All volunteers need some kind of support and the form it takes will be varied.  What is important is that the support offered is appropriate to the role and also to the individual.

Motivation

Supporting volunteers  is about ensuring everyone is  happy and motivated in their role.

Some people will be happy to carry out the same role for a long time whilst others will thrive on fresh challenges.

A good way to tackle this is to have an individual at your group to take on the role of volunteer coordinator and be responsible for communicating with and supporting volunteers to ensure they are happy and motivated.

Delegation

Problems can arise when one person takes on too many roles or tasks at a Group.  The skill of delegation is an important one to master in order for a Group to run effectively.

With effective delegation volunteers will undertake tasks suited to their strengths and feel empowered.

Read more about the role of delegation

Volunteer Review

Talking to volunteers is really important,  it makes volunteers feel valued and is an important opportunity for them to let you know how they are feeling about their experience volunteering.

Volunteer Review’s are one way of catching up with volunteers on a one-to-one basis.  Whilst they may not be appropriate for all models of volunteer management in RDA, when used effectively, they can be a fantastic method of communicating with volunteers and giving and receiving feedback.

It’s important to keep reviews informal but a great chance for volunteers to speak their mind.

Download Volunteer Review Factsheet

Download Volunteer Review Forms Long Form and Short Version