Volunteer Management

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There is a handy resource for anyone involved in managing volunteers or setting up an organisation with volunteers as a part of its human resources. Involving Volunteers

You don’t know what you are going to get when somebody walks through the door to volunteer. You need to build a rapport and that takes a little time. In a fun filled environment people start to realise they have hidden talents: a passion for sport, organisational abilities, management skills or a fantastic capacity to make friends - Michael Gilroy, Special Olympics Ireland

Case study -Special Olympics Ireland

All the basics of setting up and keeping a volunteer effort going are in this section

Encouraging volunteers without the aid of financial compensation is important. In the current economic climate volunteers are often looking to get experience and maintain meaningful activity to keep a CV ticking over. Matching the goals of the volunteer and the need that the community has is a challenge but there are a lot of community needs in this time of limited resources and a lot of people out there who may have more time on their hands than they would like.

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eyv.ie has some ideas on linking voluntary organisations into the European year of Volunteering activities. Some of the ideas involved in it that could be useful in general:

Recognising your Volunteers
One of the key goals of EYV2011 is to celebrate the people who volunteer currently without thought of reward or recognition. EYV2011 is an opportunity to shine a light on these dedicated volunteers and say a big Thank You!

* Nominate for Ireland Involved Award
* Organise a thank you event or party for your volunteers
* Create your own volunteer awards
* Participate in National Volunteer Week

PAVMI, the Professional Association of Volunteer Managers of Ireland Here at volunteeringireland.ie may be helpful in the area of managing volunteers.

mw3guc

I'd like to echo the general need to acknowledge volunteers - even in a very small way. A young relative of mine volunteered one day a week for 7 months in a charity shop while he was at university. When he left at Easter to put in extra study for his exams he didn't even get a Thank You or Good Luck card from the (paid) manager. Although he wasn't looking for any reward, I know he was disappointed and felt undervalued as a result. He hasn't offered his services again to this shop and I'm not surprised.

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Some useful links on managing volunteers and how to retain good people.
Volunteer Development Scotland
Reward Retention and Recognition of volunteers One of the links from that: Voluntary-Arts on retention

Retention is about relationships
Volunteers have a relationship with you, the
organisation. Like any relationship, this can be good
and last for many years, or not so good and result
in a break-up, friendly or otherwise. Thus,
maintaining a positive relationship with your
volunteers is essential for retaining their support.
This relationship will be strengthened if you put
measures in place to look after everyone.The way
you make sure they are getting the best from your
services, the support you offer and how you set
about identifying and meeting their needs is worth
careful consideration.Keeping your promises. Have the promises
you made your volunteers when they joined
your organisation been kept? Were any of
these promises weak? What can you do to
strengthen them?
• Interest. Do you know what motivates your
volunteers? Are you actively seeking to address
their motivations? Do you show an interest?
• Personal contact. Do you know who your
volunteers are and what makes them special?
Do you show them they matter to your
organisation? Do you tailor your communication
with them to take their personal interests and
history into account?
• Value. Are you adding value to the relationship?
Can you improve your service or find new ways
of delivering your benefits to give your
volunteers more than they expected?
• Commitment. Will you stick with them, even if
they go cold on you? Do you invite those leaving
your organisation to rejoin? Do you give them
news of your events and activities? How long
does it take for you to give up?

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There is a new round of volunteer management training at the various Volunteer Ireland centres around the country starting this autumn which could be of use to organisations with volunteers.
volunteer.ie

Welcome to the National Volunteer Management Training page. Your local Volunteer Centre staff have been trained - accredited through Open College Network Northern Ireland (OCNNI) - to deliver the VCI National Volunteer Management Training Programme. The programme consists of four half-day modules delivered in a hands-on, participative style and is designed to provide you with a Best Practice Volunteer Management Framework for involving volunteers in your organisation.

Topics Include:
Module 1: Planning for Volunteer Involvement
Module 2: Volunteer Recruitment and Selection
Module 3: Day-to-day Management of Volunteers
Module 4: Designing a Policy for Volunteer Involvement

The training is offered at a low cost to participants. It is expected that participants will attend all four modules as they are designed as part of a continuum. Please check the calendar below to find a training offered in your local area (training dates are listed alphabetically by the name of the volunteer centre). If you find a suitable date and location please contact the Volunteer Centre who is providing that particular training.

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A one day conference in November on managing volunteers that could be useful.
volunteer.ie

On Wednesday 9 November 2011 will take place at the Morrison Hotel, Ormond Quay, Dublin 1 the EYV 2011 National Volunteer Management Conference: Enabling and Enhancing Volunteering Through Best Practice in Volunteer Management
The day includes the following speakers and workshops:
- Opening Address from Minister of State for European Affairs Lucinda Creighton
- Case Studies: Projects and Partnerships in Volunteer Management
- The Philosophy of Volunteer Management with Rob Jackson
- Volunteer Impact Assessment Toolkit with Christine Irvine
- Good Practice in Screening Volunteers with Stuart Garland
- Volunteers and the Law with Verena Tarpey

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Boardmatch.ie is active in helping to improve the corporate governance of not-for-profit organisations in Ireland. It is providing training for CEO's and Chairs towards the end of May: boardmatch chair CEO training