Volunteer Programme

Introduction

By bringing in skilled and motivated individuals to assist in daily operations, organisations can overcome their resource constraints and thus become more efficient.

Why

";

This toolkit is useful for you when your organisation:

• has a need for skilled individuals at a low (or no) cost.
• wants to implement a strong volunteer programme to supplement the work of the organisation and its paid employees.

What you can expect

In eight steps this guide takes you through creating a programme to attract and retain dedicated, high quality volunteers. Here you’ll find a step-by-step guide, tools, examples and other resources for developing a volunteer programme.

Step 1: Identifying Needs

• Identify what the organisation aims to gain from a volunteer programme and what types of skills it wants to engage.
• Establish how much staff can commit in guidance, feedback and support to each volunteer.
• Write up clearly defined job descriptions for each position outlining what the job will require in terms of skills, experience and outcomes and what the volunteer will learn.

Watch this video to learn about the benefits of having a volunteer programme:

[embed_yt id="BRal3j8EOYI"]

Shalabh Sahai (Founder of iVolunteer) tells us ways in which nonprofits can effectively use volunteers to bridge their skill and capability gaps. [embed_yt id="BJ_5PU-oteE"]

Step 2: Recruiting

• Identify ways for finding volunteers. This may include: utilising your networks, posting on websites, creating relationships with universities and colleges with programmes relevant to the organisation, approaching groups in the community (expat groups, rotary clubs), and creating relationships with corporates with employee volunteership programs.

Watch this video from Source Academy to learn more about volunteer recruitment. 

[embed_yt id="XJbgD-3Fsls"]

Step 3: Applications

• Decide how interested people can apply and make this process as automated as possible.
• Set parameters of what information you want to gain from these applications, such as qualifications, skills, what a volunteer wants to get out of the experience etc.

Step 4: Interviews

• Set up an interview process and decide on how many interview rounds you want to conduct. You can also include a task round to assess the candidates’s skill level.
• Establish parameters for the interviews, such as experience, skills and abilities, and decide on how you will frame these questions to elicit meaningful responses.

Watch this video to get inspiration for interview questions:
[embed_yt id="neWpjgJdfr0"]

Step 5: Acceptance and Pre-Arrival

• Organise a pre-arrival orientation kit that will constitute of documents such as country and city information (if applicable), expectations etc.
• Create a checklist on what needs to be prepared and have all documents ready.
• For international volunteers there are things that need to be in place at least two weeks before arrival, like visa, housing, phone and sim card, arrival information, etc.

Step 6: Orientation

• Set-up an orientation process, which is usually spread over one or two weeks.
• Create an orientation checklist, which can be tailored to each volunteer position.
• Prepare documents and templates for the orientation, such as a powerpoint on the organisation, job description etc.
• Plan meetings with the supervisor and site visits.
• Share information similar to what you would share when inducting a new employee: explain office rules, information sources, logins, etc.

Step 7: Support

• Ensure that the volunteer receives adequate support (professionally and, for volunteers away from home, personally) during their time at the organisation. This should be done through regular feedback, regular meetings between volunteer and supervisor, weekly volunteer staff meetings, trainings and workshops, and taking opportunities to show appreciation.
• Organise outside social activities where all team mates can get to know each other better.

Step 8: Exit and Engagement

• Create an exit interview when a volunteer has completed his/her term with the organisation to get insight in how the volunteership went and what can be improved. This is a great chance to establish how you can keep volunteers involved long term, as alumni, a referral for your program, possible fundraising agent and overall a dependable person in your larger network.

Key To Success

• Ensure that there are clearly defined job descriptions for each position and that they are tailored for each incoming volunteer.
• Ensure that there is a balance between professionalism and work with fun and energy. This also helps in ensuring volunteers to feel that they are part of the team and part of the organisation.
• Include volunteers as much as possible in all that the organisation does!

Challenges

• Establishing a robust volunteer programme involves a lot of research and experimentation. Much trial and error occurs in the beginning of a new volunteer programme.