RECRUITING, RETAINING AND SUPPORTING VOLUNTEERS

Andrew Morter

Volunteering Manager at Voluntary Norfolk

RECRUITMENT, INDUCTION AND TRAINING

1) What motivates people to volunteer?

2) Come up with 5 reasons why a volunteer would volunteer with your organisation

RECRUITMENT, INDUCTION AND TRAININGWhat are the perceived barriers people have for

Volunteering?

“Middle class do gooders” perception Over formality Pigeon holing of roles Time commitment Lack of skills (or perceived lack of skills) Disability / Caring responsibilities Transport Financial Concerns Asylum seekers / ESOL Criminal records (NACRO – 0800 0181 259)

RECRUITMENT, INDUCTION AND TRAINING

Recruiting volunteers is a process, not an event!

Make sure you consult with paid staff over bringing in volunteers, and also involve people at senior level in your organisation (probably the Board of Trustees).

Everyone needs to understand and fully support your organisation involving volunteers in your work.

RECRUITMENT, INDUCTION AND TRAINING Register your volunteering opportunity/ies with your local Volunteer

Centre/Bureau, and also with those which cover the area within which your volunteers will be active.

Word of mouth – this is how the majority of volunteers find their positions.

Posters, leaflets and postcards can spread your message widely, and can be placed with Job Centres; shops and Post Office branches; schools and colleges; GP and dental surgeries; sports, leisure and community centres; town halls and other public buildings; religious centres.

Advertising in the local or national press and radio A stall at local community events, fairs, fetes, carnivals, career and

recruitment fairs. Give talks at large companies’ and statutory sector pre-retirement

courses; women’s groups; youth groups; cultural groups; schools; training projects.

Offering ‘taster’ sessions to potential volunteers through ‘Make a Difference Day’ events or Volunteers Week events.

Student volunteering – contact the local Universities and Colleges of Further Education. Many have their own volunteering organisation.

RECRUITMENT, INDUCTION AND TRAINING

Many potential volunteers will make their initial contact

with you by telephone, so it’s important that their enquiry is handled in a welcoming manner.

Ensure that everyone who might answer the phone

knows what to do and to whom to pass the call. Remember to add instructions to people who are interested in volunteering to your answerphone message, so they know they have got the right place. Many volunteers call out of office hours, and you need to make them feel welcomed.

RECRUITMENT, INDUCTION AND TRAINING

Induction is the process, and it is a process, not an event, of introducing and welcoming a volunteer to your organisation. You will be getting to know your new volunteer and how best to work with them, and they will be deciding whether they want to stay or not!

RECRUITMENT, INDUCTION AND TRAININGKeep things very basic on the first day. This might

include:- Introduce them to staff and volunteers Show them around your building, including where the toilets

are, where they can get a hot or cold drink, where they can store their things

Show them where they will be sitting and where they can find any equipment they need

Tell them about breaks – set times or whenever wanted? Tell them where they can go locally to get out and to buy

food Explain your organisation’s policy/view on use of

phones/internet for private use Explain about claiming expenses Make sure they know what happens at the end of their shift Ensure they know who to go to for help with questions or

problems.

RECRUITMENT, INDUCTION AND TRAININGIt might be tempting to talk about policies on the first day, but

until your new volunteer knows basic things like the names of the people around them, where the toilets are, etc, they are likely

to be too nervous to retain the information. It is important to deal

with some formal matters, though, and you might want to cover the following as soon as appropriate:-

Health and Safety – actually show them where the fire exits, extinguishers, first aid kit, etc are, and point out any hazards.

Volunteer agreement – this outlines what you and the volunteer can expect of each other.

Policies – you might want to cover equal opportunities, confidentiality, disciplinary and grievance policies, depending on your organisation and its work.

RECRUITMENT, INDUCTION AND TRAINING

In order to get your volunteer to really gain some

understanding of your organisation and its work, you

might like to:- Introduce them to everyone… …including the

CEO! Arrange for them to shadow other staff and

volunteers Have them try out tasks in various parts of the

organisation Invite them to attend any events the

organisation is involved with Invite them to social occasions.

RETAINING YOUR VOLUNTEERS

In theory, if you follow all of the previous points,

retaining your volunteer/s should be easier.

You’ll be investing a lot in your volunteer/s, in terms of

time, effort and training, so it makes sense to make

sure they will want to stay with your organisation.

RETAINING YOUR VOLUNTEERS

Think about your volunteer role/s, are they interesting and varied? Is there scope to develop?

Make sure there is enough for the volunteer to do when they come in, it’s disappointing to come in and find nothing is ready for your attention.

RETAINING YOUR VOLUNTEERS

What motivates your volunteer/s? It’s important to know, so find out, perhaps when taking the person on, during supervision, and/or through chatting with them when they are in. It may be one or more of the following:-

A chance to practice existing skills A chance to learn new skills A way to meet people, and perhaps make friends A way to help with a particular need in society To have some fun To gain confidence For work experience, and/or to get a recent reference To try out an area of work before committing to a new career

Or maybe something else - you won’t know until you ask.

RETAINING YOUR VOLUNTEERS

Volunteers may only stay for a short time, especially if they are getting ready to enter or re-enter paid work. This is inevitable, and you should feel pleased if you have helped someone enter or re-enter paid work after a period of unemployment.

It’s a good idea to have an exit interview when a

volunteer leaves, to ascertain if there are problems

which have not been raised or addressed.

RETAINING YOUR VOLUNTEERS

People’s motivations may change over time, so it is important to check during supervision that they are happy with their volunteering. They may want to develop further, so try to accommodate this if at all possible.

You should include volunteers in decision-making, so always consult them over anything which affects them, and you might like to invite them to staff meetings, too.

Always make sure your volunteers feel valued – remember to say thank you at the end of their sessions, making particular mention of anything they have done especially well. Remember their birthdays with a card, and include them in the Christmas celebrations.

RETAINING YOUR VOLUNTEERS

Volunteers Week (1st week of June each year) is an opportunity to celebrate your volunteer’s contribution to your organisation, perhaps with one of the following:-

Coffee morning A meal somewhere special Fun day out to a place of special interest Trip to the bowling alley, or theme park A visit to your organisation’s Head Office Presentation of certificates at a lunch A music event and picnic

Or something else – different people appreciate different events. Remember some volunteers may be on very low incomes, so make sure they know whether they are expected to pay anything towards the event.