Code of Practice Workshops Write Up 27-06-2014 Comments Rob

8/12/2019 Code of Practice Workshops Write Up 27-06-2014 Comments Rob

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/code-of-practice-workshops-write-up-27-06-2014-comments-rob 1/15

Case for a Code – Association of Volunteer Managers - Consultative Workshops (Draft) - May-June 2014

of 15

Case for a Code – Association of

Volunteer ManagersPreliminary findings from a series of consultative

workshops on developing a code of practice for volunteermanagement (May-June 2014)

Summary

In May 2014, the Association of Volunteer Managers began a project to develop a code of practice

for volunteer management in the UK1.

Four workshops were carried out between May-June 2014 hosted by Save the Children (London),

MNDA (Northampton), AVM (online webinar) and by Jewish Volunteering Network (London). 30

practitioners took part in these workshops2.

The workshops aim was to consult practitioners on volunteer management on two points:

Gauge views of practitioners on the broad debate for and against the professionalisation of

volunteer management.

Canvass opinions on the values that are core to the practice of volunteer management and

should be the basis for the principles in a code of practice.

These are preliminary findings which will be fed into the formulation of a wider online consultation

of all members of AVM, with a view to drafting a formal proposal for a code of practice that can be

agreed at AVM’s AGM in October 2014.

We’re seeking views of all the membership on these findings. To express your views, please contact:

[email protected]

Introduction

The overall aim is to develop a code of practice in volunteer management which should:

1. provide a framework that guides the core practice of professionals in volunteer

management

2. encourage active reflection among professionals in volunteer management on the wider

implications and impacts of their work3. inform the practice of others who work in association with professionals in volunteer

management

4. support constructive communication between professionals in volunteer management and

the public on complex and challenging issues in volunteering

5. raise the standards of practice by ensuring the integrity of members and thereby raise the

public’s trust in what we do

1

http://volunteermanagers.org.uk/2014/05/02/the-case-for-a-code/

2 http://www.eventbrite.co.uk/o/association-of-volunteer-managers-4550611853?s=25585987




http://www.eventbrite.co.uk/o/association-of-volunteer-managers-4550611853?s=25585987








of 15

Background

Growth in recognition of volunteering and its value – though appreciation of the role of

volunteer managers still lags in comparison

We know from research3 and anecdotal evidence that thousands work in volunteer

management (although often many are not aware that there is such a thing as volunteer

management, let alone a profession)

Increasingly, there is a body of knowledge behind volunteer management - more

autonomy/responsibility vis-a-vis related professions and disciplines, e.g. professionals in

personnel and development, fundraising professionals, etc.

Over the last 15 years or more4, much work has been done on the general principles of volunteering

and the practice of volunteering at an organisational level5. There’s also been work on the skills and

personal qualities required by individual practitioners of volunteer management. However, there is

no established set of principles that individual practitioners can sign up to which could form the

basis of greater professionalisation in the UK.

Defining the terms of the debate

For the purposes of this project, the definition of a professional has been taken from the work of

Hoyle and John6 whose research was primarily based in the field of education:

makes proficient use of expert or specialist knowledge,

exercises autonomous thought and judgement,

and makes a voluntary commitment to a set of principles

This definition is inclusive in different respects: it includes those working in different sectors,

different levels of seniority and or those paid/voluntary.

This definition helps to identify the key challenges for greater professionalisation in volunteer

management. Namely:

1. Agreeing on the skills and knowledge that form the basis for the specialist knowledge of the

volunteer management professional

2. Achieving greater recognition and autonomy for volunteer management professionals as

practitioners with specialist knowledge

3. Appreciating that volunteer management professionals commit to following a set of

established principles

By taking a lead in establishing a code of practice, the Association of Volunteer Managers aims to

ensure that this process of professionalisation is led by the community of volunteer management

practitioners themselves.

3 http://volunteermanagers.org.uk/research/

4 https://www.energizeinc.com/hot/july97.html - "Is Volunteer Management Really a Profession?", Susan J.

Ellis, July 19975 Some examples include: Volunteering: Compact Code of Good Practice (2001), Volunteer Managers -

National Occupational Standards (2008), Investing in Volunteers Quality Standard (2003), GLV Volunteer

Management Charter (2012) and Universal Declaration on the Profession- declaration on the profession ofleading and managing volunteers - Volunteer Canada (2001).6 Eric Hoyle and Peter John, Professional Knowledge and Professional Practice, Cassell (1995)

http://volunteermanagers.org.uk/research/



https://www.energizeinc.com/hot/july97.html








of 15

Without volunteer management practitioners taking a lead, there is a risk that professionalisation is

driven as a reaction to external pressures, such as from government or for commercial reasons.

Areas of professionalisation

Professionalisation can be categorised in the following way (note this includes an ethical framework

for the profession):

1. Professional knowledge (knowledgeable practitioners)

2. Ongoing professional development (reflective)

3. Entry into the profession (structure and supported routes into the profession)

4. Scope of the profession (core capabilities)

5. Models of practice (contract/partnership)

6. Ethical framework for the profession (core value/principles)

Greater professionalisation of volunteer management

Is there an appetite amongst practitioners of volunteer management in the UK for greater

professionalisation? A demand for professionalisation, provides a rationale for a code of practice.

Understanding better why practitioners agree or disagree with professionalisation helps inform our

conversation about the kind of code in practice we want and need.

Summarised: the case for greater professionalisation

Volunteer management is more than just a job, role or function

There are values that set volunteer management apart

Considerable expertise/body of knowledge

We’re ready for greater autonomy, independence and recognition

Summarised: the case against greater professionalisation

Risk of generating unnecessary formalisation and bureaucracy

Could make volunteering increasingly costly

Undesirable greater institutionalisation and loss of independence Threat to the fundamental nature of volunteering




of 15

Discussion – talking points in the debate about greater professionalisation

The following points came out of the discussion in the consultative workshops on the reasons for

and against the greater professionalisation of volunteer management.

Greater autonomy, greater responsibility

As volunteer management practitioners, we are seeking greater responsibility. Professionalisation

would provide practitioners with a greater degree of autonomy. Volunteer management

practitioners who are more professional are more likely to be given decision-making responsibilities

on matters directly concerning volunteer management.

Defining our specialist knowledge

Too often key decisions affecting volunteer management are made without recourse to the

knowledge of practitioners about likely consequences. Professionalisation would help to define the

specialist knowledge of volunteer management practitioners, increase inclusion of practitioners indecision making and lead to greater autonomy.

There is indeed a considerable body of knowledge within the sector. Defining this knowledge in a

more consistent and recognised way, would help to bring about a greater level of understanding

beyond volunteer management and ultimately build a greater level of autonomy for practitioners.

Code of practice would provide external validation

A code of practice would provide an external validation of our own voice on issues in volunteer

management within the groups and organisations in which we work. For instance, a volunteer

manager arguing for reform of their organisation’s policy on DBS checking, would be strengthened if

they could point to guidance of a community framed within a clear and recognised professional code

of practice.

Helping to define where volunteer management sits

In organisations, the volunteer management function sits in different teams or directorates.

However, it often sits in the human resources directorate (or people directorate as it’s increasingly

described). The working culture of human resources is often very different from volunteer

management. For example, it may tend to be conducted on more rigid policies and procedures and

pegged against specific legal concerns that are not relevant to volunteer management.

If volunteer management sits in the fundraising department/directorate, it can be hard to convincecolleagues of the value of involving volunteers in activities beyond fundraising.

Extending volunteer management’s influence

Many volunteer-involving organisations in the UK haven’t adapted to the changes in the sector in

the last five years. Many still try to fundraise their way out of trouble, applying strategies and

solutions that might have worked before the financial crisis but are considerably less effective now.

Within that context, volunteer management has a crucial role to play in helping organisations to

think beyond what they can pay for and help unlock considerably more potential and resource to

achieve their missions.

Volunteering can be left as an aspirational hope, not always embedded within operational thinkingand behaviour. Greater professionalisation of volunteer management would increase its status and




of 15

our ability to influence, both internally (e.g. ensuring volunteering is considered within strategic and

operating planning and decision making) and externally (influencing local and central government in

policy making, lobbying etc.).

Going by what people are saying, professionalisation as a process needs to help volunteer managers

and the work they do feel more integrated within the organisations and places of work. It feels likevolunteer management has a lot to offer, and in terms of how volunteering is currently managed

and structured, organisations may not always be the most effective they can be.

Professionalisation of volunteer management should have something to say, something to add to

the wider discourse of how volunteer management is organised within the organisations, networks

and groups it is present in.

Raising the profile of volunteer management

Professionalisation would be helpful if it helps to improve the status of volunteer management. This

may be achieved through the development of a professional body for volunteer managers, such as

AVM.

Through such a body, it may be easier for colleagues, stakeholders and the public to make a clearer

comparison between practitioners of volunteer management and other practitioners, such as

fundraisers, operational staff, human resources and others.

Greater professionalisation is linked in the minds of many with the idea of improving the status

accorded to volunteer management. The status of volunteer managers is often linked to the visibility

of volunteering generally in the organisation. Where volunteering is low profile and volunteers’ voice

is not heard, volunteer management professionals accordingly are less likely to be understood or

recognised.

Volunteer management is poorly understood, as a result it is underappreciated and underrated

which leads to practitioners’ lower status.

Valuing volunteering

The language we use around volunteering in our organisations can denote status. Why, for example,

is there such a difference between volunteer and pro-bono? Often those who act pro-bono do not

think of what they do as volunteering. In the same way, our colleagues outside volunteer

management don’t see pro-bono as volunteering. Professionalisation could change the discourse

about volunteering.

The local compact on volunteering – what’s the legacy of this? Many statutory partners now notinterested in continuing to follow the compact – now there’s no funding for it. This is an example of

how it’s become harder to get acceptance of the value of volunteering by local authorities.

Volunteering is often unfairly undervalued. Just calling a task volunteering can lower the perceived

value of the activity amongst certain stakeholders, e.g. describing a job as volunteering on a CV. This

is linked with the persistence of a pejorative meaning of words like amateur which insinuate second

rate quality, overshadowing the positives of work that is done “for the love of it”.

A multidisciplinary approach to learning

A volunteer management offers a new approach to management that knows how to rebalance the

need for control with the need to empower. It takes us into the realm of leadership, beyond

straightforward management. The volunteer management practitioner needs to understand how




of 15

they can devolve decision-making. There is a lot practitioners of volunteer management can learn

from more established academic disciplines, such as management or leadership theory. Take for

example the work of Burns and Stalker7 on a theoretical idea such as organic organisations that are

flexible unlike mechanistic organizations and value external knowledge. Such theory can have

interesting applications in volunteer management and would strengthen our specialist knowledge.

Never losing the essence of volunteering

There is something very special and spontaneous about volunteering. It puts the person at the

centre of the process. This essence should never be lost. Professionalisation would increase the

pressure to define what we mean by volunteer management. In practical terms, many people, both

staff and volunteers, supervise and manage volunteers on a day-to day basis as part of their

operational role. If we professionalise, we need to ensure this does not disempower these

colleagues or suffocate local ownership and responsibility, in a day to day/localised context.

We need to avoid volunteer management replicating some of the worst elements of

professionalisation such as becoming process driven at the expense of the good aspects.

Professionalisation would deter talent if it means we take our eye off the ball about what’s most

important - our instinct for putting people at the centre of the process.

There's a worry that professionalisation if not carefully thought through may present values that are

contrary to the core values of volunteering. We need to find a way of rethinking professionalisation

that aligns it with these core values.

Volunteers are the focus. Every individual that gives generously of their time to support a cause

must be protected. As well as giving volunteer management some 'status' and the potential to

influence internally and externally, professionalisation could provide a recognised standard that

volunteers can expect from their host organisation.

Volunteering and volunteer management

Professionalisation of volunteering is distinct from the professionalisation of practitioners of

volunteer management. Many agreed there was a strong case for professionalisation, but we need

to be clear and ensure this doesn’t impact negatively on the volunteers we work with. In a sense,

“we need to achieve a professional standing for volunteers first – we need to get this recognition for

the volunteers we work with, then get it for ourselves”.

Empower practitioners – am I doing the right thing? How do I compare myself against the standard

for others across the sector? How can we provide a more consistent level of work?

Professionalisation can bring with it added external pressures

The professionalisation of fundraising that came about as a result of external pressures is relatively

new as a phenomena. Fundraisers started professionalisation via the creation of the Institute of

Fundraising some 30 years ago to help them gain status. External pressure came later when external

(public, govt, etc.) expectations of the resulting professionalisation did not match the reality of

people’s engagement with fundraising.

Facing up to our collective responsibility

7 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Organic_organisation - see also “The Management of Innovation” -

http://www.sagepub.com/upm-data/27412_8.pdf

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Organic_organisation










of 15

Values

“ As a practitioner, what are the values you see as core to the practice of volunteer management? ”

To begin this consultation on developing a code of practice, we discussed what the values are that

participants saw as at the core of volunteer management (not just volunteering per se).

For the consultation, the below grid was developed. It is based on an AVM workshop that was ran at

the annual conference in October 2013. In addition, it was took into account research on common

approaches to categorising the values behind volunteering and volunteer management8.

The grid identifies four core categories of values important to volunteer management:

Choice

This category of values are those connected with our belief as practitioners that volunteering is an

activity based on choice. It is the freedom of the volunteer to choose which make volunteering

fundamentally an act of giving and commitment. To be able to choose, we need to be open about

opportunities to get involved and offer access to volunteers with diverse needs and backgrounds.

We may need to support volunteers to enable them to access this choice.

Mutual benefit

This category of values focuses on the reciprocal nature of the relationships we aim to nurture and

develop. These are relationships between volunteers and service users/beneficiaries, between

8 “The Case for a Code - full notes” – for a copy email – [email protected]

mailto:[email protected]







of 15

volunteers and colleagues, between ourselves and volunteers. The idea of partnership is very

important, likewise the idea that these relationships are not simply self-serving, have a view to

deliver some kind of wider public benefit or social value.

Resource

This category of values seeks to set out our belief in the importance of understanding that

volunteering is a two way street. Through volunteering you can deliver incredible resources, and at

the same time as with all management, it requires careful management of resources. This may mean

monetary resources, but it may also means resources in terms of time, energy or gifts in kind. The

relationship between inputs and outputs are often much more complex and nuanced than in

equivalents from service industries based in the public or private sector based on contracts and

transactions. A practitioner in volunteer management needs to understand the importance of when

and how to evaluate, measure, plan and ultimately be accountable for the resources they manage.

Respect

This category of values sums up the importance of respecting the rights and the voice of the peoplecarrying out the volunteering. These are the values we believe in to ensure that the volunteers we

engage and those they work with, enjoy the protection of the law, are safeguarded, can speak out

and are heard within the organisation or group within which they are involved.

Suggestions and clarifications

During the consultative workshops the following additional values were suggested by participants:

Being flexible, flexibility, adaptability, creativity

Flexibility and adaptability are crucial in modern volunteer management and leadership. Flexibility is

valued as a guard against over-standardisation, control and systemisation helping to remain person-

centred.

It’s also about developing processes that are flexible and encouraging volunteers to be prepared to

adapt to the needs of the organisation and its beneficiaries, engaging over a longer period of time.

Engagement, partnership, collaboration, co-operation

An important principle in its own right, engagement is not something that happens just because you

may want it to. It’s something that we have to work hard at, think about constantly and

respond/adapt to the views and actions of our volunteers. We have to value engagement, not

engage for the sake of it or turn in on ourselves.

Partnership captures the spirit of volunteering both internally in supporting and managing our

volunteers, but also externally in our outward-facing relationships, if we are to influence, inform and

lobby as a group/profession.




of 15

Enjoyment, celebration

We need to recognise the value of the contribution that volunteers make and not lose sight of the

importance of fun, enjoyment and satisfaction. Again it is keeping the person at the centre of the

activity.

Leadership, coordination, motivation, reciprocity

The responsibility of leadership of volunteers and understanding the motivations for those who

volunteer and how they match the requirements of beneficiaries and organisations.

There is a balance between the volunteer getting something from volunteering as well as the

organisation and beneficiary getting something too. The balance between volunteering being

valuable in its own right and also having significant value in the ends it achieves.

Trust, integrity, relationship building, empathy, compassion (included under empathy)

Understanding volunteers/stakeholders. Understand the importance of trust in developing

relationships. Respect is about the volunteer manager, not just the volunteer.

Transparency, accountability

As a profession, we’re increasingly under pressure to account for the resources spent on

volunteering. Volunteers, just like those in paid positions are expected to be accountable for their

work. There is a need for those in volunteer management to ensure that volunteering is atransparent and accountable part of the group or organisation for all those involved.

Connect, translate, network, broker (included under connect)

Often those in volunteer management have a good view point from which to understand the

different ways teams and functions interrelate within groups and organisations. Practitioners can

function as brokers, identifying and seeing the potential for opportunities in different teams and

roles for volunteers. They are able to liaise with teams about their requirements and gain an

understanding into the value of connections within and beyond organisations.

Diversity

We think of diversity in different senses: being open to a diverse volunteer base, diverse

relationships, diverse resources, diverse motivations, etc.

Diversity is an ever-present issue. It’s linked to creativity and good understanding of the resources

available to development new and bespoke opportunities to volunteer.




of 15

Learning, continuous development

The knowledge volunteers have is a resource. We need to be continually open to learning and open

minded in terms of our own self-development. Learning is linked with our capability and therefore

our capacity.

Learning is linked with the motivations that volunteers often give their time, because their roles are

challenging and stimulating learning opportunities. Learning as a value can also be at the heart of

many of the reciprocal relationships between volunteers and service users.

Commitment

The value of commitment is crucial to volunteering. In volunteer management, helping to facilitate

and nurture a sense of commitment to the volunteering you oversee is vital.

Economic value, impact, evaluate

There is a need to communicate the value of what volunteers do in economic or monetary terms.

However, it is important to avoid oversimplifying. We should always to strive to articulate the all-

round value of volunteering and wider impact.

Volunteer management should be able to translate the value of volunteering so that it is can be

defined and measured in different ways and against a range of criteria that enable a group or

organisation to demonstrate its impact in relation to its mission and aims.

Freedom, change

Volunteers have the freedom to choose volunteer and the freedom to move on.

We are trying to move people to thinking they have the freedom to move on when you want. As

volunteer managers we have to be especially careful not to pressurise volunteers to continue, when

they have said they want to step down.

We have an important part to play in protecting this freedom to step down. A volunteer who steps

down happy is far more likely to engage again in the future with the same organisation or another

when the time is right.




of 15

Below is the updated grid of core and associated values discussed in the consultative workshops:

Core value

Choice Freely chosen giving

Associated values Examples of how value is important in volunteer management

Open Open-mindedness, being open about the opportunities for volunteers to get

involved

Freedom Free to volunteer, free to stop volunteering

Flexible Able to adapt and broker volunteering that meets both the needs of

beneficiaries and volunteers

Creative Creative approach to harness the choices made by those who engage

Commitment Free to choose, volunteer management is about facilitating engagement

Supported Providing support so that those who want to volunteer have access to join

in and get involved

Giving Volunteering is the choice to give, volunteer management is the art of

receiving those gifts that are offered

Change Volunteering is freely given, change is an integral part of volunteer

management, change is embraced

Diverse Offering diverse access to the volunteering




of 15

Core value

Mutual benefit Mutually beneficial relationships

Associated values Examples of how value is important in volunteer management Engagement Developing relationships that sustain engagement

Empathy Compassion and understanding for volunteers and beneficiaries

Reciprocity Develop reciprocity in relationships between volunteers and beneficiaries

where both benefit

Partnership and

collaboration

Build partnerships with volunteers that engage, romote engagement

through a collaborative ethic

Public benefit Look to provide wider public benefit from the relationships facilitated

through volunteer management

Fair Foster relationships that are fair to each party, and don’t exploit either

party

Connect Volunteer management connects different stakeholders and facilitatesnetworking

Core value

Resource Resource for resource

Associated values Examples of how value is important in volunteer management

Learning Developing learning opportunities for volunteers and beneficiaries

Planned, measure

and evaluate

Plan, measure and evaluate the use of resources required and the resources

created as a result of volunteering

Leadership Provide leadership for volunteersTransparent Take a transparent approach to developing policies and procedures

Impact Look at impact in a broadest possible sense, including and not limited to

monetary value

Accountable Put in place governance structures for volunteering so that those involved

are accountable to stakeholders

Core value

People All about people

Associated values Examples of how value is important in volunteer management Voice Ensure volunteers are given a voice within the group or organisation in

which they engage

Rights Uphold the rights of volunteers

Enjoyment Don’t lose sight of the importance of ensuring volunteering is an enjoyable

and satisfying experience

Trust Win the trust of those who engage with the volunteering you develop and

manage

Listen Actively listen to volunteers and those they work with to understand their

needs

Celebrate Celebrate and recognise the achievements of volunteers

Growth Foster and value the growth of volunteersIntegrity Act with integrity in all matters relating to volunteers you engage




of 15

Law Comply with the law and ensure volunteers you engage are not expected to

act unlawfully

Recognition Recognise the needs and achievements of the volunteers you engage

Skills and Experience

During the consultative workshops many values we identified were very close to skills and

experience that we felt was important to volunteer management.

At this stage, we’ve just listed some of these skills mentioned to give a flavour of the overlap

between values and skills needed in the practice of volunteer management.

The National Occupational Standards for Volunteer Management9 (2008) provide a good basic list of

personal qualities or skills for volunteer management:

Adaptability and innovation

Communication

Concern for others

Desire to learn

Entrepreneurship

Ethical stance

Focus on results

Information and knowledge management

Persuasiveness

Political awareness

Relationship management

Self-management Strategic awareness

Thinking and decision-making

In our discussions the following additional skills and experience were also mentioned:

Networking and brokering

Discerning and assessing ability in others

Change management

People skills

Problem solving

Facilitator Flexible

Adaptable

Managing change

Managing time/contingency

Brokering people (engagement)

Head-hunting

Overview of the organisation (roles, opportunities, service users, staff, volunteers)

9 http://exploringvolunteering.files.wordpress.com/2014/05/national-occupational-standards-for-volunteer-

managers-with-matrix.pdf

http://exploringvolunteering.files.wordpress.com/2014/05/national-occupational-standards-for-volunteer-managers-with-matrix.pdf









of 15

Next step: From values to principles

The next step of this project is to consult the whole membership of AVM on how we go from our

core values to clear principles that we can apply to our practice of volunteer management.

Below are some examples of going from values to principles:

Core value: Choice

Freely chosen giving

Example of how these values are expressed as a principle for volunteer management:

“Develop volunteering that is freely chosen and freely given”

Core value: Mutual benefit

Mutually beneficial relationships


“Build and manage relationships of mutual benefit”

Core value: Resource

Resource for resource


“Provide resource for resource (volunteering provides resource and requires resources)”

Core value: People

All about people


“Uphold and advocate for the rights of all you engage”

Code of Practice Workshops Write Up 27-06-2014 Comments Rob

Documents

Transcript of Code of Practice Workshops Write Up 27-06-2014 Comments Rob