With the recent requests for volunteers to help in the fight against the #Corvid19 #Coronavirus and provide support to those in need locally, we thought it might be useful to highlight the insight and feedback we have gained through our #training courses and workshops on working with #volunteers.
What made it a Good Experience for Volunteers?
- Felt part of Workforce / Project
- Not exploited – no discrimination
- Matched my skills to the opportunity
- Valued – felt welcomed from the start
- Took account of my interests
- Offered opportunities to further my interests
- Good information / communications
- Structured programme – not drifting
What made it Bad Experience for Volunteers?
- Lengthy time gap between applying and doing!
- Formal processes were tedious and put people off
- Matching volunteers skills to opportunity was a challenge
- Resources inadequate to support volunteer
- Time needed was excessive
- Lack of communication – left on shelf
- No safety standards applied
- Lack of detailed information about role
- Not being accepted – discrimination
- Lack of awareness of volunteering benefits
- Transport Travel challenges especially in rural locations
- Doubts that this is going to be beneficial to career plans
Common Challenges Volunteers posed for Management and Volunteering Providers
- Persistently Bad Timekeeping
- Taking on tasks which go outside the agreed remit
- Failure to respect clients/customers
- Breach of health & safety regulations
- Misuse of the organisations equipment or facilities
- Theft and Fraud
- Breach of confidentiality
- Discrimination/Harassment
- Arriving under the influence of alcohol or drugs
Volunteer Providers and Management need to think about and focus on
- Choice
- Diversity
- Mutual Benefit
- Legalities
- Safety and Security
- Saying Thank You
- Well Being
Throwing all the above into the melting pot we came up with 10 hints and tips to help managers and volunteer providers make volunteer working a success for all.
- Don’t create a contract of employment
- Pay reasonable expenses but no payments in kind
- Create a role description and volunteer agreement (protocols)
- Don’t forget some laws will apply to volunteers – eg: GDPR/DBS/Health and Safety
- Have clear communications – entry to exit interviews
- Provide training and induction – entry and throughout tenure
- Ensure that volunteering will provide an opportunity to develop existing skills & acquire new transferable skills for the world of work
- Appoint a “supervisor” or “support person” for volunteer throughout tenure
- Don’t exploit Volunteers: eg: by giving them work a paid person should be doing!
- Involve them as much as you can in work activities like team meetings etc
header image credit: Volunteers by Society of the Sacred Heart used under CC BY-ND 2.0