Taking Care Of Our Volunteers

Emma Thompson

Agenda

5. 05pm Introduction Survey Results

Volunteer Recruitment Louise Wratten - Volunteer Bristol

Volunteer Retention and Appreciation The impact of demographics on recruitment and retention.

Vulnerable Volunteers Alex Bowsher - St Werburgh’s City Farm

Elevator Pitches 5.55pm Networking Break

6.15pm Dominic Murphy – Cities of Service Corporate Volunteering Case Study Matt Collis – Avon Wildlife Trust Corporate Volunteering Key Points

Question Time 7pm Conclusion and Thanks

Speakers and Attendees Speakers

Emma Thompson – Head of Volunteering – Cities of Service

Louise Wratten – Volunteer Coordinator – Volunteer Bristol

Alex Bowsher – Volunteer Officer – St Werburgh’s City Farm

Dominic Murphy – Chief Service Officer – Cities of Service Bristol

Matt Collis – Project Officer - Avon Wildlife Trust

Tables

Esther Keller - Business in the Community

Louise Wratten – Volunteer Bristol

Steve Haines and Scott Ward – Neighbourly.com

Vicki Woolley – Bristol Green Capital Partnership

Sally Ridley - Ablaze

Introduction

Why me?

Why now?

Why this?

What is this?

http://volunteerteam.bristol.gov.uk

What did we find out? 113 organisations invited, 62 contributed survey results

They ranged in age from <6 months – 153 years old!

Ranging in size from <10 volunteers to >1200 a year

Most run their volunteer programmes on <£500 a year

Very few have paid staff managing volunteers

54% Unskilled Roles, 46% Skilled Roles

75% use or have used Pro Bono volunteers

61% offer or have offered placements

Volunteer Recruitment

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60

Methods of Recruitment Used

Used Not Used

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10

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Effectiveness of Recruitment Methods

Effective Not Effective Not Used

Volunteer Recruitment A good reputation is vital to ongoing recruitment and

retention.

Having an organisation website and social media is valuable and will help people find you.

First response must be timely. Most first-time volunteers are lost at the first response. Have an out-of-office with a time expectation and get back to them within that time scale.

A quick phone call will encourage new volunteers and help you understand each other’s expectations.

Training helps.

Louise Wratten Volunteer Coordinator

Volunteer Bristol

Volunteer Retention and Appreciation

Setting and Managing Expectations What do you want from your volunteers? What skills or knowledge do you need? How much time do you need from them? How often? Where and how will they volunteer with you? How will you help them grow?

Answer these questions before you start looking for volunteers.

Include the answers on your recruitment ads

Go over them again at induction (do an induction!)

Ask your volunteers what their expectations are.

To mollycoddle or not to mollycoddle?

What was your experience like? Were you on your own, a self-starter, working on your own initiative? Or were you welcomed, supported, appreciated?

For your volunteers, they appreciate being spoiled, they will work harder, longer and more passionately when they know that you need them and that you appreciate the time and skills they bring to your organisation.

Top Tips

Read up on laws, insurance and paying expenses.

Use these to create or update your Volunteer Agreement

Make sure your induction gives a good grounding in the organisation, covers Health and Safety and helps the volunteer feel at home.

Your volunteers are the best ambassadors you have for your cause, the more they know and feel a part of the organisation the more they’ll talk.

Methods of Appreciation

Volunteer using organisations in Bristol have more than 10 different ways that they show volunteers their appreciation!

The research suggests that the more appreciation you demonstrate, the better.

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43

14

Not very Difficult Challenging Very difficult

Ease of Volunteer Retention Against Appreciation

Number of different kinds of appreciation shown by each designation

Methods of Appreciation Giving T-shirts 1.6 % - although these organisations

commented on how much appreciated these seemed to be by their volunteers, especially if volunteers weren’t always working as part of a team in the field.

Providing references 2.3%

Providing reduced or free tickets to events 2.3%

Nominating Volunteers for Thank You Awards 3.1%

Giving Certificates 3.1%

Reimbursing Expenses 3.1%

Sending out Thank You cards or emails 6.3%

15%

17%

24%

13%

9%

22%

Methods of Appreciation

Free Food

Events

Verbal Thank You

Mention on Social

Training Provided

Those Mentioned Above

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Not very difficult Challenging Very difficult

Ease of Volunteer Retention Against Different Methods of Appreciation

Food

Events

Verbal Thank You

The impact of demographics on recruitment and retention.

Diversity Statistics

43 organisations told us about their diversity.

85.1% of green volunteers are Caucasian.

14.9% were from BMAE backgrounds.

Bristol City Council states that 16% of the population of Bristol are from BME backgrounds.

Diversity Statistics

Of the couple of organisations who mentioned gender between 60-70% of their volunteers were female.

Of those who mentioned age there seemed to be many more volunteers under 50 than over, with many aged between 17 and 35.

Grow your diversity

Borderlands – charity that helps recent arrivals and asylum seekers volunteer in the community.

Bristol Multi Faith Forum

African Voices Forum

Advertise on Ujima and BCfm

Bristol BME Voice

Bristol Aging Better

Bristol Youth Council

The impact of Millennials

The National Trust’s research:

Current Traditional 75+

New Old 50+

Young Experience Seeker 18-35

Families

Consider your organisation, does the above sound right? What are your expectations of these groups? Can you diversify your programmes more ask your volunteers to contribute more complex skills/knowledge?

Vulnerable Volunteers

Who are Vulnerable Volunteers?

Volunteers who might:

Be recovering from alcohol or drug addictions

Live with mental or physical disabilities

Be long-term unemployed

Struggle with illness, such as depression.

Some Bristol Green Experts

Windmill Hill City Farm have a Health and Social Care Department

Fare Share South West have Occupational Therapy Staff and take on regular OT placements to support vulnerable volunteers.

St Werburgh’s City Farm recently got a Lottery Grant to create a volunteer programme called ‘Include’.

Alex Bowsher Volunteer Officer

St Werburgh’s City Farm

Elevator Pitches

Esther Keller - Business in the Community

Steve Haines and Scott Ward – Neighbourly.com

Vicki Woolley – Bristol Green Capital Partnership

Sally Ridley - Ablaze

Networking Help yourself to food, have a chat with the people on our

tables and the other attendees.

Remember we have people from both business and community here.

Dominic Murphy Chief Service Officer

Cities of Service - Bristol

Corporate Volunteering Case Study

My Wild Street - Case Study Nearly 100 people from Burges Salmon worked with Avon Wildlife Trust for 2 weeks during summer 2015 to transform a street in Easton into a wildlife haven.

Preparation

Collaboration

Business Benefit

Consolidation for Improvement

Leading from the Start

Matt Collis Project Officer ‘My Wild Street’

Avon Wildlife Trust

Corporate Volunteering Tips

Problems with the Traditional Model The business expects their volunteering day to be free The business wants to complete a task so that they

have something to talk about in publications, but there isn’t always a clear single task needing to be done.

The volunteers often have little or no experience in the tasks that need doing.

The volunteers often are taking part in a compulsory day out of the office, with little information about why they are there or what they will accomplish.

The volunteers are ill prepared for the day, arriving in suits and high heels to a farm, for example.

The community organisation is often overwhelmed and feels that they haven’t accomplished much by the end of the day, apart from losing one of their own working days.

What Makes a Positive Experience? They are planned 6 months or more in advance The volunteers are engaged and interested in the event and

the motivation for it The volunteers are gaining skills and knowledge as they go The business and community organisation maintain

communication along the way and each put time into ensuring the support and preparation is done to make the event successful.

The event is spread over several days or a couple of weeks, rather than the whole team going out on one day.

The business recognises that, as a charity, the community organisation doesn’t have the capacity to provide staff support for free and so contributes time and money to the event; that might be paying for tools, plants or paying for the staff member’s time.

Key Messages Generally we’re doing great!

When we take time out to increase our knowledge and confidence about Volunteer Best Practices our volunteers have a better experience.

Build to satisfy the millennials and then encourage everyone else to try it. Promote supportive practices.

Be nice! Say Thank You! Give good biscuits!

Corporate Volunteers want to help, but they need you to tell them exactly how. Ask for what you need and explain why you need it, be explicit.

Any Questions?

Thank You

Website: http://volunteerteam.bristol.gov.uk

Dominic: dominic.murphy@bristol.gov.uk

Me after March: volunteeringemma@gmail.com