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Nonprofit Organizational Assessment Tool
Volunteer Management
by: Andrew Lewis*
University of Wisconsin Extension
This section of the Nonprofit Organizational Assessment Tool can help guide a group
discussion about an organization's volunteer involvement. This group discussion
ideally should include board members, staff, volunteers, and service recipients, but could
be used as a self-assessment tool by anyone associated with a nonprofit organization.
Review the assessment form below. First, check the indicators that have been completed or accomplished. Next, indicate
the amount of improvement that you think is needed for that indicator (None or Not
Applicable, Some, or much improvement needed). It is your perception of the organization.
There are no right or wrong answers. If used with a group, each individual should complete
the assessment tool. After allowing adequate time, compare responses and discuss any areas
where there were different perceptions. As a final step, identify the top 2-3 priorities
where there was a high level of consensus on an indicator needing "much"
improvement. If you are doing this as a group, have each individual select their top three
priorities and then tally the "votes" for the group to identify the top three.
Begin developing an action plan that would address these issues (A suggested action plan
format can be found at the end of the document). After successfully implementing your
action plans that address your top priorities, revisit your assessment tool and begin
developing action plans for the other indicators that need attention.
This particular section of the assessment tool focuses on volunteer
involvement concepts presented during the educational programs produced by the Learning
Institute for Nonprofit Organizations. The complete Nonprofit Organizational Assessment
Tool will be comprised of eight sections based on the content presented in the eight
programs that make up the curriculum of the Learning Institute for Nonprofit
Organizations. The Learning
Institute for Nonprofit Organizations was a collaboration involving the
University of Wisconsin Extension and the Society for Nonprofit Organizations.
The University has ended its formal relationship with the SNPO, but videotape
presentation kits reside in most of the University of Wisconsin Extension County
offices.
*LI faculty contributor for this section: Susan J. Ellis
Volunteer Management Assessment Tool**
Organizational Culture
| Indicator |
Done? |
Needs
Improvement ? |
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None/
N.A. |
Some |
Much |
| 1. The organization has a broad view of what volunteer
participation can do for the organization and the people it serves. |
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| 2. Volunteers within the organization represent the diversity
within the community. |
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| 3. The organization has strategically thought about the
benefits and challenges related to volunteer involvement within the organization. |
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| 4. The organization has developed a written statement of
philosophy as to why the organization welcomes volunteers. |
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| 5. Volunteers are viewed as the non-salaried personnel
department. |
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Elements of a Successful Volunteer Program
| Indicator |
Done? |
Needs
Improvement ? |
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None/
N.A. |
Some |
Much |
| 1. The organization has planned for the resources that will
be necessary to support volunteers. |
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| 2. Training and supervision resources for volunteers have
been identified. |
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| 3. Job descriptions have been developed for volunteer
positions. |
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| 4. Flexibility has been built into volunteer positions as a
means of accommodating different skills and schedules. |
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| 5. People in the community understand what the
organization does and are eager to support its efforts. |
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| 6. There is a screening and selection process in place to aid
in matching new volunteers with appropriate positions. |
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| 7. All volunteers participate in an orientation session that
provides them with an understanding of policies, procedures, rights and responsibilities. |
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| 8. Volunteers receive start-up and ongoing in-service
training. |
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| 9. Positive volunteer/employee relationships are nurtured and
problems are dealt with quickly. |
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| 10. There is a clear leader within the organization that is
seen as having the responsibility for coordinating and staffing volunteer programs. |
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| 11. Supervision is provided to all volunteers to provide
support, communication, and accountability. |
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| 12. The work of volunteers and the impact of their activities
are evaluated on a regular basis. |
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| 13. Volunteers receive formal and informal recognition of
their contributions. |
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| 14. Records are kept of what volunteers are doing, and
results are reported and shared with the volunteers, administration, community and funding
sources. |
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| 15. The organization regularly seeks input from volunteers. |
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Planning
| Indicator |
Done? |
Needs
Improvement ? |
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None/
N.A. |
Some |
Much |
| 1. There is a clear vision for the potential of volunteers
within the organization. |
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| 2. There are clear goals for what volunteers are expected to
accomplish. |
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| 3. There are written policies for and about volunteers. |
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| 4. The organization has allocated appropriate resources
(financial, space, training, supervision). |
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| 5. The organization has developed a risk management plan for
paid and volunteer staff. |
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Volunteer Work Design
| Indicator |
Done? |
Needs
Improvement ? |
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None/
N.A. |
Some |
Much |
| 1. Tasks that are based on agency and client needs have been
identified. |
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| 2. Discrete volunteer job assignments that can be completed
in 2-3 hour blocks of time have been identified. |
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| 3. The organization has a plan for seeking out volunteers
with the potential to do a good job. |
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| 4. Written job descriptions have been developed for each
volunteer work assignment. |
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Volunteer Employee Relationships
| Indicator |
Done? |
Needs
Improvement ? |
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None/
N.A. |
Some |
Much |
| 1. The managers of the organization have anticipated and
addressed the causes of tension between employees and volunteers. |
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| 2. Employees have been consulted relative to the role of
volunteers within the organization. |
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| 3. Problems between staff and volunteers are resolved
quickly. |
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| 4. There are strategies and events in place that are intended
to build relationships between employees and volunteers. |
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Recruitment
| Indicator |
Done? |
Needs
Improvement ? |
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None/
N.A. |
Some |
Much |
| 1. The organization determines where it will most likely find
the most desirable candidates and then selects a technique to match the source. |
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| 2. Targeted recruitment efforts based on each volunteer job
description are conducted instead of generic volunteer recruitment campaigns. |
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| 3. There are strong publicity, public relations, and
marketing campaigns in place that have built a positive image of the organization within
the community. |
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| 4. There has been a strategic effort to diagnose and address
reasons why people might NOT want to get involved in the organization. |
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| 5. The organization has a clear understanding of why people
would want to volunteer. |
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| 6. The organization is prepared to accept applications and is
welcoming to prospective volunteers. |
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Sample Action Plans:
Use the following format to begin formulating an action plan that would improve your
organization's performance relative to a specific indicator listed above.
Indicator:
Written job descriptions have been developed for
each volunteer work assignment.
Task |
Time Line |
Who |
Will Do What |
Evaluation Measure |
Task #1 |
21 days |
Staff and director of volunteer programs |
Schedule a series of board/staff/volunteer meetings that will
focus on identifying tasks which need to be completed within the organization. |
A creative and exhaustive list of tasks that will benefit
clients and the organization is devleoped. |
Task #2 |
30 days |
Director of volunteer programs |
Tasks which are identified are borken down
into jobs that can be completed in 2-3 hour periods of time. |
A written list of tasks broken down into 2-3
hour increments is developed. |
| Task #3 |
90 Days |
Director of volunteer programs |
Job descriptions are developed based on the
Volunteer Job Description worksheet in the LI participant packet. |
Job descriptions are developed for all identified volunteer
opportunities and are readily available for anyone expressing an interest in volunteering. |
**Part of an 9-part
series of assessment tools that address critical management issues within a
nonprofit organizations. This tool was developed for the Learning Institute
for Nonprofit Organizations and is based in part on two existing tools:
Community Organizational Assessment Tool, Bright, Robert D., University of
Wisconsin Extension, 1995 (Adapted from Citizens Involvement Training Program., University
of Massachusetts, Amherst).
Checklist of Nonprofit Indicators, United Way of Minneapolis Area, 1998.
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