As a profession, Volunteer Management is widely recognized and supported as a specialized field, with post-secondary programs focused on volunteer administration and management.  Regardless, numbers of charitable and nonprofit sector workers find themselves as managers of volunteer resources without training or background in the subject. This resource guide is for trained professionals and those new to the area alike, with links to essential guides on volunteer management, theory, best practices, statistics and more.

Volunteer Canada as a leader in this area has numerous key resources; see their resource guide on the topic  [available online]

Professional Standards

• The Universal Declaration on the Profession  and Code for Volunteer involvement  Volunteer Canada
• Volunteer Managers Salary Survey (PAVR-O, 2009)   [available online]

Recruitment and Placement

• How to provide young volunteers with a healthy and safe working environment.  ( 2005)   [available online]
• Best of all : the quick reference guide to effective volunteer involvement (Graff, 2005) [in print only]
• Handling problem volunteers  (Vineyard, 1998)  [in print only]
• Risk management by position design : a guide for community support organizations in Ontario. c2002. (PDF file). (Volunteer Canada) [available online]
•  A matter of design : job design theory and application to the voluntary sector  [available online]   
• Guideline for volunteer recruitment and retention : strategies and tools for a successful program (Office of the Fire Marshal, Ontario Ministry Of Community Safety and Correctional Services, 2006)  [available online]
• The virtual volunteering guidebook : how to apply the principles of real-world volunteer management to online service (Ellis, 2000) [available online]

Making a case, valuation and reporting

The Volunteer Value Calculator, is an easy-to-use, online tool designed to help calculate the economic value of volunteers at your organization based on their specific duties. Developed by Imagine Canada’s Knowledge Development Centre (KDC), it is available online at http://volunteercalculator.imaginecanada.ca/eng/default.asp.

• Assigning economic value to volunteer activity : eight tools for efficient program management  (Goulbourne & Embuldeniya, 2002)  [available online]
• "Declining profit margin : when volunteers cost more than they return"  (Graff, 2006)  [available online]
• How to assign a monetary value to volunteer contributions : a manual  (Mook & Quarter, 2003)  [available online]
• What volunteers contribute : calculating and communicating value added  (Quarter et al. 2002)  [available online]