3 Top tips for working with volunteers
05/29/2022
Many charities and not-for-profit organisations rely on the help of volunteers. When working with volunteers, it’s important to consider how to work together for the benefit of both the volunteers and your organisation.
Permaculture UK ran a Masterclass session, sponsored by Zurich. Volunteer Co-ordinator Behla Hutchinson from Hyde Park Source, a small environmental organisation in Leeds, spoke at the session, giving her 3 top tips for working with volunteers.
Listen to her tips now in this short video, or read more below:
Behla explains “My top 3 key areas to focus on would be:
1) First impressions
- Connect with volunteers
- Provide a really good induction, so that people know what to expect, how to give feedback if they need to and what the role is going to be about.
2) Think about the role that the volunteer is going to be doing
- Is it needed?
- Is it a volunteer role?
- What sort of things do they need to bring to the role? Maybe creating a little template for your expectations and what expectations they might have.
3) Support and celebrate
- Make sure that people who were volunteering with your organisation or group feel supported in their role so that if they need extra support if they need help, if they don't understand something then they've got someone to talk to, formally or informally. You could have a sit down with someone every couple of months. Or you could do it in the garden.
- Check in with how things are going, how they're progressing.
- Celebrate the time energy effort and skills that the volunteers bring to your project.
- Bring people together to celebrate one another's skills, effort and energy to make sure that people feel valued within your organisation.”
You can read more about how to recruit, manage and retain great trustees.
Our public liability insurance includes cover for volunteers as standard. If you’re unsure whether or not you need insurance, you can watch our video that explains when your not-for-profit might need public liability insurance.
