Volunteers in State Government: Involvement, Management, and Benefits

Much of what is known about volunteering to public agencies emanates from surveys of city and county governments. Little research has addressed the magnitude and other characteristics of volunteering to state government organizations. This study presents and analyzes the results of the first systematic national survey of volunteering to state government agencies. The study investigates two models, the first to explain volunteer use by state agencies, and the second to explain the realization of benefits from volunteer involvement. Empirical analysis shows that the rate of volunteer involvement in state government is substantial, reaching 36% of the agencies sampled. However, according to the personnel managers surveyed, simply having volunteers is not sufficient. The authors demonstrate that to achieve the full benefits of the approach as perceived by personnel managers, agencies must engage in effective management of their volunteer programs.