Faculty of Business: Management
Credit points: 6 cp

Subject level: Postgraduate

Result Type: Grade and marks

Handbook description

The level of volunteering in a society is a sign of its well being, and third sector organisations are the main beneficiaries of volunteering. This subject provides students with a comprehensive introduction to the social phenomena of volunteering and the use of volunteers by third sector and public organisations. This is an elective subject and is taught only if sufficient interest is expressed.

Subject objectives/outcomes

On successful completion of this subject, students should be:

1. Aware of the different ways volunteering is defined and practised in Australia and internationally;
2. Familiar with data and data bases on volunteering in Australia;
3. Able to demonstrate an understanding of the history of volunteering and the principles that underline good practice in volunteering;
4. Familiar with the sources of volunteers and with theory and evidence, that seeks to explain motives for volunteering;
5. Able to define research questions to discover more about volunteering, and to test theories of volunteer motivation;
6. Able to participate knowledgably in debates about the meaning and value of volunteering in the third sector;
7. Able to identify where organisations can use volunteers and identify and overcome points of resistance to the use of volunteers;
8. Familiar with costs and benefits to organisations of using volunteers and be able to estimate these costs and benefits for a particular organisation.

Contribution to graduate profile

The level of volunteering in a society is a sign of its well being; third sector organisations are the main beneficiaries of volunteering. This subject is designed to provide students with a comprehensive introduction to the social phenomena of volunteering and the use of volunteers by third sector and public organisations. This is an elective subject and will be taught only if sufficient interest is expressed.

Teaching and learning strategies

A Learning Guide supported by a text and additional set of Supplementary Readings, a set of workshops and, in future, a web conferencing facility. There is a balance between the convenience of independent learning and the stimulation of academic life, whereby the self managed Learning Guide is part of a broader set of interactive learning experiences especially designed to suit students. In particular, attendance at the intensive workshops is a crucial and compulsory part of the total subject, and will help make sense of the material in the Learning Guide.

Content

• Definitions of volunteering.
• Dimensions of volunteering in Australia and its data sources.
• Valuing in volunteers economically.
• Controversies around volunteers.
• Historical development of volunteering in Australia and internationally.
• Principles of volunteering; volunteers in the labour market.
• Volunteering in different cultures.
• Theories of volunteer motivation.
• Volunteers in organisational settings.
• Costs and benefits of volunteers for organisations.

Assessment

Assessment Task One (Individual)	50%
Students are to write a report on the diverse experiences of the volunteers. It requires a review of the literature of this field and interviews with 5 volunteers. The essay is based on an analysis of the literature and the interviews. Addresses objectives 1 to 5.
Assessment Task Two (Individual)	50%
Students will be required to prepare a research report on the organisational issues involved in managing a volunteer program. Addresses objectives 1 to 8 inclusive.

All assignments will be made secure through a combination of updating of assessment tasks across semesters, requiring students to draw on their own organisational experience and/or with the use of plagiarism detection software. To pass the subject, students must achieve at least 50% of the final overall grade.

Recommended text(s)

Books of Readings for Volunteering social and Organisational Perspectives (Current articles and other material that is updated every year).

Indicative references

Baum F. et al (1999) 'Volunteering and Social Capital: an Adelaide study' Australian Journal on Volunteering pp 13-22, vol 4 no. 1, February, Volunteering Australia

Bembry J. (1996) 'The Impact of Volunteer Coordinators on Volunteer Programs: An Evaluation of Volunteer Maryland!' The Journal of Volunteer Administration, Winter

Bowman, W. (2004) 'Confidence in Charitable Institutions and Volunteering' Nonprofit and Voluntary Sector Quarterly vol 33, no. 2, June pp 247-270

Brudney, J. (2002) 'Testing the Conventional Wisdom Regarding Volunteer Programs: A Longitudinal Analysis of the Service Corps of Retired Executives and the U.S. Small Business Administration' Nonprofit and Voluntary Sector Quarterly vol 31, no. 4, December pp 525-548

Chinman M. and Wandersman A. (1999) 'The Benefits and Costs of Volunteering in Community Organizations: Review and Practical Implications' Nonprofit and Voluntary Sector Quarterly pp 46-64, vol 28 no. 1, March, Sage Publications

Cnaan R. Handy F. and Wadsworth M. (1996) 'Defining Who Is a Volunteer: Conceptual and Empirical Considerations' Nonprofit and Voluntary Sector Quarterly, vol 25 no. 3, September, Sage Publications

Conley Tyler, M and Götz, W. (2006) Australian Volunteers in Post Conflict Situations, Australian Journal of Volunteering, (11) 1 9-18

Cuskelly G. (1998) 'Organisational Commitment and Committee Turnover of Volunteers in Sport' Australian Journal on Volunteering pp4-14, vol 3 no. 2, August, Volunteering Australia

Du Boulay C. (1996) 'What Does it Take to Manage Volunteers?' Australian Journal on Volunteering pp 4-14, vol 1 no. 2, August, Australian Council for Volunteering

Farmer S. and Fedor D. (1999) 'Volunteer Participation and Withdrawal' Nonprofit Management & Leadership pp 349-367, vol 9 no. 4, Summer, Jossey-Bass

Goss K. (1999) 'Volunteering and the Long Civic Generation' Nonprofit and Voluntary Sector Quarterly pp 378-415. vol 28 no. 4, December, Sage Publications

Handy, F. (2004) 'Valuing Volunteers: An Economic Evaluation of the Net Benefits of Hospital Volunteers' Nonprofit and Voluntary Sector Quarterly vol 33, no. 1, March pp 28-54

Hustinx and Lammertyn (2004) The Cultural Bases of Volunteering. Nonprofit and Voluntary Sector Quarterly 33(4): 548-584

International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies Volunteering Policy Implementation Guide

International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies Volunteer Programme Design Toolkit

Knapp M. (1994) 'Time is Money: The Costs of Volunteering in Britain Today' The Journal of Volunteer Administration, Spring

Medaugh B. (1999) 'Volunteer Evaluations – From a Volunteer's Perspective' The Journal of Volunteer Administration, Winter

Pancer, S. Mark, Baetz Mark C., Rog Evelina J. (2002), Developing an Effective Corporate Volunteer Program: Lessons from the Ford Motor Company of Canada Experience, Canadian Centre for Philanthropy

Paull M. (2000) 'Managing Volunteer Performance: the Role of the Feedback Environment' Australian Journal on Volunteering pp19-31, vol 5 no. 2, November, Volunteering Australia

Paull M. (2002) 'Reframing volunteer management. A view from the West' Australian Journal on Volunteering pp 21-27, vol 7 no. 1, Volunteering Australia

Reed P. and Selbee K. (2001) 'Canada's Civic Core' Isuma 2(2) Summer

Safrit and Schmiesing (2004) A Suggested Model for Contemporary Volunteer Management: Qualitative Research Bridging the Professional Literature with Best Practice, Journal of Volunteeer Administration, 22(4) 34-39

Smith D.H. (1994) 'Determinants of Voluntary Association Participation and Volunteering: A Literature Review' Nonprofit and Voluntary Sector Quarterly, vol 23 no. 3, Fall, Jossey-Bass Publishers

Tables from Voluntary Work Australia (4441.0, 2000) Australian Bureau of Statistics

Tiehen, L. (2000) 'Has Working More Caused Married Women to Volunteer Less? Evidence From Time Diary Data, 1965 to 1993' Nonprofit and Voluntary Sector Quarterly vol 29, no. 4, December pp 505-529, Sage Publications

Volunteering Australia (2001) A National Agenda on Volunteering

Volunteering Australia (2003) Running the risk? A risk management tool for volunteer involving organisations http://www.volunteeringaustralia.org/html/s02_article/ article_view.asp?id=129&nav_cat_id=164&nav_top_id=61&dsa=2050

Zappala G. (2001) 'From 'Charity' to 'Social Enterprise': Managing volunteers in public-serving nonprofits' Australian Journal on Volunteering pp 41-49, vol 6 no. 1, Volunteering Australia

Zappala G. and Burrell T. (2001) 'Why are some volunteers more committed than others?' Working Paper no. 5, The Smith Family