| Abstract: | The main purpose of this paper, which features all the shop volunteers in the town of Ruislip (and some in a neighbouring town), is to build a picture of the volunteer workforce and to note some distinguishing features about volunteer groupings that have been identified. It discusses some of the management challenges facing charities in marshalling their volunteers and notes the very important part the local shop manager plays in that process. Finally it discusses some of the consequences to volunteering of the migration to ‘professionalism’. It is suggested that charities, by understanding what is happening to volunteering in the retail sector, will extract maximum contribution from the efforts of their volunteers, present and future. A competitive edge may be found by some if they employ a humanistic approach to the management of volunteers. Copyright © 1999 Henry Stewart Publications |
