Thursday, March 12, 2009

Resources for Working with Volunteers

Web sites and Free Resources
Corporation for National and Community Service
www.nationalserviceresources.orgEnergize Inc.
www.energizeinc.com
Free resources as well as books and articles for purchase.
Fieldstone Alliance
www.FieldstoneAlliance.org
See our web site for a variety of free management articles and tools as well as practical books to help busy nonprofits.
www.Idealist.org
Points of Light Foundation
www.pointsoflight.org
They have a list of national volunteer centers.
Volunteer Match
www.VolunteerMatch.org

Recommended Reading
“Volunteer Management Practices and Retention of Volunteers,” research by the Urban Institute and the Corporation for National and Community Service available at http://www.urban.org/publications/411005.html
McCurley, Steve and Rick Lynch, Volunteer Management: Mobilizing all the Resources of the Community, Second Edition, 2006, Johnstone Training and Consultation, Inc.
Fixler, Jill Friedman and Sandie Eichberg and Gail Lorenz, Boomer Volunteer Engagement: Collaborate Today, Thrive Tomorrow, 2008, Author House.
Graff, Linda, Better Safe…Risk Management in Volunteer Programs & Community Service, 2003, Linda Graff and Associates Inc.
Ellis, Susan, From the Top Down: The Executive Role in Volunteer Program Success, 1996, Energize Inc.

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When Helping Hurts

When Helping Hurts

Recommended Book


"When Helping Hurts:How to Alleviate PovertyWithout Hurting the Poor...and Yourself"
by Steve Corbett and Dr. Brian Fikkett

Churches and individual Christians typically have faulty assumptions about the causes of poverty, resulting in the use of strategies that do considerable harm to poor people and to themselves. When Helping Hurts is a book by Steve Corbett and Brian Fikkert of the Chalmers Center for Economic Development that directly addresses these assumptions, providing foundational concepts, clearly articulated general principles, and relevant applications. The result is an effective and holistic approach to ministry to the poor, not a truncated gospel.

What You Will Learn
The book begins by establishing a solid biblical foundation for understanding the nature of poverty and its alleviation. This is more than an academic exercise, for people's understanding of poverty shapes the strategies they use to minister to poor people. Building upon this foundation, the book then outlines several general principles for all poverty alleviation efforts including: the importance of distinguishing between relief, rehabilitation, and development; the difference between asset-based and needs-based strategies; and the advantages of participatory over blueprint approaches. These general principles are then applied to short-term mission efforts and to various economic development strategies appropriate for North American and international contexts, including jobs training, financial literacy, individual development accounts, and microenterprise development.

Who Should Read This Book
The book is designed for those who want to minister to poor people more effectively, including pastors, missionaries, deacon boards, lay leaders, home and foreign missions committees, mercy ministry teams, and donors. It is appropriate for an individual or for a group such as a Sunday school class, a ministry team, or a small group Bible study.
AuthorsWhen Helping Hurts is written by Steve Corbett and Dr. Brian Fikkert of the Chalmers Center for Economic Development and the Department of Economics and Community Development at Covenant College. Steve and Brian draw upon decades of experience as practitioners, researchers, and trainers in economics and community development both in North America and around the world.

Free Self/Group-study Course
To help you study the topics of the book further, the Chalmers Center has made available at no charge a four-lesson self/group-study course that complements the book. This course provides additional readings, reflection questions, application questions, and learning exercises. It is appropriate for an individual or a group such as a Sunday school class or a ministry team.

www.chalmers.org/when-helping-hurts/book.php

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