Executive Director, Role of

For volunteers to be most successful, they must be fully integrated into an organization -- and that means it is critical for senior-level managers to be engaged in laying the foundation for volunteers. So this section of the library is about what it needed from agency executives (and what usually cannot be done by a volunteer resources manager alone) to set policy, allocate resources, train staff, and more to support volunteer involvement.

Related Topics: Volunteer Resources Manager, Role of | Employee/Volunteer Relations | Policy Development | Preparing for Volunteers
Advocacy for Volunteer Involvement: The Role of Funders, Susan J. Ellis
After dismissing docents, Hirshhorn starts new program to encourage their return, Peggy McGlone, The Washington Post

How NOT to work with volunteers.

Arts & Culture Leadership: Four Action Steps to Create a Stronger Board, Wyona Lynch-McWhite
Beyond Common Sense: Volunteer Management as a Specialty, Susan J. Ellis
Boards of Directors: Governing at a Distance?, Susan J. Ellis
Breaking through the Glass Ceiling for Volunteers, Susan J. Ellis
CEO as Board Chair: The Nonprofit Ethicist Just Doesn’t Like It, NPO Quarterly

Precise ethical reasoning as to why an executive director should not be a member of a nonprofit board of directors

Clarifying Expectations on Both Sides, Eileen Hammond, 64-66, Directory of Social Change
Common Sense and Volunteer Involvement, Susan J. Ellis
Consultation/Listening, Debra Allcock Tyler, It's Tough at the Top: The no-fibbing guide to leadership, Directory of Social Change
The Correlation between Time Donors and Money Donors, Susan J. Ellis
Creating a Statement of Philosophy on Volunteer Engagement, Betty B. Stallings with Susan J. Ellis, Energize Inc.
Designated Liaison Staff in Each Work Area, Susan J. Ellis and Rob Jackson, pp. 86-88, Energize, Inc.
The Difference Between Needing and Wanting Volunteers, Susan J. Ellis
Divining a Skills Set, George Weiner, The NonProfit Times

A Volunteer Management Perspective on Boards of Directors

Do Volunteers Pose Greater Risks Than Paid Staff?, Linda Graff, pp. 13-14, Linda Graff and Associates Inc.
The Domino Effect of Setting Goals for Volunteer Involvement, Susan J. Ellis
Don’t Forget Volunteers as Part of the Solution to 2017 Nonprofit Challenges, Susan J. Ellis
Education through Celebration on International Volunteer Managers Day, Susan J. Ellis
End-of-Year Reports Can Illuminate Volunteer Achievements, Susan J. Ellis
The Fair Labor Standards Act and Other Obstacles to Progress, Susan J. Ellis
Fighting against Ignorance: Picking up My Sword Yet Again, Susan J. Ellis
Get the Most Support: Blending Money, Things, and People, Susan J. Ellis
Give Volunteers a Voice, Susan J. Ellis
I'll Never Understand Why Executives Still Don't Understand, Susan J. Ellis
In the Middle: The Leader of Volunteers as Intermediary, Susan J. Ellis
It's Volunteers and Money, Susan J. Ellis
Leader or Liability: Are Leaders Sabotaging Volunteer Engagement?, Andy Fryar
Let's Be Honest about Nonprofit Boards of Directors (or, Lessons to Be Learned from Penn State), Susan J. Ellis
The Limitations of Seeing Volunteers Only as Unpaid Staff, Susan J. Ellis
Limiting Volunteers through Insurance Requirements, Susan J. Ellis
The Middle Management Barrier, Susan J. Ellis
The Missing Link: Where are Volunteers at the National Level?, Susan J. Ellis
Money is No Object, Susan J. Ellis
New Year’s Resolution for Executive Directors of Volunteer-Involving Organizations, Betty B. Stallings
Part-time Volunteer Management Means Equally Limited Volunteer Involvement, Susan J. Ellis
Perspective: Climate Change for the Voluntary Sector, Barney Ellis-Perry, for Volunteer Vancouver, , Volunteering Vancouver
Problem Boards or Board Problems?, William P. Ryan, Richard R. Chait, and Barbara E. Taylor, Nonprofit Quarterly

Excellent examination of a nonprofit board's role

Pulling the Rug Out from Under Volunteer Involvement: Sudden Staff Changes, Susan J. Ellis
Replace Current Volunteers or Redirect New Ones?, Susan J. Ellis
Retention of Volunteers, Susan J. Ellis and Rob Jackson, Energize, Inc.
The Right Questions to Ask a Potential Board Member, Nell Edgington
Should We Ask Volunteers to Give Money on Top of Time?, Susan J. Ellis
Staffing the Volunteer Program for Success, Susan J. Ellis, Energize Inc.
Strategic Volunteer Management: Expanding Your Organization's Brain, Susan J. Ellis
The Treasure Trove of Knowledge Philanthropists, Susan J. Ellis
Volunteers as Beta Testers, Susan J. Ellis
Volunteers as the "Third Branch" of an Organization, Susan J. Ellis
The Wall of Executive Indifference, Susan J. Ellis
What Leaders of Volunteers Can DO to Gain Executive Attention, Susan J. Ellis
What Volunteer Resources Managers Can Teach Human Resources Managers, Susan J. Ellis
What Would the Perfect Volunteer-Involving Organization Look Like?, Susan J. Ellis
When a Volunteer Transforms into an Employee, Susan J. Ellis
When the Ax Falls: Budget Cutting and Volunteers, Susan J. Ellis
Why Be Boring When You Can Celebrate in So Many Ways?, Susan J. Ellis
Why Is It Labor Unions vs. Volunteers?, Susan J. Ellis

The following articles on this topic were published in the Engage journal. Previews and some articles are complementary; full articles are available to paid members.

"How a Board of Directors Can Demonstrate Support for Volunteer Development"
Are You a 'Manager' or a 'Leader' of Volunteers?
Building Organizational Commitment to the Volunteer Program
Clearing Hurdles on the Volunteer Obstacle Course
Communicating with Volunteers: Making the Most of Your Options
Connecting Volunteer Program Managers Across the State in Victoria, Australia
Creating a 'Fear-Less' Speakers Bureau Program
Creating a Strategic Volunteerism Plan: We Did It!
Designing a Strategy for Persuasion
Do We Need New Models for DOVIAs?, Part 1
Doing Something about It! Volunteering New Zealand Responds to the Call to Increase Recognition for Managers of Volunteers
Dream Big: Developing Creative and Effective Volunteer Positions through Pilot Programming
Earning Power and Respect for Volunteer Services: A Dozen Action Steps
Ethics and the Hydra
Exploring the Impact of Volunteer Trends
Exploring Volunteer Space: Ivan Scheier's Lost Book
From An Organizational Issue to a Community Issue: Shifting Volunteer Management
From Volunteer to New Career
Generating Funds for Your Volunteer Program: The Mindset and Methods
Getting the Attention You Want from the Media
Giving Help to Get Help: Where Do Service Exchanges Fit in the World of Volunteerism?
Go on, Speak Up! Speak Out!
Group Interviewing Techniques: Hitting the Bull's-Eye Every Time
Helping Volunteers through Stressful Situations
How Many Hats Do Your Board Members Wear?
Keeping Volunteers Engaged During Organizational Change: A Tool for Successful Transition
Learning to Dance: Keeping the Partnership of President and Staff in Rhythm
Making the Case to Funders to Invest in Volunteer Engagement
Messing It Up: How Not-For-Profits Sabotage Their Volunteer Programs
OUR Volunteer Program: The Management TEAM Approach to Enhancing Volunteer Programs
The Dangers of Too Much Enthusiasm
The Division of Labour: Volunteers, Employees, Volunteer Management and Unions
The No-Apologies Budget: How to Justify the Financial Support a Volunteer Program Deserves
The Road Not Taken
What's Unique about Human Resources in the Nonprofit Sector?
When Should We NOT Involve Volunteers?
Working with Senior Leadership
By Betty B. Stallings, this free report looks at what real-life "Volunteer Program Champion" CEOs think, feel, and do to support volunteer involvement in their organizations. , 2005, pp. 22

CNIB has produced this material for how to create a corporate culture embracing volunteerism. Although focused on serving people with vision loss, the resources are intentionally applicable to any organization and can be downloaded for free in Word to be tailored to individual situations.  Includes the documents "Spirit of Partnership" and "Philosophy of Volunteerism." The manual is accompanied by a Creating a Culture of Volunteerism Training Guide.

, 2017
Part of AVA's "Positioning the Profession" project, this guide can be used anywhere to educate funders about the value of supporting volunteer efforts. , pp. 21
By Wendy Liu and Jennifer Aaker, Center for Responsible Business. Concludes that people asked to volunteer give more money than those who are not. , 2008, pp. 51
From Volunteering England , 2010, pp. 40

Report from BoardSource  on its survey of more than 1700 board chairs and executives of nonprofit organizations sharing data and insights about their boards’ composition, practices, performance, and culture. Of special interest for its data on lack of diversity. See a review of the study published in Nonprofit Quarterly on 9/6/17.

, 2017, pp. 64

Developed by CNIB, this manual highlights best practices for partnering with leadership volunteers, particular board and committee members, senior advisors, and project leaders.  Accompanied by a Toolkit.

, 2017
This document from Volunteering England explores what "valuing volunteer management" really means and is designed to help organisations assess how they currently value volunteer management, why this is important, and what extra steps they could take., 2011, pp. 16
The National Human Services Assembly, seeking to advocate the findings of the 2004 "Volunteer Management Capacity" report, sponsored "From Research to Action," an executable blueprint of capacity building strategies. A guide was produced: "Organizational Readiness and Management Brief ". , 2004
Urban Institute, UPS Foundation, the Corporation for National and Community Service, and the USA Freedom Corps , 2004, pp. 34
Associations Now (blog)

About all things related to association management, from ASAE (American Society for Association Executives). Was previously called "Acronym" and that archive is still accessible at http://blogs.asaecenter.org/Acronym/.

Value Volunteer Management

Initiative of Volunteering England to advocate for the importance of "investing in volunteering."

Vantage Point Blog

This community blog from Vancouver, BC focuses on voluntary sector issues, leadership, organizations, and people engagement.

Print and e-Books in Our Store

Book cover

By Definition: Policies for Volunteer Programs

A walk-through of the importance of developing policies for and about volunteers, with clear examples and templates.

From the Top Down UK edition book cover

From the Top Down, UK Edition

UK Edition of the best-selling book that identifies the critical link between the actions of an organisation’s senior management and the overall success of volunteer engagement.

Book cover for From the Top Down

From the Top Down: The Executive Role in Successful Volunteer Involvement

Outlines the key executive decisions necessary to lay the foundation for successful volunteer involvement: policies, budgeting, staffing, employee-volunteer relationships, legal issues, cost and value of volunteers, and more.