For many individuals, the act of volunteering lies at the core of being human. For volunteer host organizations (VHOs), volunteers provide the much-needed manpower and community engagement to fulfill their missions effectively.

However, there is a mismatch in the volunteer labor market. Volunteers struggle to be placed, and VHOs struggle to find enough of the right volunteers. This mismatch has to be solved at two levels. At the market level, there needs to be more and better market information, brokering, and clearing mechanisms for the supply and demand of volunteers. At the participant level, VHOs must recognize the volunteer market realities, and develop and implement strategies to raise, manage, and retain volunteers.