Pre-Recruitment
In this section, considerations that need to be made prior to recruiting volunteers:PRE-RECRUITMENT
Assessment & Commitment
The management of the organisation should first examine its mission and purpose and decide if the introduction of a volunteer program will assist in achieving its established goals. It should be clearly demonstrated how the volunteer program will help the CSO achieve these goals.
The reasons for needing volunteers should be clearly communicated to and understood by all interested parties. The relationship between the volunteers and the other interested parties (particularly the paid staff) will depend on this communication process. The future relationships between the volunteers and other stakeholders will be enhanced by the clarity of this communication.
Ideally, the paid staff will participate in the development process and should be included in the decision-making process. An implementation plan for the introduction, orientation and training of the volunteer workforce should also be developed.
The CEO and senior management should consider the volunteers as an integral part of the workforce, rather than a separate add-on, and treat them accordingly.
In smaller CSOs, fewer people will be involved in the process. However it is still absolutely necessary to address each of the issues indicated.
Policies & Procedures
It is vital to have both a framework (policies) and the knowledge and ability to be able to carry it out (procedures). If a CSO does not have written Policies & Procedures, assistance is available. The HACC Volunteer Management Resource Kit (June 2003) prepared by Effective Change Pty Ltd for the DHS contains a comprehensive set of policies and procedures designed to assist HACC-funded services involving volunteers. Victorian Council of Social Service (VCOSS) produces manuals which assists CSOs to develop policies and procedures. Visit the current publication lists available from VCOSS here. (opens in a new window)
Written policies & procedures should assist all paid staff and volunteers in understanding what is expected of them, what they are entitled to and how to resolve any points of confusion or contention. General issues such as privacy and record keeping should be found here.
Specific volunteer procedures might be required to deal with issues such as screening, hours of work, reporting lines, reimbursement of expenses and grievance procedures.
Resources & Equipment
There is sometimes an expectation that volunteer programs are cost-free but this is seldom the case.
Consideration needs to be given to making provision for the salaries of those involved in volunteer management.
Resources and expenses that need to be budgeted for are:
- Recruitment of volunteers
- Supervision of volunteers
- Furniture, equipment & workspace
- Software and/or licences
- Stationery
- Initial & on-going training
- Expense reimbursement eg fares & refreshments
- Additional volunteer insurances
- Volunteer recognition awards
Volunteer Records
The CSO should have a system to keep records of volunteer attendance, services provided, training undertaken, reimbursement provided, etc. Funding providers and insurers might require these records to be kept.
Particular attention must be given to the need for storage of all records and their confidentiality. All CSOs providing services on behalf of the DHS are governed by their privacy policy. Details can be found in the DHS HACC Program Manual which is available from the DHS website. (links open in a new window)
Privacy requirements are covered by both State and Commonwealth legislation.
HACC National Standards
Details of the National Standards in HACC-funded services may be found on the Commonwealth Government website at www.hacc.health.gov.au/download/isd_nsig.pdf (links open in a new window)
Clear Role Definitions
Ideally, volunteer positions should be specifically designated. The analysis which provided the basis for the introduction of the volunteer program should also have identified all of the staffing needs required to achieve the objectives of the organisation.
The CSO should be able to determine which tasks require volunteer assistance to complete and the skills and knowledge necessary. It should also be clear to all staff how these positions will both complement and strengthen paid staff roles and help the CSO achieve its aims.
Job Content
In determining which tasks and responsibilities are to be included in the new volunteer position descriptions, it is important to ensure that the new role does not just become a combination of all the tasks that the existing staff members do not want to do.
Volunteers need interesting and fulfilling roles. Volunteers will be much more likely to stay if their role has been well designed. The job should not only be transparently necessary but it should also be capable of keeping the volunteer interested.
When volunteers leave, the replacement process involves significant expense and time eg advertising, induction, training, interviewing, etc.
Numbers of Volunteers Needed
After defining the volunteer functions, the number of volunteers and the hours of volunteer support can be determined.
Response Process
In order for the recruitment process to be smooth and to ensure that information is provided in a consistent way, there are a number of steps a CSO might wish to consider.
The initial telephone enquiry will sometimes be the first part of the interview process. Often, the enquiries will be taken by the Volunteer Coordinator as an initial judgement about the suitability of the prospective volunteer is made. They will also be trying to enthuse the volunteer about the role.
If other staff members are likely to be contacted by prospective volunteers, they will need to be briefed about how those enquiries are to be handled. A checklist is a useful way record all such contacts.
Pre-arrange a date and time for interviews so that these can also be advised to appropriate staff members.