Why Volunteers Leave?

It's annoying when you recruit a volunteer and then two weeks later they disappear.

I remember when I first started to volunteer. On my first day I was told that during lunchtime I was not able to use the staff room. This meant going to a local café and scrounging together some money for an egg roll. The following day the matter had been sorted out but by this time my fellow volunteer had decided to leave without telling anyone.

I've heard a story where somebody wanted to volunteer with adults with learning disabilities. Shortly after she started volunteering she was told to continue volunteering she would have to undertake an accredited course in Basic Skills. With other commitments she felt that she was unable to do this and 'only wanted to volunteer' so decided to leave as she felt she had no support. The trouble is that sometimes organisations are so keen to recruit volunteers they forget what then makes them leave. So how can we alleviate some of problems facing retention?

The Recruitment Process

Who are we looking for? Be clear about what kind of person we want for our organisation. Think about what the role description will be and why you want a volunteer. Don't go along the classic line of "Oh, there's too much office work, let's get a volunteer." This can cause both problems for your organisation and the volunteer. A written role description can be given to the volunteer prior to or when they start volunteering. A role description gives the volunteers a clear understanding of what is expected of them and will also give you a better understanding of why you want a volunteer. Recruitment procedures can include application forms, interviews/informal chats, criminal records disclosures, training, references, a trial period. These will not apply to every organisation but Volunteer Centre Southwark recommends safeguarding yourself by following good practice guidelines.

Interviews

An interview doesn't have to be formal it could just be a chat over the phone. This will enable you to find out more about the volunteer before they start and the volunteer can see if your organisation is the place for them. Be honest. Don't 'jazz-up' or omit information. The truth will come out and your volunteer will be out the door. However, draw the volunteer to the benefits of volunteering with you. Photocopying could be a boring activity but for someone who wants a job in administration it could be a valuable skill. Your organisation could be fun to work in, have additional training course, you might have a good network etc. All these things could interest your potential volunteer.

Induction

To make your volunteer feel really welcome it's good practice to give them an induction. It's a chance for them to get a feel of the place, find out relevant information and for you to inform them of what your needs are. Most volunteers feel a good organisation will introduce relevant staff to them. This will help if the volunteer has any difficulties. Inductions can last for an hour or may run over a couple of days. Areas that you may like to include in an induction are health & safety, equal opportunities, complaints/grievance procedures, specific training, a tour of your organisation etc. Your organisations may like to produce a written induction pack for volunteers to compliment the induction. The choice is up to you and what your needs are.

Reviews and Supervision

Always have an appointed person for the volunteer and ensure they know who that is. For extra support, appoint two people in case the volunteer has difficulties with one of them. This person/s will be responsible for reviewing and supervising the volunteer. Reviews are a good way to up-date the volunteer on issues surrounding the organisation/role description and for them to feedback to you any issues they may have.

Recognition and Rewards

This doesn't have to cost too much money. A thank you at the end of the day is what most volunteers want. There are many other ways of recognising what volunteers do: certificates, training, attending staff meeting, Christmas/Birthday cards, staff days out, events, nominating them for our Southwark Stars award. It depends on what resources you have.

Someone told me that they had a volunteer who they really appreciated. She wasn't sure how to recognise what he did. She always thanked him but wanted to do more than that. He didn't eat sweets, he wasn't interested in training (felt he was too old for it) and did not really want anything from the organisation. What I suggested to her was to ask him what he wanted. She decided that this is what she would do. Even if your volunteer doesn't want anything at least you have asked.

Tip: Try to think how it would feel if you were the volunteer.

Take what their perspective of the organisation or role might be. What benefits are there for them and how might they feel? Maybe if someone had taken time to think about what the role of the volunteer would be the volunteer wouldn't have left for not being allowed in the staff room or because of additional training.

You've probably no time for all this? Remember to just give a little bit you can get a lot back and some of these ideas don't take up too much time.

I'm not saying that even with these precautions volunteers will stay with you forever. However sometimes we are so aware of what our organisations needs are that we forget to ask the volunteer what they need.

ORGANISATIONS NEED VOLUNTEERS SO LETS THINK ABOUT WHAT VOLUNTEERS NEED