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2. Introduction to Volunteer Management

Introduction
What is volunteer management?
Knowing what motivates volunteers
What is a Volunteer Management Programme?
When does volunteer management happen?
Getting started
How do you know when your volunteer management is effective?
Useful resources

Introduction

This section looks at the skills and competencies which volunteer managers need in order to do the job well. The section starts by reviewing some of the basic principles of management which you may or may not already be familiar with. It goes on to look at the specific skills and competencies which are unique to volunteer management and distinguish it from other types of management.

As often happens, people find themselves in management roles with little or no experience. While this can be a challenge, new managers often feel thrown in the deep end, so you should avail of volunteer management training when you can¹. There may also be a volunteer managers' network in your area which can be an excellent way of sharing experiences, learning and getting support. If there isn't, it could be worth starting one!

What is volunteer management?

The term "volunteer management" is familiar to all of us working in organisations involving volunteers, but actually defining it, or describing what it looks like, may not be so easy. This section looks at some of the common aspects of management and also what is specific to volunteer management. This section also attempts to answer some of the common questions raised by volunteer managers.

Let's start by looking at what needs managing:

The overall organisation
Day-to-day activities
The budget
The people working there
The material resources
Internal and external communications and information
Strategic planning for the future

Depending on the size and structure of the organisation, these activities could be managed by one person or a number of managers who in turn are managed by a senior manager.

Good management means:

Having a clear and understood mission statement
Having a shared vision which sets out where the organisation is going in the short and long term
Building a committed and skilled team
Using all the resources available to ensure that the organisation achieves its aim and objectives
Having an appropriate training, support and supervision programme for staff
Ensuring there is adequate funding to achieve gaols
Responding efficiently and effectively to issues that arise
Making decisions
Showing leadership.

In addition to these, and core to volunteer management is:

An understanding of, and commitment to, the ethos of volunteering

and

An understanding of what motivates each volunteer

If an organisation involving volunteers and the volunteer manager have an appreciation of these core values, then the experience for the volunteers and the organisation is more likely to be a positive one.

Knowing what motivates volunteers

Knowing what motivates someone to volunteer is important in assessing whether you can meet their expectations. For example, if someone says they want to volunteer to meet people, then the volunteering opportunity must involve working with others. Sometimes people can't pinpoint exactly what has motivated them so you may have to dig a little so check your opportunities suit.

A volunteer's original motivation for joining is not always the same as their reason for staying, so it's always worth asking what motivates them to stay.

This will help to alert you to new opportunities that these volunteers might like to try.

In order to manage volunteers effectively, you must:

Understand why the organisation involves volunteers
Know how volunteers fit in with the overall structure of the organisation
Be committed to the involvement of volunteers
Know what motivates people to volunteer and to stay
Match the right volunteers with the volunteer opportunities
Validate the contribution that volunteers make
Build a team which values the contribution made by all members
Ensure the efficiency of the service at the same time as meeting the needs of volunteers
Deal with problems that arise

It's a challenging task!

What is a Volunteer Management Programme?

Having a volunteer management programme in place is the most straight-forward way to ensure effective volunteer management. It is about having a system which manages the volunteer process; it's the way it's done.

Regardless of the structures or size of a volunteer involving organisation, volunteer management generally follows the cycle below.²

Diagram showing Volunteer Management Cycle: Planning - Recruitment - Induction and training - Supervision and evaluation - Review - Recognition - Planning

Each of these tasks is detailed in the sections which follow.

When does volunteer management happen?

Volunteer management happens once an organisation has a volunteer. It doesn't require a set number of volunteers. The system above applies as much to an organisation with two volunteers as it does to an organisation with two hundred volunteers. However the amount of time and management required at each stage will depend on the type of volunteer opportunities and the number of people involved. For example, an organisation with two volunteer counsellors is likely to require more volunteer management time and skill than an organisation that has fifty volunteers painting a mural over a weekend. Equally, the extent of reliance on volunteers to deliver a service, regardless of numbers, will impact on the type and amount of volunteer management required. So, for example, an organisation which has recruited twenty volunteers for one evening to pack envelopes does not need the same management as five volunteers going on a week long holiday with children with special needs.

Each volunteer-involving organisation should aim to have a volunteer management programme suitable to its own needs. It should be detailed enough to explain why volunteers are involved and how tasks are managed.

Getting started

Getting started is never easy and the idea of starting to draft your volunteer management programme can seem overwhelming. The following tips are intended to keep you motivated for what lies ahead.

You, your organisation and the volunteers all benefit by having a volunteer management programme in place
The programme is essential in developing and maintaining a positive volunteer environment
Volunteer management is often about formalising what you are already doing. You'll be surprised how much you can write in an hour about what you already do.
The size and detail of your volunteer management programme should reflect what you need at a particular time so don't be put off by the size of some of the documents you see.
It doesn't have to be done as a single task. Break it into manageable tasks, based on what is needed most.
Introduce, implement or use what you've agreed as you go along.
Involve others. Delegate
Recruit a volunteer(s) to help you or see if an existing volunteer(s) is interested
Get advice from organisations who already have programmes in place
Get help from the local volunteer centre

Organise an information sharing meeting with organisation involving volunteers and pool and exchange materials.

How do you know your volunteer management is effective?

The most obvious way to know if you are managing your volunteers effectively is to establish a timetable to monitor, review and evaluate in the same way as you would for other aspects of the organisation's work. Whether you are reviewing your existing volunteer management programme or starting for the first time, it is important to set out dates for monitoring, reviewing and evaluating.

On a very informal level, your instinct can tell you how things are going. However, there are more quantifiable indicators such as:

Does the contribution of each volunteer make a measurable difference?
Does the organisation benefit from the volunteers' contribution?
Are volunteers supported and valued because of that contribution?
Are volunteers turning up as agreed?
Are volunteers staying for the agreed amount of time?

Volunteer management is about ensuring that volunteers contribute to the overall effectiveness of the organisation and help it to meet its strategic goals while at the same time, find it a rewarding experience.

Activity
You may find it useful to adapt this checklist to your situation:

Download the Word version of the Volunteer Management Checklist Word document icon

Useful Resources

Adironack, S.(1997) Just About Managing?; effective management for voluntary organisations and community groups London Voluntary Services Council

Campbell, K.N. and Ellis, S.J. (2004) The (Help) I-Don't-Have-Enough-Time Guide to Volunteer Management: Energize Inc.

Connor, T.D. (1999) The Volunteer Management Handbook: Wiley Nonprofit Series

Fisher, J.C. and Cole, K. (1993) Leadership and Management of Volunteer Programs: A Guide for Volunteer Administrators: Jossey-Bass Non-Profit Series

McCurley, S. and Lynch, R. (1998), Essential Volunteer Management. Director of Social Change

Volunteer Development Agency (2001) As good as they give: planning volunteer involvement, Volunteer Development Agency: Belfast, Northern Ireland.

Websites

Local volunteer centres and Volunteering Ireland run volunteer management training courses on an ongoing basis.
Volunteer Benevoles Canada: Volunteer Management Theory. www.volunteer.ca/en/home