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Volunteer Managers Resources
| Volunteering | Volunteering Opportunities | Changing Lives |
Welcome to the Volunteer Managers Resource page. If you have been involving volunteers for years or perhaps you are thinking about involving volunteers for the first time then this page is for you.
The Volunteer Centre Southend is here to support you through the volunteering process and advise you on good practice around involving volunteers. If you have a query or would like to see a specific area covered on this page please do get in touch – we will be happy to hear from you.
| Visit the Volunteering England website for further information: www.volunteering.org.uk/resources |
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CSV Make a Difference Day – 29 October 2011
This autumn make sure you get involved in Make a Difference Day, the
Organising an event is a great way to raise the profile of what you do and encourage first-time volunteers to get involved. Free resources to help and inspire organisers and participants include a Handbook packed with tips and advice, How-to Guides, t-shirts, certificates and more!
The Value of the Volunteer to your Organisation
The Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings shows that the average hourly wage for 2005 was £12.55.
Attaching a 'value' to volunteers is really useful for organisations that do not see the point of investing time and resources in volunteering. Being able to say, "Our volunteers are worth £x amount to us a year, if someone was donating that much cash to us we'd feel duty bound to use it in the most efficient way possible (and say thank you!), why are we treating volunteering differently?"
The Heritage Lottery Fund applications put a value on volunteers, as follows:
unskilled tasks can be costed at up to £50 per day. This might include basic gardening in a park, stewarding at a community heritage event or general maintenance work;
skilled tasks can be costed at up to £150 per day. This might include training in dry stone wall building techniques, verifying data in a species identification project or planning and leading an education workshop; and
professional tasks can be costed at up to £350 per day. This might include providing architectural plans, writing a business plan or creating an interpretation strategy or learning activities."
Whilst there is endless research that validates the financial benefits to organisations who involve volunteers, it is also important to think about the other benefits they bring with them.
- They are a valuable link to your local community
- Involving volunteers increases diversity and brings fresh ideas and personalities into your organisation.
- Volunteers provide valuable assistance to paid staff often doing the jobs that others are less than keen to do (although this should be kept as part of a balanced role description!)
- Volunteers give a more personal touch in services to clients,
- They can assist with fundraising,
- They can help an organisation become more cost effective,
- They can be involved to respond to a request for a specific service,
- They can often provide something that professionals can’t.
Above all they help deliver the organisation’s goals alongside all of its other members and staff.
Of course in return for all these benefits there are a number of commitments the Organisation will need to consider before involving volunteers. These may include:
- Insurance
- Developing a role description
- A Volunteer Policy
- Developing an induction process
- Training in a specific skill
- Paying out of pocket expenses.
If you are reading this and thinking “My Organisation should definitely think about involving Volunteers!” then please contact the Volunteer Centre Southend who will be happy to talk to you about how and where to begin. Please call 01702 356060 to arrange an appointment.
Case Studies
Feedback is important for you to be able to monitor successes as well as areas where improvement may be needed. Case studies are an excellent way of showing the impact your organisation is making in the community both to members of the public as well as potential funders. It is also good to know that your efforts are making a difference!
The services of the volunteer centre were integral to the identification of volunteers to the High Street History Project.
The information on prospective volunteers was sent through promptly and candidates were of a very high calibre. Emily was able to coach me through the process of acquiring and supporting volunteers and was able to identify local volunteers with the interests and skills we were looking for.
In total, 14 volunteers were taken on as part of the project and all were well received and played a crucial part in the daily running of the project’s exhibit.
Many volunteers were able to develop their roles and take a personal interest in the project by making their own contributions to its legacy and in one case by becoming an employed member of staff for the duration of the exhibit.
I would be more than happy to use the services of the volunteer centre again as they have proven their reliability and ability to source volunteers quickly and appropriately.
Sophie Arthurell
Project Coordinator
High Street History Project
Funded by HLF and led by Southend on Sea Borough Council on behalf of local partners.
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"The work that the Volunteer Centre and SAVS does for HARP (Homeless Action Resource Project) means that we can operate a far more effective service for our service users. Without Volunteer referrals we would not be able to provide meals or help them to get clean clothing or food parcels. We rely heavily on volunteers and they are an integral part of our organisation. Without Emily and her team we could only operate a sub standard service. Over the past year I have worked on improving good practice within HARP and have consulted Emily on a number of occasions to achieve this. Emily has either advised me or signposted me to an appropriate resource. Emily came to visit our day centre and had a tour and a chat with myself regarding Harps volunteer needs. Together we have ensured that the volunteering opportunity details are kept up to date and we achieve this by regular contact. During Emily's visit to my organisation we went through all the policies and procedures that I have in place regarding volunteers. I regularly attend the Volunteer Organisers Forums and find them to be an excellent networking opportunity and source of support. I am very grateful for all the hard work Emily and her team do to aid me in improving the services that Harp provide. I often browse through SAVS website and have always been impressed by how clear and informative this is."
Dean Gilbert |
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"Southend-on-Sea Borough Council has run a number of events over the summer. My colleagues and I have been very impressed with the commitment and enthusiasm shown by the volunteers, recommended to us by The Volunteer Centre Southend. Each volunteer contributed to the overall success of the events, for which we really appreciate. I would have no hesitation in recommending the use of volunteers to other organisations."
Kevin Read
Leisure Officer
Adult and Community Services Department
Southend-on-Sea Borough Council
PO Box 6
Civic Centre, Victoria Avenue
Southend-on-Sea, Essex, SS2 6ER
“Since becoming a SAVS Member, the Volunteer Centre has introduced the school to two outstanding volunteers whose contribution to the professional and efficient working of the school has lead to them being offered employment. Our organisation has been enriched through the introductions of volunteers and I am looking forward to a continued close working partnership with SAVS.”
Elizabeth Baines
Head Teacher
Priory School.
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The Volunteer Organisers Forum
The Volunteer Organisers Forum is your chance to get together with representatives from other volunteer involving organisations across Southend and discuss any issues you might have, any success stories, and ways you can work together to help each other. There is a good practice theme to each forum and a different speaker each time. The forum is held three times a year and everyone is welcome. The next forum will be on Wednesday 15th June 2011 10am-12pm. If you would like to be added to the mailing list to receive information about the forum please email the volunteer centre on vb@savs-southend.co.uk. The Invitation, Agenda and Registration Form for the forthcoming Volunteer Organisers Forum will be available to download nearer the time.
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The Volunteer Centre Manager Writes………
A new financial year, last years targets achieved. Now is the time to make sure that all your good practice processes are up-to date, relevant and meet legal requirements. The work of voluntary organisations and individual volunteers makes a valuable contribution to our everyday lives and happy volunteers are vital to their organisations success. A happy volunteer is one who is properly recruited and managed. A volunteer, who is clear about their role within the organisation, knows where to find support when they need it, knows they are valued and whose Organisation strives to meet their motivations, will be committed and hard working for your cause.
Use this checklist to ensure your policies and procedures are up to date.
Volunteer Policy
Induction and Training
Role Description
Volunteer Agreement
Volunteer Handbook/Copies of Policies
Risk Assessments
Expenses
Supervision and Support
Welcome Pack
Scroll to the end of the page to download the SAVS “Valuing Volunteers” booklet for further information on each of these subjects.
Legal Updates
The start of April often sees a number of changes to employment regulations and Health and safety is often wrongly blamed for preventing organisations from running events and people from volunteering.
Health and safety law is not a barrier to volunteering activities. Taking a sensible, proportionate approach is the key to making sure things go smoothly and safely and avoiding unnecessary bureaucracy. The Health and Safety Executive have a very helpful “Health and Safety Made Simple” downloadable pdf http://www.hse.gov.uk/voluntary/index.htm and there is also a specific 'Checklist for managers of a village or community hall', at http://www.hse.gov.uk/voluntary/village-halls.htm
Voluntary organisations carrying out low-risk activities can use this advice to help comply with any duties they may have under health and safety legislation.
For some volunteer roles more in depth training is required to ensure that volunteers are equipped with the right skills to carry out their tasks. The most economical is on the job training which is effective if you are taking on volunteers one at a time for quite simple tasks. Other methods include in-house training and external training which are better suited to groups of volunteers and can provide a more in depth knowledge for complex roles.
We hope that we have given you some food for thought, answered some of your questions and hopefully made you think of some more! Don’t forget you can email your questions to me at the Volunteer Centre Southend vb@savs-southend.co.uk or follow the link to the Volunteering England Website.
| Attachment | Size |
|---|---|
| SAVS_Volunteer_Handbook_SAMPLE.pdf | 520.05 KB |
| Policy 14 - Volunteer Policy.pdf | 262.73 KB |
| VC Opp reg form.doc | 390.5 KB |
| VC Org Reg Form.doc | 326.5 KB |
| website - download reg forms intro.doc | 30.5 KB |
| SAVS Valuing Volunteers.pdf | 205.2 KB |
| Handout 11.pdf | 26.09 KB |
| Recognition Rules.pdf | 37.9 KB |
| The Recruitment Process.pdf | 73.78 KB |
| Working with Volunteers.pdf | 40.63 KB |
| Volunteer organisers' forum minutes 14.09.11.pdf | 91.73 KB |
| eligible-positions-guide.pdf | 112.75 KB |
