If one could sum up the solution to volunteer recruitment woes found in Shar McBee's To Lead is to Serve, it might sound like a refreshing twist to John F. Kennedy's motto of the 1960's: "Ask not what your volunteers can do for your organization, but what your organization can do for your volunteers." Written after forty years of field experience, McBee's self-published book primarily targets nonprofit volunteer recruiters, but appeals to any future leader in any sector seeking a more enlightened way to influence society.

To Lead is to Serve is not the usual step-by-step manual that I read when I was a stewardship coordinator for a church in Long Island. In addition to offering practical recruiting suggestions, it also appeals to the inner wisdom of recruiters by mingling business psychology with what McBee calls "ancient leadership principles."

What distinguishes the book from other how-to guides is that it sprinkled with timeless proverbs ranging from Picasso to the Upanishads, literary anecdotes, and meditative "exercises for success" at the end of each chapter. In one section, "Change Your Mind," McBee observes how nonprofits focus too much on what they "need, need, need" from volunteers —— which results in "drowning" and "repelling" them — rather than on how to make volunteering a more enticing experience. She alludes to the classic anecdote of Tom Sawyer and the fence: "When he thought of it as an unpleasant chore, no one wanted to help him. But when he changed his attitude and acted like his task was his greatest joy, people begged for a chance to paint the fence."

Some nonprofits don't sufficiently appreciate their volunteer staff, but regard them as helping hands unequal to paid staff, a perception that poses costly disadvantages in the long run for such organizations, suggests McBee. A more respectful view of volunteers, she proposes, is to regard them as valuable stewards who can do their jobs in cost-effective and original ways. Notably, she advises nonprofits not to prioritize their mission over people, but to reach out more sensitively to the very volunteers that they depend on to carry out their goals.

I particularly liked a chapter called "Be Attractive." Here, McBee rallies volunteer recruiters to maintain a welcoming environment, such as keeping workspaces clean and uncluttered and showing delight to see them. Nonprofits with underdeveloped facilities would benefit from reading this chapter especially.

Finally, McBee reports that some organizations that have adopted her strategies and shifted their attitudes towards their volunteers increased their recruitment by up to 500 percent. Whether or not your own organizational increase is as dramatic as this after you read her book, you'll agree that her message is lucid and engaging. This book makes for a highly memorable and informative read on the nature of leadership and public service, for both volunteers and volunteer recruiters.

For citations to additional literature on this topic, refer to Literature of the Nonprofit Sector Online, using the subject headings "Volunteers-recruitment" or "Volunteers-management."