Involving Volunteers: Good Practice Guide

Introduction

The Involving Volunteers: Good Practice Guide is a series of introductory information sheets designed to help organisations find and manage volunteers more effectively.

The recruitment and management of volunteers is not dissimilar to the recruitment and management of staff, but unlike paid staff, volunteers have few reasons to stay if they do not enjoy their work, so it is important that they are supported and managed well. One bad experience can put people off volunteering, sometimes permanently. Good volunteering experiences on the other hand, can bring immeasurable benefits - for the volunteer, the organisation, the people they work with and society as a whole.

The aim of Involving Volunteers: Good Practice Guide is to give you some simple guidelines and practical suggestions which will help you attract, involve and support volunteers effectively, and have a plan in place for when they move on.

The Guide has been produced by Volunteer Centres Lincolnshire, a partnership of all the charitable organisations that run the county's Volunteer Centres. This partnership is made up of Voluntary Action East Lindsey; South Lincs CVS which covers Boston, South Holland and South Kesteven; and Urban Challenge which runs Voluntary Centre Services in Lincoln, North Kesteven and West Lindsey.

Details of how to contact your nearest Volunteer Centre are on Sheet 18 ' How can Volunteer Centres help?' or visit the Involving Lincs website by clicking here.

Who this Guide is for

This Guide is for anyone who finds themselves with responsibility for volunteers, but particularly if managing volunteers is not the main part of your role.

• Perhaps you organise events and only need volunteers occasionally?
• Perhaps you run a small group or club and would like to get more people to help you?
• Perhaps you are starting a new project involving volunteers and want to get things right from the start?
• Perhaps you don't involve volunteers at the moment, but think it might be a good idea?

Very few organisations can afford to employ a dedicated volunteers manager. In most organisations, particularly small ones, the person responsible for volunteers combines this with many other roles. Many people who take on the role of volunteer manager are themselves volunteers.

If this sounds familiar, then the Guide is for you.

You can find the Guide at the top left hand side of this page and each section is in PDF format. If you would like to request a hard copy of the Guide, please contact VCS NK on 01529 308450 or email us.