1st Five and Next Steps: Volunteer Policy
Volunteer Management DK - L3P1
It is important to think about the role of Volunteers and Volunteering activity in your organisation. In these modules we consider the role of a volunteer policy, how to write one and how we ensure that a consistent approach is taken within your organisation. Â
Journal: Write a list of who in your organisation would you consider a volunteer champion. How would you expand this list?Â
You need key people within the organisation to support the idea of working with volunteers, including at least one at a very senior level. Â
Journal: How can you ensure that your organisation’s approach to volunteers is consistent? Are there documents or individuals that could help?Â
The essential role of a policy is to codify the organisational approach and ensure consistency. It can contain the organisational ethos as well as templates and examples. Â
Journal: Does your organisation have any existing policies that would apply to volunteers? Write a list of what these are. Â
Some staff policies may apply to volunteers, such as expenses, equal opportunities, or data protection, but these might need amending to reflect non-contractual and inclusive language. Â
You may find Contractual Language and Inclusive Language useful. Â
Some policies will definitely not apply to volunteers as they specifically refer to paid employee terms and conditions. Â
These websites may also be useful:Â
https://www.boia.org/blog/ditch-the-fancy-vocabulary-for-accessible-language Â
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/inclusive-communication Â
https://diverseminds.co.uk/7-ways-inclusive-language-creates-belonging-at-work/Â Â
There are some online resources about writing a volunteer policy, which you may find useful:Â
http://www.vaslan.org.uk/resourcekit/50-volunteering/51-good-volunteer-policy#Â Â