Volunteer Management: Understanding Volunteer Motivation and Recognizing Critical Tactics for Managing the Volunteer Workforce

The volunteer workforce is a critical asset within many different types of organizations. Volunteers provide much more than menial labor; they perform many tasks and hold positions of leadership at all levels of organizations. For the purposes of this dissertation, a volunteer is defined as an individual who offers his or her time and talents for the benefit of an individual, group, or organization without the expectation of financial compensation. Many organizations that depend on volunteers do not have adequate strategies for acquiring, developing, and maintaining a volunteer workforce. The purpose of this dissertation is to explore the unique dynamics associated with managing a volunteer workforce and to identify best practices and effective strategies for enhancing or improving its performance. The research question was used to investigate strategies essential for the management of a volunteer workforce, recognizing that each volunteer has unique motivation(s) for his or her voluntary activities. It was posited that volunteers have different motivations than the paid workforce. Examining the motivations underpinning volunteering was therefore essential for determining how to positively influence the job performance of the volunteer workforce. This dissertation could be used to provide managers with insights into essential strategies for effectively managing a volunteer workforce. Data from the study acknowledges that different organizations with different voluntary activities must engage in unique strategies. However, the study concluded with distinct strategies essential to volunteer management no matter the organization or the volunteer activity. The essential strategies for volunteer management are: (a) acquiring, (b) developing, and (c) maintaining this workforce. These three strategies are equally important; each strategy affects the others.