Manual for volunteerism

Abstract

The purpose of this Capstone Project is to develop a manual for volunteerism that any community could use as a model. Americans have been. urged to take it upon themselves to take charge of their own lives and their country once again through volunteerism. In the twentieth century and beyond, with direction and organization, there is no reason why volunteerism cannot continue to be a useful source of intervention in aiding communities, children, and adults, particularly older adults because of their increasing numbers and needs. Volunteering one's time will not only benefit the community but also the individuals involved. Adults as well as children should be involved in donating their time to a worthy cause. If children are taught about helping others while in their most formative years, they will be more likely to continue helping later in life. The manual for volunteerism discusses in detail how to organize a volunteer program. The manual explains how to target an audience, discusses recruitment of a volunteer coordinator or manager, explains how to perform a volunteer assessment, demonstrates how to plan and budget for a volunteer program, describes how to design volunteer jobs, tells how to develop a recordkeeping system, illustrates the recruitment and screening process for potential volunteers, and suggests ways to retain volunteers.