Achieving with volunteers: managing those who give their time and effort freely.
First edition due out on 1st June 2026
Summary
Should volunteers be managed - or is that anathema? Do volunteers seek reward - or would they then become employees? Two of many questions asked by those seeking to manage people who give their time and effort freely. Questions asked by those seeking to motivate volunteers and win their commitment. Two of many questions answered in this book.
Achieving with Volunteers sets out the actions needed by managers in local, regional, national and international civil society organisations (CSOs) to achieve great things with volunteers. Importantly, it discusses the issues that managers of volunteers will inevitably encounter in striving for performance, productivity, and results.
This book builds practical models that managers of volunteers can follow and adapt to get the very best from their people. This first edition is right up to date, considering both the modern-day slow decline of volunteer numbers and the growth of tech both threatening and enhancing jobs.
In 12 chapters, about 120,000 words, 300 pages, and 80 figures.
Reviews
About the Authors
John Berry
John Berry has given almost forty years of part-time volunteering effort primarily covering youth and education with over 20 years spent with the Scouts. As a management consultant, he has worked with large and small, national and local civil society organisations. He has seen the good and the bad of the sector. John is an alumnus of Loughborough University, the Open University Business School and Birkbeck, University of London, in technology, management and organisational psychology. He is a Chartered Manager and a Fellow of the Chartered Management Institute. As a technology manager he was a Chartered Engineer and Fellow of the Institution of Engineering and Technology.
Sue Berry
For 40 years Sue Berry has volunteered in education, delivering for beneficiaries, and chairing local and national governance committees. As a consultant, she has helped managers in civil society organisations navigate complex cases, primarily in recruitment and discipline. She is a Queen’s Guide and Queen’s Scout and DofE Gold holder with many years volunteering with the Scouts. Sue is an alumna of Newcastle University, De Montfort University and the Open University in education, human resource management and psychology & economics. She is a Chartered Fellow of the Chartered Institue of Personnel and Development and has Qualified Teacher Status.