1. Liz Devaney 2011

2.  Planning  Preparation  Process

3.  Why do you want to involve volunteers?  What does your organisation want volunteers to do?  What resources will you need (people/equipment/money)?

4.  Policies : ◦ Which policies will apply to volunteers? ◦ Do you need any new policies?  Staff : ◦ Who will recruit and coordinate volunteers? ◦ Does this person need any training?  Budget : ◦ How much will it cost to involve (more) volunteers?

5. Systems  Support  Monitoring and review  Expenses reimbursement  Communication  Recording and storage of information

6.  Advertise, recruit and select volunteers  Induction and training  Workplan - Briefing, debriefing and feedback

7.  Support, supervise and monitor  Respond to difficult situations/challenges  Assess outcomes, evaluate and amend plans

8.  The nature of the relationship between volunteers and the organisation is informal and voluntary.  Employment based policies and procedures should not be applied to the management of volunteers.

9.  Take every step possible to avoid an implied legally binding contract with volunteers.  Make a clear distinction between volunteers and paid staff in the following areas: ◦ Terminology used ◦ Policies and procedures ◦ Expectations

10.  What volunteers are joining the organisation to do (role, placement)  Requirements of role (hopes and expectations)  If things aren’t going well (dealing with difficulties/problems)

11.  Promote your volunteer opportunities in the local (free) newspaper  Be clear about what someone might gain by volunteering with your organisation  Don’t let poor communication ruin your recruitment efforts

12.  Write role descriptions and volunteer specifications  When matching volunteers to tasks, use ◦ Motivation ◦ Expectations ◦ Needs ◦ Skills

13.  Get to know your volunteers  Check out if they are happy doing the same tasks, or if they want to develop their skills/gain experience of other roles  Thank your volunteers after every session of volunteering

14. Resources : Volunteering England’s Good Practice Bank ◦ www.volunteering.org.uk www.volunteering.org.uk Training: ViSTA ◦ www.vistaproject.org.uk www.vistaproject.org.uk ◦ 08453 580372

15. Liz Devaney lizdevaney@tiscali.co.uk