Support for volunteers is vitally important and how this is provided depends upon the context of the volunteering opportunity and the individual. Volunteers should always feel that they are integral members of an organisation and its work, and are therefore highly valued, so offering proper volunteer support can ensure a good experience for the volunteer. Support should last the entire volunteer journey, until they say farewell to the organisation.
Ways in which you can support your volunteers
- Volunteer induction - Starting with an induction process is an important part of good practice and introduces new volunteers to your organisation and their role. Please see our separate volunteer induction checklist for more information.
- One to One Support - There should be a specific, named, experienced member of staff that the volunteer can go to with questions, queries or problems. It can be a different person to the Volunteer Coordinator and separate to ‘buddy’ support.
- Regular Supervision Sessions - Offering regular supervision sessions help to ensure good two-way communication and provides an opportunity to find out how the volunteer is, whether they are enjoying the role and if they have any training needs. The frequency and level of the sessions may depend on the nature of the role itself, any risk involved, the individual’s needs and the capacity of their supervisor/volunteer manager.
- Volunteer Newsletter - If time allows, a newsletter can be a great way to let volunteers know what is happening in the organisation, thank individual volunteers for their contribution and celebrate the valuable work that volunteers do. It can be standalone or a volunteer section in the main organisational newsletter
- Encouraging Feedback - Encouraging feedback, good or bad, helps the volunteer feel they are an important part of the organisation and that their opinion is valued. It can be acquired through formal supervision meetings, volunteer questionnaires or through informal ‘catch-ups’. It is a useful way to learn what the volunteer enjoys about volunteering and what might be causing them problems. Encouraging feedback can also prevent any small issues becoming more serious which could cause the volunteer to leave the organisation, if not resolved.
Read more on our Supporting volunteers factsheet
