Professional Administration of Volunteer Programs Now More Than Ever: A Case Example

The need for volunteers is greater than ever, and yet steady volunteerism has declined. This article describes a volunteer program implemented at two community-based aging services agencies that employed professional volunteer administrators. Specific objectives were evaluated after a year, along with cost effectiveness. In one year the administrators recruited and trained 871 new volunteers who performed more than 30,000 hours of primarily in-home services to an average of 226 unduplicated clients per month. Services were valued conservatively at almost $300,000 compared to the $100,000 outlay; thus, costs were $115 per volunteer. The vast majority of volunteers and staff agreed that the volunteer program was effectively managed and resulted in positive organizational change. Implications for professional volunteer coordination as a response to issues facing agencies are discussed.