Description

Revised again by popular demand! Still the only book that addresses the top decision-maker's role in developing a strategy and resources for high-quality volunteer engagement. It explains fundamental subjects that must be considered at the top executive level, including developing a vision for volunteer involvement, creating policies and setting expectations, budgeting and finding funds to support volunteers, hiring the best staff leader, assessing the impact of volunteer contributions, and dealing with legal, risk management, and insurance issues.

What’s New to the 2010 Edition
Information on managing volunteer involvement during an economic downturn, dealing with resistance by middle managers, the evolving vocabulary of volunteerism, new types of volunteering such as online service and voluntourism, the difference between a wage equivalency calculation and the true value of volunteers to an organization, and much more.

A Primary Reference for the Certification in Volunteer Administration exam.

Wish you could get your boss to pay attention to volunteer management trends and issues? Maybe get him or her to read a volunteer program-related book (or even a chapter)? Learn a dozen strategies for gaining the attention and support of top agency administrators by downloading the free booklet, “Stalking the Elusive Executive.”

Coming Soon: Companion Toolkit
Put FTTD principles to work. Betty Stallings and Susan Ellis have produced a companion toolkit of examples, worksheets, checklists, and more to guide decision makers in implementing what they learn in From the Top Down. Pre-order  Leading the Way to Successful Volunteer Involvement: Practical Tools for Busy Executives at the same time you buy From the Top Down and save! Learn more about Leading the Way.

Table of Contents

View the table of contents

Readers' Reviews

This book is an invaluable guide to leading successful volunteer involvement from one of the leading volunteer management experts in the world. In this compelling third edition, Susan offers tools and resources to guide the development of a volunteer participation strategy from concept to reality. It is foundational reading for anyone who wants to engage volunteers in building organizational capacity and achieving impact.

— Michelle Nunn, CEO of Points of Light Institute and Co-Founder of HandsOn Network

This new edition of the classic From The Top Down is very timely and welcome. Susan clearly explains the issues and challenges involved in one of the most overlooked areas of volunteer management—senior level support for the volunteer programme. Susan  suggests practical actions for executives to tackle volunteer-related issues from the top, making this an essential resource for our field. I read this book in the early days of my career in volunteering and it remains with me to this day one of the “must read” books for anyone leading and managing volunteers and volunteer programmes.

— Rob Jackson, Director of Development and Innovation, Volunteering England
www.volunteering.org.uk

"If your volunteer program is losing steam, this book will get it rolling. If your program is thriving, this book will validate the good work already being done. Either way, the book is a winner."

— Front and Centre, January 1996

"An invaluable tool...gave me the insight as to how to work with current staff to accept the challenge of working effectively with new volunteers."

— Elliot Shelkrot, President and Director, The Free Library of Philadelphia

"...a comprehensive structured approach to designing and administering volunteer programs..."

— Foundations News

"A classic...should be read by both the executive director and coordinator of volunteers. Susan is simply one of the best writers and thinkers in the field."

— Celeste Wroblewski, Associate Director for Volunteer Development,
YMCA of the USA national office

"...should be required reading for agency directors and for those in the field looking to build credibility and speak the corporate language necessary to communicate our value to administrators."

— Karen King, Volunteer Manager, John Ball Zoological Garden

 

When you've completed the book, remember to submit a review!

Brief Excerpt

From: Keys to Success (pp. 10-11)

The first step to volunteer engagement success is vision. Volunteers can expand the horizons of your organization and your staff. Encourage volunteers to be creative and innovative partners in service delivery, and then expect the best. Self-fulfilling prophecy is a key factor. If your concept of what volunteers can contribute is limited, you will design a volunteering structure that indeed keeps achievement low. But if you are open to the potential of what might develop, you will find ways to encourage volunteers’ success.

The second step is commitment. You must have the conviction that volunteers are important—that they are the “nonsalaried personnel” of the agency. Volunteers are not “added spice” to your organizational mix; they are one of the main ingredients. As top executive, you can establish and enforce this premise throughout your organization.

As we will examine in the first chapter, it is important to have a clear understanding of why volunteers are valuable in your setting. Articulating the reasons for involving volunteers is an executive level responsibility, and it forms the foundation on which your organization will build its volunteer participation.

Concerned about whether you can view an electronic book?

Viewing the table of contents linked above is a good test to see if you can easily view electronic books. If you can successfully click on the link and open the table of contents, you should have no problem viewing the book. If you have problems, you probably need to install or upgrade Acrobat Reader. Click on the graphic below to download the latest version from the Adobe website. It is an easy download. They also have a support area if you continue to have problems with viewing.