A task force of more than 20 nonprofit, government, and business leaders issued a report this week proposing ideas for better managing volunteers so they can have more impact.
“People volunteer for many reasons, but mostly because they want to make a difference,” says the report, Reimagining Service. “We must value their time by ensuring it is used to make the greatest difference possible.”
The report says organizations too often focus on what the volunteers want to do instead of developing good management systems to mobilize them to solve pressing social problems.
Among suggestions in the report for improving volunteer management: apply corporate human-resources practices, create special funds with government and philanthropic dollars, establish a network of powerful leaders such as state secretaries of service, use technology to develop new tools like a national database for background checks, and develop ways to measure effectiveness.
President Obama and his wife, Michelle, have made a big push for community service since entering the White House. As one indication of the interest they have generated, television networks this week are peppering their shows with public-service announcements, plot lines, and other messages about volunteering through their “I Participate” project.
But some nonprofit leaders fear many charities are not well equipped to handle an influx of new volunteers.
“Organizations are eager to take advantage of the expertise and time of volunteers, but they often lack the management bandwidth and systems to appropriately manage this rich resource,” the report says.
The task force now plans to consult other people about its project, says Evan Hochberg, national director of community involvement for Deloitte, the consulting firm. “Our focus is engaging as many people as we can on this agenda, these ideas,” he says.
Mr. Hochberg is one of the task force’s five lead organizers. The others are Karen Baker, California’s secretary for service and volunteering; Bill McClements, acting president of Be the Change, the group that manages the ServiceNation coalition; Michelle Nunn, chief executive of the Points of Light Institute; and Bobbi Silten, chief foundation officer of Gap.
The task force is seeking comments on its Web site.
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