Implementing Human Resources Best Practices in Volunteer Selection

• Main Author: Johnson, Karen Anne
• Language: en
• Published: The University of Arizona. 2012
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/10150/243977

While human resource best practices have been proven to reduce turnover and absenteeism and increase employee satisfaction and productivity, many nonprofits neglect this realm of volunteer management. Specifically, volunteer selection is a field that has been given little discussion in the context of volunteer management strategies. Through my research, I discovered that some volunteer roles are very similar to paid positions and thus may benefit from rigorous selection methods. While nonprofits that utilize a larger number of low skill or episodic volunteer may not find it worthwhile to screen volunteers, organizations that serve vulnerable populations and rely heavily on volunteers should consider implementing human resource best practices by requiring a volunteer selection process. Such screening methods might test for volunteer success predictors such as reliability and dependability. Nonprofits may find that the most effective and efficient volunteer screening tools are application blanks and structured interviews. By focusing more on volunteer selection, nonprofits may be able to ensure that they are fostering a long term partnership with the highest quality potential volunteers.