Resources for Managers of Volunteers
Welcome to the VolunteerMaine Resource Center.
Managers of volunteers will find a series of materials to help you do your job well.
If you just want the bare bones, then check out the "Need to Know Basics." - Looking for something more substantial? Look at the "Volunteer Management Competencies Resource List."
- For broader topics in Non-Profit Management, check out this site's Library.
- Read our Blog for what's happening in Maine.
- Ask for advice or give advice to a colleague using the online Peer2Peer Forums .
What is Volunteer Management?
Managing volunteers is often an invisible role in nonprofit organizations, or it is a small part of someone's overall responsibilities.
In recent years, volunteermanagers have begun to assert themselves, gaining the attention and respect of agency directors and other department heads.
The field of volunteer management includes the most obvious functions of recruiting, matching, and managing individuals who contribute to the work of a nonprofit at every level - from clerical an dhousekeeping functions to leadership roles at the board level.
Often, today, managers of volunteers run projects and programs; they support their program with technology; they manage risk and develop policies and procedures.
Increasingly, managers of volunteers, whethr paid or unpaid, are becoming leaders in their agency and in their communities. As more agencies calculate the value of volunteer time, they recognize that they could not operate without the commitment of their volunteer force.
What is the profession of Managing Volunteers?
With leadership from the Association for Volunteer Administration (AVA) over the past 25 years, the profession of managing volunteers has gathered steam. Realizing that the skills and knowledge of managers of volunteers are similar, if not the same, as other professionals, practitioners and academics began a systematic process of creating competencies for managers of volunteers.
Starting with a fundamental Code of Ethics, the Council for the Certification of Volunteer Administration has developed sets of competencies that include ethics, advocacy, human resources, operations, and leadership.
Many who are experienced in the field and who are considered experts by their peers have spearheaded a movement that includes many options for self-study and support from peer networks.
VolunteerMaine will provide resources and peer connections to encourage managers of volunteers to advance their own professional development in our field .