Managing volunteers

Achieving the best results

Volunteers can be a huge asset to any organisation, bringing diversity and much-needed support. As a result, it is vital that volunteers are treated with respect and given the support they need to fulfil the role they have volunteered for.

As a minimum requirement, they should receive an induction to the organisation that covers all aspects of health and safety. They should have disclosure and barring service checks and receive safeguarding training if they are to work with vulnerable groups of society. 

Volunteers must only be used for a role and in a manner for which they have agreed. Overloading volunteers with additional tasks or expecting them to work times they did not agree to, will only serve to dampen their enthusiasm and could result in the loss of a valuable asset.

If you require help in setting up volunteer agreements, training opportunities or for DBS checks please contact help@volunteer.je

Are you new to volunteer management? Or believe you could get more out of your volunteering programme? You've come to the right place! Volunteer.je facilitates the development of good practice in volunteering through learning from the many organisations we work with. By ‘good practice’ we mean what you can do to make volunteering work positively both for the organisation involving the volunteer and for the volunteer. 

So what is good practice?  Key elements include:

• Having a volunteer policy that guides the organisation's involvement of volunteers
• Giving volunteers clear role descriptions
• Giving volunteers an induction
• Ensuring your volunteers and making them aware of health and safety issues
• Giving your volunteers support and any ongoing training they require to fulfil their role
• Paying travel expenses and offering these expenses without waiting to be asked by your volunteers
• Having a problem-solving procedure in case things go wrong
• Applying your organisation's commitment to equal opportunities in how you recruit, select and coordinate volunteers
• Recognising and valuing your volunteers and the contribution they make. 
   

Good practice isn't set in stone. We are all developing what we mean by good practice, as volunteering itself develops.

Why involve volunteers? Having all your good practice in place is critical, but before you start to develop roles consider why you want or need volunteers.

Please contact us to share your positive (or challenging) experiences so we can pass on what you've learnt to others. 

If you have unanswered questions or concerns or would like any advice or support with developing or delivering your volunteer programme contact:

The Volunteer team at: help@volunteer.je