Helping a Small Development Organization Manage Volunteers More Efficiently

Mauro Falasca (), Christopher Zobel () and Cliff Ragsdale ()
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Mauro Falasca: Department of Marketing and Supply Chain Management, East Carolina University, Greenville, North Carolina 27858
Christopher Zobel: Business Information Technology, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, Virginia 24061
Cliff Ragsdale: Business Information Technology, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, Virginia 24061

Interfaces, 2011, vol. 41, issue 3, 254-262

Abstract: Development organizations plan and execute programs that are directed primarily toward promoting human welfare. Because these organizations rely heavily on volunteers to carry out their social missions, efficiently managing their volunteer workforce is important. In this study, we discuss the development of a spreadsheet-based, multicriteria volunteer-scheduling model for a small development organization in a developing South American country. We demonstrate how the model helps to reduce the number of unfilled shifts, decrease total scheduling costs, and better satisfy the volunteers' scheduling preferences, thus supporting the long-term retention and effectiveness of the organization's volunteer workforce.

Keywords: development; multicriteria decision making; optimization; scheduling; spreadsheets; volunteer labor (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2011
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (4)

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