Planning is a priority when it comes to volunteering to ensure that both your organisation and your volunteers have a positive experience. Here are some key points to help your organisation support its team of volunteers.
- Think of what role will volunteers play in your organisation or group. What policies and processes do you need to have in place to ensure you are prepared for involving volunteers?
- Describe your volunteer roles. Having clear and detailed volunteer role descriptions helps potential volunteers understand what is expected of them and whether the role is a good fit.
- Offer Flexible and Micro-Volunteering Opportunities. Some may want to work little and often, others larger chunks. Working from home might suit some volunteers but others may enjoy human interaction. Make volunteering as flexible as possible so it can fit around people’s lifestyles.
- Create a clear and simple process for getting involved and make it as easy as possible for people to express interest in volunteering.
- Demonstrate the impact of volunteering. People are more likely to volunteer if they can see the positive difference they could make.
- Encourage your current volunteers to help with recruitment. Your current volunteers can be some of your best ambassadors when it comes to engaging new volunteers.
- Promote volunteer stories- sharing real-life volunteer stories is a powerful way to inspire others to get involved.
- Prepare and support your volunteers – a good induction process helps set volunteers up for success.
- Recognise and celebrate your volunteers – take the time to thank and recognise your volunteers is essential for keeping them engaged and motivated.
- Find out if you a Volunteer Friendly or an IiV Achiever? If you have these accreditations, make sure you promote it when recruiting volunteers. It shows that your organisation is committed to providing high-level volunteer experience and that you meet nationally recognised good practice standards.
To find out more about our team of Health Champion volunteers read our blog
