This document provides guidance for an assignment on volunteer impact and management for a nonprofit organization. It asks students to choose an important volunteer role for their project organization and discuss both the potential positive and negative impacts of a volunteer serving in that role. Students are provided links to learning resources on volunteer management to support their analysis and assignment response. The assignment requires a 1-2 page paper briefly describing the project organization, the chosen volunteer role, and specific examples of how that role could positively or negatively impact the organization if not properly managed.

1. Application: Volunteer Impact
Board Governance & Volunteer Management
1-2 PAGES APA FORMAT USE RESOURCE LINKS ADDED
DUE SUNDAY BY %PM NEW YORK TIME
Volunteers have a big impact on nonprofit organizations. They
are, if you will, the worker bees who engage in the day-to-day
tasks that keep an organization running. Therefore, it is
essential to place qualified volunteers into roles appropriate for
their skills, and in which they can have the greatest positive
impact on the organization. While volunteers provide essential
visible and behind the scenes assistance, their roles must be
appropriate and clearly defined given their impact.
To prepare for this assignment:
Review the volunteer roles you created for your Discussion, and
consider which ones might be the most important to the success
of your Final Project organization.
Think about how successful completion of these roles and
responsibilities might have a positive impact on your
organization.
Review Chapter 11 in your course text,
Volunteer Management
, and reflect on the ways in which volunteers can go astray in
their responsibilities, leading to negative impacts on an
organization.
Consider any potential negative impact on your organization
that volunteers might have in fulfilling the roles and
responsibilities you created in your Discussion.
The assignment (1-2
pages):
Briefly describe your Final Project organization.
Choose a nongoverning volunteer role or responsibility from
your Discussion, one that you think is especially important to
your Final Project organization.
Explain the potential positive impact of a volunteer serving in

2. this role or carrying out this responsibility, using specific
examples.
Explain the potential negative impact of a volunteer serving in
this same role or carrying out the same responsibility, using
specific examples.
Learning Resources
Readings
volunteer_management_chapter_11.pdf
Course Text:
Volunteer Management
Chapter 1, "An Introduction to Volunteer Involvement" (pp. 1-
26)
Chapter 11, "Keeping Volunteers on Track" (pp. 185-208)
Web Sites
Kerka, S. (2003). Volunteer development. Practice application
brief. ERIC Clearinghouse on Adult, Career, and Vocational
Education, 26, 1-4. Retrieved from
http://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ED475111.pdf
Web Sites
International Erosion Control Association. (n.d.).
The Role of Volunteers in Not-for-Profit Organizations
. Retrieved March 30, 2009, from
https://www.ieca.org/Chapter/LeadershipTraining/RoleOfVolunt
eers.pdf
McNamara, C. (2008).
Developing and Managing Volunteer Programs
. Retrieved March 30, 2009, from
http://managementhelp.org/staffing/volunteers.htm
Be sure to support your postings and responses with specific
references to the Learning Resources.