Volunteers: How to Get Them, How to Keep Them

I have worked in the not for profit world for over 25 years as an association executive. I have also served on the Board of the Cerebral Palsy Center for the Bay Area for over 20 years. In each experience, the importance of finding and retaining and inspiring and engaging volunteer leaders is the factor that contributes to successfully achieving vision and mission. In the not for profit world, we are here to serve. The pressure to be the best at meeting the needs of those we serve never ends; the demands stretch our hearts and our minds; but in the not for profit world new knowledge, new ideas, new approaches, best practices, quality, and innovation can help meet important needs, and can even save a life. This book will inspire organizations seeking the best and brightest leaders, and is equally capable of inspiring the leaders we seek for our organizations. Well done and long needed by the field.

Volunteers: How to Get Them, How to Keep Them, by Helen Little, is a creative and practical book, full of innovative information, tips and tools on how to recruit, manage, train, evaluate motivate, and inspire volunteers. Ms. Little outlines the twelve basic needs of volunteers and shows step-by-step you how to meet those needs, ultimately helping you build and retain a successful "volunteer management team." Anyone who has been involved volunteer management soon learns that volunteers work most successfully when the job is clearly defined and when volunteers clearly understand their roles and responsibilities. This book has lots of useful and infinitely usable examples, templates, and guidelines to help you you "hit the ground running," and successfully accomplish the goals and objectives of your program and/or organization. A "must read" (and an easy read) for anyone involved in the care and feeding of volunteers.

This book is easy to read. It has great examples, templates and case studies. I found useful tools that readily adapt to our situation.

In my role as a volunteer leader in a national membership organization, I have found this book to be an invaluable resource in getting members more involved in carrying out the work of our organization. I am recommending that my organization purchase it for all of our local leaders. This is a must have for any membership organization!