Volunteering Resources
Here is our practical ‘how to’ guide, to help organisations identify the key things – nuts and bolts – that you need to get sorted out before you engage volunteers in your service or community group.
There is so much ‘Good Practice’ information available that it can be a bit overwhelming. We hope that this will leave you thinking that you can get going with volunteers and not be weighed down with extra work. Hopefully your organisation can make their volunteer programme more accessible and user friendly for all volunteers.
This guide might enable you to involve volunteers with additional needs more easily, but that is not the only reason to see what’s inside. In a nutshell, the key to successfully involving volunteers is being clear and keeping things simple. By making things clear, volunteers and organisations both have a transparent process where everyone knows what is expected of them. This should help everyone avoid difficult situations and have a positive experience.
The guide focuses on Agreements, Task Profiles, Recruitment and Induction. These are the things that form the basis of what volunteers do each day, how you identify the right volunteers and how you train them. Getting these things figured out does take a bit of effort but once it’s done it will really make life easier in the long run, particularly when you get the 2nd, 3rd, 4th volunteer going through the application process and induction training.
Our Nuts & Bolts guide will hopefully make volunteering work well for both volunteers and organisations. Our aim when making this guide, was to reduce the headache that paperwork can cause and help you to concentrate more on working with your volunteers. If you have any comments on this guide or questions regarding how to use the exercises, please do get in touch.
Nuts & Bolts Guide for Organisations Using Volunteers
The Bath & North East Somerset Volunteering Standards For Volunteer Involvement
Please follow the link for the document Volunteering Standards – Volunteer involvement is a critical part of society in the United Kingdom. It contributes to civil society and active participation in building strong, inclusive, and resilient Communities. It underlies innovation and social change, our responses to community need and community challenges, and it brings together and supports the local strengths and assets of communities. There are important benefits to both organisations and to volunteers when volunteers become involved in organisations.
Volunteer involvement can contribute to, and extend the capacity of, organisations to meet aims and goals. Volunteers can provide the time, skills, expertise and points-of-view that enable an organisation to pursue programs and activities that benefit the community. For individuals, volunteering provides an opportunity to be involved in activities reflecting their interests and using their skills. Meaningful activity in turn promotes a sense of belonging and general wellbeing. Volunteering can also be a way to develop skills, potential pathways to employment, or a way to contribute existing skills for the common good. Volunteer involvement is a two-way relationship, providing an opportunity for organisations to achieve their goals by involving volunteers in their activities, and for volunteers to make meaningful use of their time and skills, contributing to social and community outcomes.
