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Volunteer Management Certificate Program
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 Resources


Resources for Managers of Volunteer Programs

WSU’s Volunteer Management Certificate Program recommends the following resources:


  • VolunteerMatch is a nonprofit nonprofit dedicated to helping everyone to find a great place to volunteer. Its award-winning online service, available at www.volunteermatch.org, makes it easy to search volunteer opportunities posted by local nonprofits across the country by ZIP code, interest area, and/or keyword. The VolunteerMatch network regularly welcomes more than 125,000 visitors a week and has become the preferred volunteer recruiting service for tens of thousands of participating nonprofits. The organization is committed to building world-class Internet applications that bring our communities closer together, expand the capacity of civil society, and encourage a culture of individual empowerment and participation. ccva logo
  • Association for Volunteer Resource Management: AVRM is a national association of managers of volunteer programs that provides professional development and promotes effective volunteer management practices. Newsletter, online discussion forums, and annual conference.


  • CYBERVPM: ListServ for online discussion of issues related to volunteer program management. To subscribe, send the message SUBSCRIBE CYBERVPM followed by your full name. Send this message, with SUBSCRIBE CYBERVPM in all caps and no further message in the body of the e-mail to cybervpm@avaintl.org.


  • Energize, Inc: Energize, Inc. provides relevant and innovative resources for volunteer management. Bookstore, opinion pieces, resources, and more.


  • Points of Light Foundation: National center for volunteer centers, and sponsor of a national conference.


  • Volunteer Today: New articles each month on topics that volunteer managers face every day. Bookstore, evaluation series, and more.

WSU’s Volunteer Management Certificate Program delivers practical and effective techniques for improving your organization’s volunteer program. Enroll in WSU’s Volunteer Management Certificate Program today!



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 Quick Tips


Ideas for Effective Volunteer Management

Looking for a way to improve the effectiveness of your volunteer management? Try this quick tip from Washington State University’s Volunteer Management Certificate Program (VMCP):


Assessing Recruiting Online


A study of six corporate Web sites recently produced information that people trying to apply online gave up before submitting an application. If you are having people complete volunteer applications online, there are some lessons to be learned. The study, "E-Recruiting: Online Strategies in the War for Talent," by Mark Hurst and Jakob Nielsen was conducted with "average Web users." Those people were asked to visit recruitment sites suited to their interests and submit a job application. Three out of four gave up before submitting an application.

The biggest problem according to Hurst and Neilsen was that Web designers were not visualizing the site through the eyes of the potential applicant. The sites were bogged down with organizational information, jargon familiar only to insiders, and an overwhelming tendency to advertise the organization, rather than simply list open positions.

In one example, there was a picture of an important company manager, with a long welcome message. In additional, the tools to search the site for the application and information about jobs was not prominently display. These errors are easily repaired. Hurst estimates that an effective online recruiting site saves an organization up to $6,000 in the cost of each new hire.

Is it time to take a look at your online recruiting site? If so, have it done by someone who has never seen it. Have them try to apply and take notes as they go throughout the process. If you do not know what it is costing you to recruit a volunteer without e-recruiting, it is time to find that out, too.

WSU’s Volunteer Management Certificate Program delivers practical and effective techniques for improving your organization’s volunteer program. Enroll in WSU’s Volunteer Management Certificate Program today!



 Quick Tips Archive




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