Volunteers in the Delivery of Public Services: Hidden Costs... and Benefits

Abstract

The literature on volunteers in public service tends to focus on efficiency and quality of performance. The case reported here illustrates additional benefits and costs of this approach. In 1988 and 1990 the State of Alabama used biracial teams of volunteer trainers to teach the requirements of a federal court order to poll workers in each of its counties. The benefits were a much larger work force than could have been assembled from paid employees, the speed with which it was recruited and deployed, and the symbolic effects of citizen participation. The principal cost was the extraordinary staff commitment required to coordinate the volunteer effort. The lessons of this experience are useful to scholars and public managers as they evaluate volunteer involvement in public service delivery.