The central idea of volunteer management theory is the volunteer screening cycle.  Screening is an essential process that lasts for the duration of a volunteer’s involvement with the organization. Screening procedures are delivered consistently with no exceptions made for certain individuals. Screening protocols are assigned to positions because of inherent risk; individuals do not determine screening. Screening should be viewed as evidence that the organization cares about its programs and its people.

• Planning for new positions
• Recruitment
• Selection
• Orientation & Training
• Supervision
• Assessments & Evaluation
• Ongoing Recognition, Motivation & Recordkeeping

PLANNING FOR NEW POSITIONS

Position descriptions

Volunteers help the organization achieve its mission and objectives. Volunteer involvement must be aligned with the organization's goals and resource allocation. The board and senior management should understand and approve of the direction of the volunteer program.

Mission and Mandate: A critical component of planning for new positions is the development and anticipation of the kind of overall volunteer program and services best suited to your organization's mission and mandate.  Without looking at how volunteers contribute to the organization's goals, the volunteer program is often perceived as (or functions as) an adjunct to the organization rather than an integral element that supports and enables the delivery of services and the achievement of the organization's mission or purpose. 

One of the most helpful resources in looking at how volunteers are involved within your organization is the Canadian Code for Volunteer Involvement. The Code provides a list of minimum standards on effective involvement of volunteers within organizations. These standards can be used as a guide as your group constructs an effective volunteer program.

Thinking of Involving Volunteers: Thinking of involving volunteers is not something that should be treated casually or as an after thought.  Planning for their involvement is the first step to ensuring that the organization attracts the right volunteer, at the right time for the right assignment. With an eye both to the time limitations and the quality of individuals needed, you must carefully look at what you are offering in addition to what you need.

Rethinking Volunteer Engagement is a thought-provoking essay calling on voluntary organizations across the country to review and rethink the ways in which volunteers are involved.

Needs Assessment: It can be difficult to see where you need to go when you have yet to assess where you are and where you have been. Begin by looking at what is currently being done in your organization, reassess present volunteer positions, if any, and identify what direction you would like to move towards.  Take the opportunity to determine whether it is really necessary to create new positions or to simply modify existing ones.

Investigate the "nuts and bolts" of a volunteer assignment. Is this a long term assignment, short-term or episodic volunteer opportunity, can it be performed virtually? Identify the essential duties and responsibilities, performance expectations; the skills or personal characteristics that are necessary to do the assignment successfully and identify what level of education and/or training will be needed.

Volunteer Canada has developed the resource Safe Steps: A Volunteer Screening Process. This resource includes information on determining the risk, position design and description, reference checks, police checks, etc.

Determine the risk.  It may seem tedious to determine the risk for every position. However, it is the key to an effective screening process.  If there are any unusual conditions relating to the assignment, examine the potential for danger in your programs and services and take steps to prevent or eliminate the risk.  This may include determining if specialized training is required, insurance, or perhaps the position needs to involve persons working with a buddy, having a probationary period, random spot checks or other strategies to manage risks.  This thorough investigation will help you write a more precise volunteer position description.

Assignments should be developed to address the needs of the organization and the volunteer. Volunteer assignments should be linked to the organization's mission. Individual needs vary considerably, so successful volunteer programs adapt volunteer assignments to fit these needs when possible. It is necessary to periodically review volunteer assignments to ensure their relevance and value.

Policies and Procedures: The volunteer program should have a good foundation of policies and procedures that provide a framework which defines and supports the involvement of a variety of volunteers.  This includes looking at the inclusion of persons with disabilities, aboriginal persons, older persons, new immigrants and youth.

Policies and procedures help clarify responsibilities and ensure consistency. They should be developed and documented on a broad spectrum, from volunteer assignments and screening, to grounds for dismissal.  The organization's board of directors needs to ensure volunteer policies are congruent with other policies within the organization. The manager of volunteer resources is responsible for identifying the specific policies and procedures required.

Begin Screening Process: Once you have defined the position requirements, you are ready to write an effective volunteer position description. Volunteer position descriptions should be written for every volunteer position in the organization. 

A Matter of Design is a discussion paper and practice guide, which challenges organizations to fundamentally re-think the involvement of volunteers, starting with an examination of mission and moving through the elements of volunteer involvement. This resource explores the nature of work and job design concepts. It examines how to create volunteer opportunities that both help the organization fulfill its mandate and are satisfying for volunteers.

Position Descriptions: Carefully written volunteer position descriptions send the message that an organization takes responsibility for both its personnel (paid or unpaid) and its clients seriously, and screens all applicants thoroughly accepting only those applicants who meet the identified position requirements.

RECRUITMENT

Clearly outlined recruitment strategy

Application process

Who, why, when, how and where to find the right person for the right position:

Effective recruitment messages are realistic and clear. They leave an accurate impression of the organization and its needs. Genuine effort should be made to recruit and select volunteers from a broad range of backgrounds. A healthy organization has a mix of age, gender, ethnicity, and abilities in its volunteer group.

Volunteer recruitment is the process of matching an organization's needs with a volunteer's interests and skills. In a time where volunteers can be hard to come by, identifying practical and successful recruitment strategies for getting the right people for the right positions is critical. 

Volunteer Canada's web site contains many resources on targeted recruitment including youth, culturally diverse groups, family volunteering, short-term or episodic volunteers, older adults, and more.

Recruitment of volunteers is usually done less formally than the recruitment of employees. In fact, volunteer recruitment is often haphazard. An organization might ask the mother watching her kid's team to coach or fundraise, for example. These personal ties between volunteers and the participants complicate the screening process.

The more informal volunteer recruitment is, the less comfortable recruiters are in applying formal steps. One of the ways to move from an informal to a formal recruitment process is to post notices or send home requests for volunteers accompanied by position descriptions and application forms.

Be careful to achieve balance between formalizing the recruitment process and appearing desperate for volunteers. A sense of urgency does not always attract the type of volunteer the organization wants or needs. Be careful about how you recruit, especially for positions of trust with vulnerable participants.

Ensure that your recruiting materials clearly outline that the organization takes its responsibilities for participants seriously and screens all applicants thoroughly. Do not leave people with the impression that everyone who applies will be accepted. Be very clear that your organization is extremely careful about selecting volunteers, and don't apologize for that fact. Make sure that your promotional materials and position descriptions are kept accurate and up-to-date. Ensure that the documents include all of the information available about the position in question, and about the organization's screening measures.

Now that you know what you're looking for in volunteer, you must determine where to find the candidates to fill the position description. There are a number of ways you can get the word out such as:

• Referrals from former and current volunteers;
• Religious leaders;
• Local universities/colleges/high schools (many students look for volunteer work to get more experience);
• Senior's Groups
• Community newspaper ads
• Websites
• Industry, Trade & Professional Associations
• Culturally diverse groups
• Chair people and members of service, social, sorority, professional groups, etc.;

After considering the advantages and disadvantages of a variety of different recruitment options, and by learning how to diversify your workforce, you will likely be able to find a strategy that will meet your needs.

SELECTION

Interviews, Reference Checks, Specialized Testing, Police Records Check

Getting to know the applicant and matching with appropriate position:

To create and maintain a safe environment and to ensure an appropriate match between volunteer and task, selecting volunteers involves getting to know the applicant and discerning the suitability of an individual for a given task.  This often begins with conducting an interview to talk to the potential volunteer about their background, talents, skills, interests and availability, but also to explore any doubts the organization may have about the suitability of the candidate.

Interviews serve to express your organizational expectations and to convey the norms / culture of your community. In other words, an interview will help determine "the right fit." Be well prepared and take into consideration Human Rights laws as you prepare your questions.  All applicants should be asked the same questions for any given position.  The answers to each question should be recorded.

Follow up on references.  By identifying the level of trust required in the position and asking specific questions, an applicant's suitability may be easier to determine. People often do not expect that their references will be checked. Do not assume that applicants only supply the names of people who will speak well of them.  To get the most out of your reference check, prepare a list of questions or sample script beforehand. Again, when composing your questions, take into consideration Human Rights legislation and other legal obligations including privacy laws. 

Specific positions may require specialized tests.  These tests can range from specific medical checks, such as tuberculosis skin tests to specific skills or competencies and even aptitude tests, depending on the position requirements.

Request a Police Records Check. A Police Records Check (PRC) is an important screening tool, particularly for high-risk positions.  A PRC is a Criminal Records Check, as well as a search of the records held in the information database of a local police agency.  PRCs should never be the first, last or only screening step used by an organization because they have their limitations.  What they do, however, is signal - in a very public way - that the organization is concerned about the safety of its participants.

For more answers to questions regarding Police Records Checks, read Volunteer Canada's Resource entitled "Understanding Police Records Checks."

ORIENTATION & TRAINING

Orientation to Organization

An orientation clarifies the relationship between volunteers and the organization. It familiarizes volunteers with the organization by providing information on the policies and procedures that influence work and involvement with others. Volunteers need adequate training to perform tasks without putting themselves or others at risk. Training prepares volunteers to do the work required by the position and to meet the expectations of their volunteer assignments.

Consider developing a volunteer welcome and orientation manual.  An orientation manual can provide a consistent and comprehensive template for welcoming new volunteers, assist and enhance an organization's efforts to educate volunteers about their role in the organization, their rights and responsibilities while at the same time, providing an overview of the organization's history, mission, its policies and procedures.

Assigning tasks:  The key to a successful volunteer placement is the right match between a volunteer and the volunteer assignment.  The volunteer position plays even a greater role for short-term or episodic volunteers who may only have a few days or a few weeks to give to the organization.  For episodic volunteers assigning a particular tasks often involves reviewing the position description, ensuring volunteers are comfortable with its contents and then letting them do the job, perhaps pairing them with a buddy in the process.  Episodic volunteers are often trained simply "by doing".  Whatever type of volunteer you may have, take the time to ensure that the person you matched to a specific position fully understands their role, their responsibilities and the goals of the position. 

Provision of information, tools, and resources:  Provide all resources that volunteers may need to achieve the goals of the position.  Screening does not end once the volunteer is in place. Orientation and training sessions give volunteers general information about your organization and provide specific information about the volunteer position. Orientation and training help your volunteers feel confident and prepared. You also decrease the chances of problems occurring by helping volunteers know what is to be expected.

Probationary Period

Supervision

Prior to the placement of volunteers, the supervision level of the assignment should be determined based on the complexity and risk of the assignment. Each volunteer should know who their supervisor is. Supervision increases the motivation of volunteers, helps ensure the organization's mandate is met and gives volunteers a sense of belonging within the organization.

Support to volunteers and employees to achieve their goals:  The supervision and probationary periods are for the benefit of the organization and for the volunteers. You need to know that the volunteer is fulfilling their role effectively and the volunteer needs affirmation too.  Frequent feedback during the probationary period is particularly important and helps promote and nurture staff/volunteer relationships and internal communications.

Ongoing monitoring and support: Regular "check-ins" provide both staff and volunteers time to assess how the volunteer placement is going, as well as the opportunity to give feedback.  It encourages volunteers to feel part of the organization and also illustrates that the work they do is worth being evaluated and that they are making meaningful contributions.  Volunteers should be made aware of any follow-up activities that may occur. These could include spot checks for volunteers in high-risk positions.  Regular follow up with program participants and family members can act as an effective deterrent to someone who might otherwise do harm.

ASSESSMENTS & EVALUATION

Regular Monitoring and Feedback

Exit Interviews

Volunteer involvement should be evaluated regularly to ensure that involvement of volunteers is contributing to the organizations mandate. An evaluation of volunteer involvement should include: reviewing goals and objectives, identifying results achieved, obtaining feedback from current volunteers and clients, collecting and reviewing both quantitative and qualitative data about volunteer involvement.

Performance Assessment: The identified level of risk associated with a volunteer position will determine the necessary degree of supervision and evaluation. If the risk is great, it follows that the volunteer will be under closer supervision.  Evaluations are a useful guide to assessing if there is a good match between what is being done, who is doing it and how it could get done more efficiently. It is an opportunity for discussion. Contact new volunteers, short-term and episodic volunteers soon after they begin to ensure they understand their assignment and to address any questions or concerns. For core volunteers, you may want to "check-in" on an on-going basis, so that if a meeting is needed to discuss problems, it will not be threatening to either the volunteer or the supervisor.

Exit interviews: Exit interviews can help you gain valuable information about a departing volunteer's experience with your organization.  As soon as you become aware that a volunteer is leaving, try to schedule an exit interview to cover topics such as the volunteer position they performed, the supervision they received, recognition, health and safety issues and any other areas of satisfaction and dissatisfaction.  Taking a little time with "episodic" volunteers to discuss their experience at the end of their assigned task also provides the organization with an opportunity to review and possibly update a position description, providing valuable insight about the experience, the skills and abilities required to perform the position that the volunteer is vacating.

ONGOING RECOGNITION, MOTIVATION & RECORD KEEPING

Ongoing Recognition is ongoing in the volunteer management cycle and it happens in an informal way every time a "thank you" is said. Formally, core volunteers need to be thanked through celebrations and recognition events planned in their honour. For episodic volunteers, recognition usually occurs at the events for which they volunteer.  It is important that the thank you fits the volunteer; you need to know your volunteers so that they can be thanked in a way that leaves them feeling truly recognized.

Motivation: There is no great secret to motivation... It's simply finding out what individuals like to do - and can do well - and then finding a position that allows them to do it.  Every volunteer brings his/her motivation with them and it is the job of the managers of volunteers to identify, understand and where possible, nurture that personal motivation to shape recognition.

Record Management

Records should be maintained on every volunteer involved with the organization, using a confidential, secure system. Records should include application forms, records of interviews, assignment descriptions, letters of reference, performance appraisals and current contact information. Records are also useful in evaluating the impact of the volunteer program through the contribution and time donated by volunteers.

Each organization must define the content of their volunteer records to best fit its program capabilities and legal environment.  A volunteer's record plays many roles in managing the volunteer where documentation of a volunteer's personal contact information, schedules, evaluations, re-imbursements for out of pocket expenses, awards, and other personal information is recorded.  The volunteer record is used to substantiate individual volunteer services provided to the organization as well as serving as a record of the support given to the individual volunteer by the organization. If allegations of any kind of misconduct are made against a current or past volunteer, an organization must be able to substantiate that it initially gathered all the appropriate information, conducted all the required screenings and updated all such information regularly as per its policies.  Aggregate statistics of volunteer contributions can be compiled from the volunteer records.  The volunteer record also serves as a method of communication among those managing the volunteer and provides supporting documentation for budgeting and other resource allocations for the volunteer program.

The volunteer record needs to be periodically monitored to ensure that it contains all relevant and properly completed paperwork. The organization will need to determine what constitutes a complete volunteer record and introduce guidelines for retention and disposition of volunteer files for potential, active, inactive and short-term (episodic) volunteers.  These standardized documentation and records management practices should be in line with relevant legislation including human rights codes and privacy legislation and are an important risk management component of the volunteer management program.

With ongoing recognition, motivation and good record keeping you will retain your current volunteers and be ready to involve new volunteers as the volunteer management cycle begins again.

CONCLUSION

Volunteer management professionals can take advantage of Volunteer Canada's tools for volunteer management based on where they are in their careers, the types of communities that they serve, targeted sectors within the field of volunteer management, providing volunteer leaders with opportunities for learning, dialogue and sharing strategies with colleagues and local volunteer centres. Throughout Volunteer Canada's website, you will find a network of peers, professional development opportunities, inspiration, ideas and tools to help you effectively lead and manage volunteers in your organization.