section on Volunteer Management (Volunteer screening, recruitment, interviewing, evaluation, retention, etc.) which, although written for CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocates), is great material which can be adapted to nearly any organization. Much of the material was written by Steve McCurley and Rick Lynch. (www.casanet.org)

Idealist’s Volunteer Management Resource Center - Contains an encyclopedic array of resources, best practices, networking opportunities, and professional development links for anyone involved in the administration of volunteers. (www.idealist.org/en/vmrc/index.html)

CyberVPM - International discussion group for volunteer managers. Debate the topic of the moment, share resources, get answers to your volunteer management questions and find a community of support for those challenges and triumphs unique to volunteer management. (http://groups.yahoo.com/group/cybervpm)

Service Leader - Wide range of information on volunteer management and virtual volunteering from the RGK Center for Philanthropy and Community Service at the LBJ School of Public Affairs at the University of Texas at Austin. (www.serviceleader.org/new/managers/index.php)

Betty Stallings - Betty Stallings, M.S.W., is an international trainer, consultant, author and keynote speaker specializing in volunteerism, nonprofit fundraising, board development and leadership. Download free training design that offers a complete strategy for fostering organizational commitment to the volunteer program.  Begin by assessing your volunteer program and staff training needs, then explore exercises and strategies to build commitment within all levels for your organization. (www.bettystallings.com)

Coyote Communications - Great listing on sources of volunteer management software. (www.coyotecommunications.com)

Best Practice Toolbox - The UPS Foundation created this Best Practices Toolbox to help nonprofit organizations exchange successful practices and tools. UPS wants to share the best strategies and models available, and encourage the replication of them throughout the nonprofit community. Find tools designed to more effectively manage volunteers and produce measurable results for communities in need. (http://community.ups.com/philanthropy/toolbox.html)

Best Practices for Developing a Volunteer Program - Online, ten-section guide from the Maryland Governor’s Office on Service and Volunteerism, produced by seasoned practitioners from the volunteer management field. Through their years of experience, useful lessons have been learned and are now being shared to help you develop a successful volunteer program. This manual provides an outline of how your colleagues throughout the state of Maryland have developed their volunteer programs.
(www.gosv.state.md.us/volunteerism/bestprac/sec00.htm)

Independent Sector serves as the premier meeting ground for the leaders of America's charitable and philanthropic sector. Since its founding in 1980, IS has sponsored ground-breaking research, fought for public policies that support a dynamic, independent sector, and created unparalleled resources so staff, boards, and volunteers can improve their organizations and better serve their communities. Click on the Research button to find the dollar value of volunteer time. (www.independentsector.org)

Local Resources

Center for Nonprofit Management - Mission is to foster healthy neighborhoods and communities by improving the performance of nonprofit organizations addressing critical issues and serving underserved populations. For 30 years, the Center for Nonprofit Management has stood as the premiere resource for the Southern California nonprofit community. By providing assistance in a variety of areas, the Center has supported thousands of organizations as they meet the needs of their communities. (www.cnmsocal.org)

California Association of Nonprofits - CAN's mission is to protect and promote: (1) the influence, accountability, and effectiveness of California nonprofits in a manner that builds their capacity to accomplish their missions and (2) the visibility, idealism, and value of nonprofits in California. (www.canonprofits.org)

Hands On Santa Clarita – Mission is to provide support and resources to build non-profit capacity and connect local non-profit organizations with volunteers, groups, and businesses to meet the needs of the community. (www.volunteerinscv.org)

Long Beach Nonprofit Partnership - Mission is to impact the Greater Long Beach community by strengthening nonprofit organizations through leadership, education and collaboration. (www.lbnp.org)

Professional Development

Two organizations have emerged to fill the void created by the dissolution of AVA (Association for Volunteer Administration):

AL!VE (Association of Leaders in Volunteer Engagement), formerly The Congress of Volunteer Administrators Association, is now formally incorporated and serves to enhance and sustain the spirit of volunteerism in America by fostering collaboration and networking, promoting professional development, and providing advocacy for leaders in community engagement. (www.volunteeralive.org)

Association of Volunteer Resources Management - AVRM incorporated on March 5, 2007 and is taking steps to become an official tax-exempt, nonprofit organization. The primary goals of the new association will be to support and serve the professionals who work in volunteer resources management (VRM) through advocacy, educational programming and the provision of resources that meet the needs of the diverse field of VRM. (www.avrm.org)

Certification in Volunteer Administration

Council for Certification in Volunteer Administration - The "Certified in Volunteer Administration" (CVA) credential is offered for practitioners in volunteer resources management. Originally developed by the Association for Volunteer Administration, the program is now sponsored by the Council for Certification in Volunteer Administration (CCVA). Visit the website for detailed information. (www.cvacert.org)

Certified Administrator of Volunteer Services (CAVS.) CAVS status provides both internal and external rewards. CAVSs enjoy the pride of recognition of being among the elite in a critical field of healthcare.  And CAVS is a premier credential based on a sound assessment that provides distinction in an increasingly competitive marketplace. This program is administered by the American Hospital Association Certification Center. (www.aha.org/aha/Certification-Center/CAVS/index.html)

Publications

e-volunteerism: The Electronic Journal of the Volunteer Community containing numerous articles that cater to volunteer leaders/managers who want to go beyond the mundane in the volunteerism field. e-Volunteerism is a quarterly "publication," and is spearheaded by internationally-known volunteerism consultants, Steve McCurley and Susan J. Ellis. (www.evolunteerism.com)

Nonprofit and Voluntary Sector Quarterly: Academic journal of research in the volunteer sector. Published by the Association for Research on Nonprofit Organizations and Voluntary Action. (www.arnova.org)

Volunteer Today: The Electronic Gazette for Volunteerism. The mission of Volunteer Today, an electronic gazette is to provide free of charge information on the engagement of volunteers through (1) pertinent information on recruiting and engaging volunteers; (2) information and promotion on professional development opportunities for those who work to engage volunteers. Monthly updates on the topics of management, supervision, recruitment and training. (www.volunteertoday.com)

Charity Channel: Volunteer Management Review e-newsletter. The effective management of volunteers is critical to leveraging these essential strategic resources by nonprofit organizations and institutions, yet is often relegated to second-thought status by senior managers and boards. The original articles contributed to Volunteer Management Review by in-the-trenches CharityChannel colleagues collectively provide the best practices for volunteer resources management.(www.charitychannel.com)

Chronicle of Philanthropy: The Chronicle of Philanthropy is the newspaper of the nonprofit world. It is the No. 1 news source, in print and online, for charity leaders, fund raisers, grant makers, and other people involved in the philanthropic enterprise. (www.philanthropy.com)

Nonprofit Times - As The Leading Business Publication for Nonprofit Management, The NonProfit Times, published 24 times a year, will provide you with hard hitting, and useful information on the business of managing your nonprofit organization. Subscribe to either the Magazine, or the eNewsletters. (www.nptimes.com)