If you are new to involving volunteers in your group or organisation this section will help you with some of the basics.

This section is also a good refresher for those who already work with and manage volunteers.

What is a volunteer?
Why do people volunteer?
What gets in the way of people volunteering?
What can be done?
Will it cost anything?
Are you clear why you need volunteers?
Roles and responsibilities – what do you want volunteers to do?
Who else needs to be involved?
What is a volunteer manager?
Check list - before you involve volunteers

What is a volunteer?

Volunteering is about people giving their time to take part in activities that benefit others. Many people are involved in activities where they don't even realise they are volunteering! For example, they may be the secretary of a club or group, or help run a local sports or arts group. They may be members of the local parentand teacher association or residents groups, or enjoy clearing litter from the local wildlife areas with a group of others.

Also, there are volunteers who take on more 'formal' roles in local charities or voluntary sector groups, doing anything from administration, to visiting older people in their homes, driving, campaigning.....  volunteers can get involved in almost anything! 

The Compact Code of Good Practice on Volunteering says that a volunteer is someone who takes on “...an activity that involves spending time, unpaid, doing something that aims to benefit the environment or individuals or groups other than (or in addition to) close relatives”.

The Compact was published in 2005 and it is an agreement on relations between the Government and the Third Sector in England.

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Why do people volunteer?

Volunteers are all different and there are as many reasons for volunteering.  Here are just some of them:

• To gain experience
• To help in the local community
• To feel they are contributing i.e. self satisfaction
• To learn new skills
• To improve their CV
• To give back to society
• To meet new people
• To change lives
• To open doors for the future
• To dispel boredom
• To feel valued – a basic human need
• To build confidence and self esteem
• To prepare for going into “real” jobs via contacts/discipline
• To provide an insight into other peoples' ways of life and experiences
• To try something different
• To make new friends
• To have a challenge
• To lead on a project or to be part of a group
• To “change the world”
• To have fun!

What gets in the way of people volunteering?

There are a number of barriers that may stop people from volunteering. Some barriers are less obvious then others.

Common barriers:

• Time
• Age
• Disablility
• Money
• Perception

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What can be done?

• Market the roles to the harder to reach groups such as BME groups and encourage diversity.
• Use images and language that promote and reflect diversity.
• Create a variety of different types of volunteering opportunities that can be undertaken by someone with various levels of skill and commitment
• Provide transport if necessary
• Reimburse expenses including childcare, travel, meals
• Adapt your premises to have disabled access
• Be ready to adapt a role to suit an individual volunteer's needs   
• Offer training and support
• Wherever possible minimise the bureaucracy and response time to potential volunteers

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Will it cost anything?

Yes; volunteers give their time, energy and skills free of charge. However, volunteers are not cost free.

You will need to consider out of pocket expenses, as volunteers give their time freely, but should not be out of pocket financially.  Think also about whether the insurance you have is suitable to cover the needs of your volunteers, and also are any other expenses involved in supporting the volunteers?

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Are you clear why you need volunteers?

Volunteers should not replace paid staff, but provide an add on benefit to the organisation. If you are unclear why you need volunteers we hope this Information Bank will provide comprehensive guidance.   In this section there is plenty of information that will help you to understand the role of volunteers and the issues that you might think about before engaging them.   But please do not hesitate to call or email us with your particular needs. We can also arrange a meeting to discuss things in more detail.

There are few points that will help you to clarify why you need volunteers.

• Are the roles that you want volunteers to do fair and fulfilling? Will they satisfy the needs of volunteers? (see the volunteers motivation section)
• Are you clear what a volunteer is and what motivates them?
• Think about the tasks you want your volunteers to do.
• Think about what volunteers will want from you and your group/organisation.  Why would they want to volunteer for you?
• What other benefits will they gain from volunteering with your group/organisation?

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Roles and responsibilities – what do you want volunteers to do?

Both your group or organisation and the volunteers themselves will have expectations of and from the roles – it is up to you to plan what you want from the volunteer, and to clarify the responsibilities.  The volunteer can then decide if that is what they want to be doing.  It is also possible to design roles and responsibilities around the interests, skills and knowledge of the potential volunteer.  Again, clarifying the role is essential for both the organisation and the volunteer before they start.

By giving their time, energy, skills and commitment, volunteers are contributing to your organisation.  This contribution should be recognised and acknowledged.

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Who else needs to be involved?

Who will manage or support volunteers within your group or organisation?

Volunteers will need to feel that they have a direct contact within your group or organisation – so you will need to consider who that person will be.
It could be a member of staff or committee, with experience in leading a team, or it could be an identified volunteer, or group of people, all of whom can support the volunteers.

How will everyone work together?

It is important that when your group or organisation first involves volunteers or establishes new volunteer roles it makes sure that everyone in the group is aware of that, including your Committee or Board of Trustees - after all, they are volunteers as well! 

Think about how everyone will work together – volunteers, paid staff, service users and external groups.
 
Work with your committee or colleagues to define what volunteers will do.  Consider who else will be involved with volunteers, what will their relationship be?  It is really useful to do this so that there is no confusion of roles later.

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What is a volunteer manager?

Lots of people are involved in managing, supporting, coordinating and organising volunteers. This may be in paid employment or in a volunteering capacity. Many of them don't call themselves volunteers managers - they just get on with the job!

What do 'volunteer managers' do?

Not everyone who finds themselves supporting volunteers will have the official title of 'volunteer manager', but if you find yourself organising, leading, coordinating and supporting the activities of the volunteers, then you are fulfilling that role.

In many local community groups this role may be taken by a member of the committee, or, where the group is self-managed, a member of the team who picks up the role to get things done.   In some organisations the role of volunteer manager is an “add on” to the main job of a paid member of staff.

A list of tasks that volunteer manager may do:

Think of how you get things done in your group:

• A task needs doing, who co-ordinates the activity, makes sure people turn up, supports others and ensures that it happens?
• What skills were needed to get the task done?
• Identify what individuals would do
• Find and recruit extra people if necessary
• Explain to them how to accomplish the task
• Co-ordinate the activity of the task
• Support, encourage everyone to achieve the task
• Thank everyone at the end of the task

We asked a group of volunteer managers to come up with a  list of skills and abilities needed for their role.  They said:

Attitudes and personal qualities may include:

• Enthusiasm
• Patience
• Tolerance
• Commitment
• Sense of humour
• Flexibility
• Adaptability
• Confidence
• Leadership
• Ability to relate to a wide range of people
• Self motivation
• Approachability
• Tact
• Willingness to learn

Knowledge and understanding may include:

• Background to the organisation
• Knowledge of local area
• Ethos of volunteering
• Diversity
• Good practice
• The law relating to volunteering

Skills may include:

• Interviewing
• Managing people
• Administration
• Mediating
• Motivating
• Monitoring and evaluation
• Communication
• Problem solving
• Organisation
• Teaching/training
• Ability to say “no”

How do we develop in these areas?

Attitudes and personal qualities:

• Being open to influences around you
• Putting yourself in other peoples shoes
• Stepping back from day to day demands of job
• Training on self awareness and human relations
• Getting feedback (poss structured observation)
• Group discussions and role play

Knowledge/understanding:

• Reading
• Talking to experienced people/experts
• Training
• Asking questions
• Observing/shadowing

Skills:

• Training
• Practice
• Observation/shadowing

That is quite a list of skills and abilities!

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Check list - before you involve volunteers

• Is everyone in the organisation informed/consulted about plans to involve volunteers?
• What will change for those already involved with the organisation (staff, trustees, service users, other volunteers)?
• Is there a person/people who would supervise and support volunteers?
• Have you ensured that the people supporting volunteers are suitably skilled and trained?
• Is there a budget to cover cost of supervision staff, expenses, admin, training, CRB checks and any other expenses that are applicable to the role?
• Are there enough resources to involve volunteers such as space, computer, desk, etc?
• Have you analyzed any risk in relation to volunteers and to the organisation?
• Have you got an adequate insurance that covers volunteers?
• Have you prepared necessary processes and policies that cover volunteers and are different from the paid staff?
• Are you ready for the new ideas, changes and new skills that volunteers often contribute?
• Are you ready to apply and update good practice in volunteer management?

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