Book Recommendations: The “Art” of Volunteer Management
Now we want to hear from you, since a blog is all about interaction. So we’ll pose a question that we plan to continue as a feature of this blog:
What book that is not specifically about managing volunteers has helped you most in your work?
To put it in another way – we all know volunteer management is as much an art as it is a science. You can have a targeted recruitment campaign, airtight interviewing and screening, and a perfect policy and procedure manual…and still have reluctant or dismissive paid staff, personality clashes and power plays among volunteers, and a headache at the end of the day. What books have helped you with the “art” of successfully leading volunteers, even if the author didn’t know that would be what you would take away?
Here are some starter suggestions, along with links to where you can learn more about each book on Amazon.com.
In her newest book, Visionary Leadership in Volunteer Programs, volunteer management pioneer Marlene Wilson recommends several books that helped maintain her passion for service and leadership in difficult times:
Energize president Susan Ellis likes Roger von Oech’s A Whack on the Side of the Head: How You Can Be More Creative
And I, personally, would recommend Peace Is Every Step: The Path of Mindfulness in Everyday Life
Please share your favorite book that helps with the “art” of volunteer management in the comments.
Hi Lori, and thanks for your recommendation! I have also read and enjoyed “Now, Discover Your Strengths” and agree that it’s a great book for VMs. You make a really important point about a strength being something you love, not just something you do well…the topic of pro-bono, skills-based volunteering is really “hot” right now, but it’s also important to remember that volunteers may want to do something completely different from their paid jobs in their volunteer roles.
Best,
Lindsay
Energize Bookstore Manager
Without a doubt, Marcus Buckingham’s, “Now, Discover Your Strengths” continues to make a huge impact on my management philosophy. The basic premise; “Instead of focusing on weaknesses and trying to improve them, focus on what makes you special and unique. A strength is something that makes you feel strong. Not simply something you do well.”
Many times folks are stuck in a 40+ hour a week job simply doing what they do well. They don’t love it, but they are good at what they do so they stay and collect a paycheck. They come to me (or any volunteer manager) looking for an opportunity to use their strengths in a volunteer role. They may not articulate it in these words, but the desire to do something that strengthens them is often a driving force to get involved in volunteering.