Purpose:To maximize active citizen involvement through creating and sustaining a strong volunteer workforce.

Scenario:

As you learned in your assigned readings (, many mechanisms exist that leaders of nonprofit organizations can employ to

Mod 7 Packback # 4: Volunteer Retention

encourage greater citizen input and involvement. One method of active citizen involvement is creating and sustaining a strong volunteer workforce.

Due to limited funding and resources, most nonprofit organizations are dependent on volunteer labor to carry out day-to-day work and help meet agency objectives. Not only are volunteers vital to these organizations but they are also important for citizen engagement. As organizations tend to be in a constant state of change and innovation, so too has the face of the volunteer workforce also changed dramatically over the years to include virtual volunteering and volunteer databases. As a non-profit leader, it is important to be knowledgeable of how to find and retain your volunteers.

Directions:

Consider the following you have learned in your assigned readings and throughout the textbook (chapters 13 and 14):

• the changing face of the volunteer workforce
• the impact of public service values and motives, and
• the importance of citizen engagement.

Discuss the role that publicservice values andmotives play inan individual deciding whether or not to volunteer. Consider the differences between managing volunteers and managing paid employees and ways to improve the performance of each group. Include the relevance of utilizing the values and motives to strengthen your organization's volunteer workforce and civic engagement.

When responding to classmates, compare or contrast their ideas to your own ideas.