If you are a small charity or church, volunteers are probably your life blood, core to keeping your work going. It can be easy though to fall into one of two camps; either you are so grateful for volunteers that you ignore any problems or issues that arise, or you figure they’re replaceable and don’t invest in them.
For your volunteers to be as effective (and committed) as they can be, you need to treat them a bit like staff with added flexibility. The following things can help create that kind of culture.
- Give volunteers a sense of purpose. If a volunteer turns up and finds they have nothing to do, or what they are doing doesn’t seem to have a point, they will quickly be demotivated. Explain how their role fits into the wider organisation and make sure they have all the information they need to get started.
- Get to know your volunteers. Find out why they are volunteering, allow them to air any concerns they might have, and make time to give and receive feedback. Having a regular meeting may or may not work in your situation, but ensure your volunteers know they can approach you, and expect to receive feedback themselves. Exit interviews can be really helpful for giving you honest feedback on both the organisation and its treatment of volunteers.
- Recruit properly. For a volunteer role it’s best practise to have an application, a short interview, and two references. Providing them with a job description for their role and possibly also a code of conduct can help ensure you have the right person in the right role.
- Be clear from the outset. If a volunteer will be needed for a particular shift, or expected to attend certain meetings or training, let them know at the outset. You may scare some people off, but others will be motivated to know their role is taken seriously.
- Train your volunteers. You have no guarantee of how long a volunteer will stay with you, but they still need trained in their role. If they are working with children or young people, they will need to have safeguarding training before commencing their role (and a DBS check). You may need to provide training in certain software or processes. People want to feel competent and equipped for their role, paid or not.
- Set boundaries. Some of your volunteers may be facing particular challenges and need some extra support from you. Spending too much time with one volunteer however gives you less time for other volunteers or for staff. Be realistic with volunteers about the amount of support and time you can provide.
- Provide expenses. Some people may find they can’t afford to volunteer without expenses being covered. You can offer expenses for travel to and from the place of volunteering, travel within their role, refreshments purchased while volunteering, or specialist clothing. It’s important that volunteers provide a receipt and you reimburse for the exact amount. Offering a flat rate for expenses can cause problems for volunteers on benefits, and also conflict with employment law.
- Manage performance. Set clear expectations for performance from the outset. If there are performance problems, ask if they are experiencing any personal problems or discuss ways the issue can be addressed. Having a job description and making it clear that there will be feedback from the outset makes these conversations much easier.
- Stay flexible. Many of your volunteers may have other volunteering responsibilities or jobs, and this work may not be their priority. There could be good reasons for them arriving late or needing to cancel last minute. However you need to discuss together what your expectations are for timings and frequency in an ideal week; having volunteers ‘drop in’ is not a great use of anyone’s time.
- Show your appreciation. It’s easy for volunteers to be forgotten when you are thanking staff or donors, but ensure they know that you appreciate them volunteering their time and enthusiasm.
If you would like support in creating outcomes or objectives for your volunteers – planning what they will do and why – please get in touch.
Effective Third Sector 