Volunteerism Discussion: Human Resource Management

There is a strong tradition of volunteerism in the United States that began with religious-affiliated organizations and local government councils. Today, a wide range of non-profit and government organizations provide a variety of volunteer opportunities ranging from serving as board members and community educators in non-profit organizations to serving on local government boards and commissions. Volunteers are used to assist employers in meeting their agency’s mission, and thus become an important part of strategic human resource management and planning. These activities strengthen participants’ skills, broaden networking boundaries, and bring new meaning to their job. In turn, this benefits the organization in the form of increased employee engagement and retention.

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For this Discussion, review this week’s Resources. Review Chapter 12 of Human Resources Management for Public and Nonprofit Organizations, focusing on the evolving workforce. Identify a government or non-profit organization and consider the role of volunteerism within this organization. Consider how volunteers are recruited and trained.

With these thoughts in mind:

Post by Day 4 a brief description of a government or non-profit organization you are familiar with. Explain the role that volunteers play in government and non-profit organizations. Discuss the advantages and disadvantages of having volunteers in the organization. Describe the methods you would use to recruit and train volunteers.

Week 5 Learning Resources

This page contains the Learning Resources for this week. Be sure to scroll down the page to see all of this week’s assigned Learning Resources. To access select media resources, please use the media player below.

Required Resources

Note: To access this week’s required library resources, please click on the link to the Course Readings List, found in the Course Materials section of your Syllabus.

READINGS

Pynes, J. E. (2013). Human resources management for public and nonprofit organizations: A strategic approach (4th ed.). San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.
- Chapter 12, “Volunteers” (pp. 377–402)
Brudney, J. L., & Meijs, L. C. P. M. (2009). It ain’t natural: Toward a new (natural) resource conceptualization for volunteer management. Nonprofit and Voluntary Sector Quarterly, 38(4), 564–581.
Retrieved from the Walden Library databases.
Dychtwald, K., & Baxter, D. (2007). Capitalizing on the new mature workforce. Public Personnel Management, 36(4), 325–334.
Retrieved from the Walden Library databases.
Laff, M. (2006). Talent management: From hire to retire. Training & Development, 60(11), 42–48.
Retrieved from the Walden Library databases.
Lewis, G. B., & Cho, Y. J. (2011). The aging of the state government workforce: Trends and implications. The American Review of Public Administration, 41(1), 48–60.
Retrieved from the Walden Library databases.
Wanlund, B. (2012). Changing demographics. CQ Researcher, 22(41), 989–1012.
Retrieved from the Walden Library databases.

MEDIA

Laureate Education (Producer). (2014). Human resource management: Building a capable workforce [Video file]. Retrieved from https://class.waldenu.edu
- “The Workforce” with Melanie Hughes, President, Org4Change
  Note: The approximate length of this media piece is 12 minutes.