Faculty of Commerce and Administration

Volunteer Management Research Programme

There are currently four Volunteer Management Research Projects underway;

For more information contact one of the lead researchers.

National Volunteer Managers Survey

Led by Dr Carolyn Cordery and Dr Karen Smith

Volunteer managers/coordinators roles are of central importance to promoting and enhancing volunteerism, yet little is known about these workers: who they are, what they do, or how their effectiveness could be enhanced. With the support of Volunteering New Zealand, and funded by a grant from the Tindall Foundation, we conducted an online survey of New Zealand's volunteer managers/coordinators across the community, voluntary sector and public sectors. The research profiled managers, identified their challenges and training needs, and was benchmarked against overseas data. By identifying training needs and career paths, and developing a database of volunteer management professionals, this will build Third Sector capacity and support managers and volunteers.

You may download a summary of the findings, or the full report here.

Document File size File type
 Managers Matter: Who Manages NZ Volunteers? Survey Full Report 460 KB PDF
 Managers Matter: Who Manages NZ Volunteers? Survey Summary Document 136 KB PDF

Valuing Volunteers; Outcomes and Organisational Management

Led by Dr Carolyn Cordery and Dr Sarah Proctor-Thomson

Organisations tell us that their volunteers are absolutely essential to achieving their goals, yet it is not often that the value of these inputs to services is reported in organisations accounts or grant applications. This study evaluates how organisations value and manage volunteer performance through case studies of health-sector organisations. Prior research has measured the value of volunteers in terms of inputs to services and has assumed that volunteers and paid staff undertake similar jobs and are substitutable. We know that volunteers also complement paid staff, but researchers are grappling with how to value this. Some have suggested that we should measure clients' willingness to pay for a service or willingness to accept cash instead of the service. Another method is for organisations to assess the benefits and challenges of their volunteers and define the net benefits of the function in non-financial terms. However, we believe that the real value of volunteers is their input to organisational outcomes and we are interested in the key performance indicators organisations use and how volunteers are managed to achieve legitimate, quality, cost-effective services.

The research is supported by a Faculty of Commerce and Administration Team Research Grant. Publications are expected later in 2010.

Volunteer Managers: Work, career and identity in an emergent profession

Led by Dr Karen Smith

Volunteer manager (or coordinator, administrator, director) is a varied and ill-defined role that can be undertaken by either a paid employee or volunteer. Volunteer managers can positively influence the outcomes of volunteering, for the volunteers themselves, the service recipients and society more broadly. Attracting, motivating and retaining key staff is a major challenge facing New Zealand's not-for-profit sector, due to limited career paths and inability to match corporate salaries. Volunteer management is increasingly being recognised internationally as a distinct profession. Yet little is known about volunteer managers and how they perceive and experience their role, career paths, or if they even identify with volunteer management as a, or their, profession. Using career theory and a life and work history analysis framework this project will investigate the career histories and identities of paid volunteer managers, initially within the culture and recreation sector. This in-depth study will both highlight workforce development needs and contribute to an understanding of the challenges facing those working with volunteers in the community.

The research is supported by a University Research Fund grant.

What works? A systematic review of research and evaluation literature on encouragement and support of volunteering

Led by Dr Karen Smith and Dr Carolyn Cordery

As part of The Department of Internal Affairs support and advice to the Lottery Grants Board and its distribution committees, they have commissioned a literature review of what woks to encourage and support volunteering. Lottery Grants are available for different types of projects and services for community purposes and benefit. These include support to organisations such as Volunteer Centres and grants to community organisations to cover volunteer costs and expenses. This literature review will assist Lottery Committees to make distribution decisions that are evidence-based, and to focus on the most effective interventions. The review uses the stages of volunteering from non-volunteer to committed volunteer to discuss good practice in the management of volunteers within organisations. This includes provision of volunteering infrastructure, recruitment, training, and retention strategies.

You may download a summary of the findings here.

Document File size File type
 Summary DIA 297 KB PDF

For further details about these projects, please contact any of the team members:

Dr Carolyn Cordery Ph 04 463-5761
Senior Lecturer, School of Accounting and Commercial Law

Carolyn's research interests are focused on Not for profit accounting and accountability, incorporating international financial reporting, regulation, and governance. She is the Chair of the NZ Institute of Chartered Accountants' Not-for-Profit Sector Advisory Committee. Her teaching areas include accounting information systems and audit at undergraduate and postgraduate level.

Dr Karen Smith Ph 04 463-5721
Senior Lecturer, Victoria Management School

Much of Karen's research concerns volunteers and their management and she has undertaken research in New Zealand, Australia and the UK. Current projects include the recruitment and retention of volunteers at events, attractions and visitor information centres in Victoria (Australia), and an international study of student volunteer participation. She has co-written and edited two books: Managing Volunteers in Tourism: Attractions, Destinations and Events and People and Work in Events and Conventions: a research perspective.

Dr Sarah Proctor-Thomson Ph 04 463-9982
Lecturer, Victoria Management School

Sarah's research background is in leadership and leadership development, inequality at work, and careers. Her teaching areas include behaviour in organisations and research methods for organisational studies. Sarah brings her expertise in careers and worker identity formation in organisational context to these projects.