What We Learned (the Hard Way) about Supervising Volunteers: An Action Guide for Making Your Job Easier (Collective Wisdom Series)

The bottom line on this book (actually an 8.5 by 11 "manual") is that it has some nuggets, including a fairly good but by no means comprehensive quasi-annotated bibliography, but it is very very "busy" and difficult to read easily. In essence, while the authors may have brought together some of the best annecdotes and insights on supervising volunteers, they have not done the more difficult work of integration and simplification that would have allowed the busy manager to absorb this material comfortably. Reading this book is a strain.

The book also appears to be part of a "portal program" that churns out books and articles on volunteer program management. On balance, I would get the book if you are the one person responsible for program-wide oversight of volunteer supervision, and not get it if you are simply one of many people superivising small numbers of volunteers.


Excellent Resource Book for Volunteer Supervisors   December 27, 2000
 13 out of 15 found this review helpful

This is an excellent book for anyone who work with volunteers. It is truly a user friendly book, sparing the reader from `academic' jargons found in other volunteer handbooks. This book covers topics such as: volunteer recognition, volunteer communication, expectations of the volunteer, supervising performance problems, and many other helpful hints. Another helpful inclusion is quotes directly from volunteers. These quotes help to clarify and remind volunteer supervisors about the volunteers point of view. I enjoyed reading this book and it has really helped me remember the sometimes overlooked aspects of volunteer management.