Recruitment, management and motivation of volunteers is a key topic for most event organisers as many rely on a volunteers either as the sole organisation team, or as part of the team that makes the event happen.

Volunteering England has a very comprehensive website which includes information sheets on a variety of different areas, such as:

• Creating a Volunteer Policy
• Example Volunteer Role Descriptions
• Volunteer Expenses
• Rewards, Recognition and Retaining volunteers
• Introduction to CRB disclosures

Visit the website for full and up to date information on all volunteer related information and guidance. http://www.volunteering.org.uk/

A few key points about volunteers:

Remember that volunteers are motivated by different things, some may want to learn new skills, gain work experience, make friends and feel useful whereas others will have a specific artistic interest in the event or its cause.

Make sure that you give new volunteers a full induction and create a Volunteer Handbook for your organisation, which tells the volunteers everything they need to know about working with your organisation. You should have a dedicated Volunteer Co-Ordinator, who provides support and guidance to volunteers.

A volunteer role description is a document which details the specific activities a particular volunteer is involved in. It is rather like a job description, although using separate terminology is recommended to avoid implying a contract of employment for volunteers. Be careful with the wording of the document - as soon as you create a formal contract or start to pay volunteers (other than out of pocket expenses) they will have legal Employment Rights. Avoid anything that suggests employment and set out your volunteer relationship in terms of expectation rather than obligation.

Remember that it is easier to retain existing volunteers than recruit new ones, so create meaningful roles for volunteers and make them feel welcome and recognised for their work. Remember to always say 'Thank You'.

LINKS

Managing Volunteers: National Council for Voluntary Organisations (pdf)

Find contact details for local volunteer centres:
www.volunteering.org.uk/finder

Do-it, the online database of volunteer opportunities
www.do-it.org.uk

Timebank - online portal for would be volunteers to pledge time.
www.timebank.org.uk

FURTHER READING

Turn Your Organisation Into A Volunteer Magnet
Edited by Fraser Dyer, Andy Fryar, Rob Jackson

[Please note that this is a VERY interesting document, but a rather large file!]

Forty leaders in the field of volunteer management, from Australia, Britain, Canada, Italy, New Zealand and hte USA, share what they have learned about making your organisation attractive to volunteers. Packed full of top tips and compelling case studies on topics ranging from recruitment and retention, to diversity and creative programme management, these authors - many of whom are published here for the first time - write from the grassroots of volunteer management. Now in its second edition, this expanded collection of ideas is an indispensable resource written by managers of volunteers for their peers.