Four elements of the planning by objectives system (purposes, long- and short-term objectives, and planning details) are explained in this manual for people who work with high school or college student volunteer programs which provide experiential learning through community service. Following an introduction on the fundamentals of the system, a section is devoted to each element individually. Included in each section are practical exercises to test the reader's understanding of the material presented and spaces available to write actual program purposes (section 2), long-term objectives (3), short-term objectives (4), and planning details (5). Concluding the manual is a brief discussion on program evaluation. Related documents are CE 017 213, which details student volunteer program evaluation procedures, and CE 017 212, twelve case histories of high school courses with volunteer components.) A glossary of terms and sample worksheets and forms are appended. (JH)