Foundations of Volunteer Management (11:607:203) Syllabus

Fall Only

Course Description

3 credits. Fall only. With approximately 1.4 million volunteers in the United States, nonprofit organizations play a vital role in community life and are an integral part of the economic, political and social structure of our nation. In 2014 roughly 62 million Americans volunteered 7.9 billion hours, the estimated value of this volunteer service is nearly $184 billion. Thus, the nonprofit venue offers a rich and viable employment opportunity on both a local and national level for our graduates to gain diverse and meaningful work experience, further their knowledge while making a positive contribution. In this course students compare volunteer management models and examine volunteer-dependent organizations. Students explore organizational recruitment practices, risk management policies and how to select, train, engage and recognize volunteers. Students examine volunteer management practices and make recommendations based on the theories and practices studied in class.

Instructor

Katherine E. McKee
kemckee@ncsu.edu

Learning Objectives

Students will:

Compare and contrast models of volunteer management,
Evaluate characteristics of volunteer management in a community organization,
Analyze volunteer management practices using models, and
Apply concepts of volunteer management to develop recommendations for improved volunteer experiences.

Course Materials

Text Books

Conners, T.D. (Ed.). (2012). The Volunteer Management Handbook: Leadership Strategies for Success. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Yin, R.K. (2009). Case Study Research: Design and Methods. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage, Inc

Proposed Readings from Journals

Boyce, M. (1971). A systematic approach to leadership development. Eric document service #ED065763. **primary text for ISOTURE model**
Safrit, R.D., Schmiesing, R.J., Gliem, J.A., & Gliem, R.R. (2004). Core competencies for volunteer administration: An empirical model bridging theory with professional best practice. Journal of Volunteer Administration, 23(3), 5-15.
Terry, B.D., Godke, R., Heltemes, B., & wiggins, L. (2010). Engaging volunteers through ISOTURES: Training volunteers for success in 4-H. Retrieved from : edis.ifas.ufl.edu.

Assignments/Responsibilities and Assessment

Students will develop a case study of an organization that depends upon volunteers. They will examine the application of volunteer management theories within the organization and make recommendations based on their observation for increased volunteer satisfaction and organization success. Components of the case study will be collected and graded throughout the semester with a presentation of the case study as the final exam for the course. Students will be provided with a list of organizations that have agreed to have them observe but may choose another. Representatives from the organizations will be invited to presentations.

Other Information

Students will be responsible for adhering to the academic integrity policies found at academicintegrity.rutgers.edu.

It is important that students have the tools to succeed in this course. Please see the instructor *as soon as possible* with any difficulties or questions regarding the course materials. In addition, the Office of Student Affairs is available at studentaffairs.rutgers.edu for any other needs or concerns.

Course Schedule

Week 1

Topic: Introduction to Volunteer Management

Topic: Models of Volunteer Management

Pre-Readings: Chapter 1*

Week 2

Topic: ISOTURE Model of Volunteer Management

Pre-Readings: Boyce, M. (1971) – primary text for ISOTURE model

Topic: Introduction to Case Study Research

Pre-Readings: Yin (2009), read chapter 1, skim chapter 2

Week 3

Topic: Identification of Volunteers

Assignment: Reflection Journal Entry #1 due, mtgs 1–3

Topic: Identification of Volunteers

Week 4

Topic: Selection of Volunteers

Pre-Readings: Chapter 6*

Topic: Selection of Volunteers

Pre-Readings: Chapter 8*

Week 5

Topic: Orientation of Volunteers

Pre-Readings: Chapter 9*

Assignment: I.S. Scenario due

Topic: Orientation of Volunteers

Assignment: Reflection #2 due, mtgs 5–8

Week 6

Topic: Training of Volunteers

Pre-Readings: Chapter 10*

Topic: Training of Volunteers

Pre-Readings: Terry (2010)

Week 7

Topic: Utilization of Volunteers

Pre-Readings: Chapter 5*

Topic: Utilization of Volunteers

Pre-Readings: Chapter 13*

Week 8

Topic: Recognition of Volunteers

Assignment: Reflection #3 due, mtgs 9–14

Week 9

Topic: Evaluation of Volunteers and Their Management

Pre-Readings: Chapter 15*

Topic: Evaluation of Volunteers and Their Management

Pre-Readings: Chapter 16*

Assignment: U.R.E. Scenario due

Week 10

Topic: Policy in the Management of Volunteers

Pre-Readings: Chapter 3*

Topic: Policy in the Management of Volunteers

Pre-Readings: Chapter 7* Reflection #4 due, mtgs 15–18

Week 11

Topic: Risk Management

Pre-Readings: Chapter 14*

Topic: Risk Management

Week 12

Topic: Collecting Case Study Evidence

Pre-Readings: Yin (2009), chapter 3

Assignment: P.R. Scenario due

Topic: Observation of Organization

Pre-Readings: Yin (2009), chapter 4

Week 13

Topic: Discussion of Observation

Pre-Readings: No reading assigned, students are organizing their notes and comparing to theory

Topic: Observation of Organization

Pre-Readings: No reading assigned, students are organizing their notes and comparing to theory

Week 14

Topic: Analyzing Case Study Evidence

Pre-Readings: Yin (2009), chapter 5

Topic: Reporting Case Study Evidence

Pre-Readings: Yin (2009), chapter 6

Week 15

Topic: Peer Review of work

Assignment: Submit scoring of peer's work

Topic: Student Presentations

Week 16