Volunteer Management
Effective volunteers are the lifeblood of your
community league – essential for planning and
implementing the many programs and initiatives
your league undertakes. Yet many leagues face
ongoing struggles in attracting enough
volunteers or those individuals with the right
skills and enough time to help
Managing volunteers requires planning, work and
follow-up, but the rewards are huge. Volunteer
management includes several steps:
Identifying volunteer needs
• Volunteer recruitment
• Volunteer screening
• Volunteer training
• Volunteer recognition
• Volunteer discipline/dismissal
The starting point for good volunteer management
is to work with other members of your board to
ensure a strong league board. When your board is
clear on its mandate and operation – what it wants
to accomplish, when and how – communicating
these essential pieces of information to other
volunteers becomes easier.
It is useful to understand why individuals volunteer
– and what prevents people from volunteering.
Volunteers step forward for many reasons. The
Canada Survey of Giving, Volunteering and
Participating (2000) reported that volunteers
become involved in organizations because:
People don’t volunteer because:
• nobody asked them,
• they have no extra time or don’t want to make a
long-term commitment
• they don’t know how to get involved, or
• they feel they have already contributed as a
volunteer or gave money instead of time.
Identifying Volunteer Needs
Determining the correct number of volunteers
is the first step to volunteer success. Too few
• 30% were asked by someone in the organization means you will burn out those who come forward.
Too many volunteers can result in means they
• 16% approached the organization themselves
won’t have enough to do – and therefore won’t feel
they have contributed in a meaningful way.
• 15% were a member of the organization
To identify the number of volunteers required:
• 12% had a child or spouse involved in the
organization
• review the records of your league’s previous
programs, or
• 9% were asked by a friend or relative outside of
the organization
• talk to EFCL or your CRC, or
The Canada Survey also reported the following
reasons for volunteering:
• 95% of volunteers believed in the cause
supported by the organization
• 81% of volunteers were involved to use their
skills and experience
• 69% were motivated to volunteer because
they were personally affected by the cause the
organization supports
• get in touch with another community league
who has undertaken a similar program and ask
for their input.
P.S. Get into the habit of capturing the
number of volunteers, their individual
time commitment and the total
number of volunteer hours invested in
each program. This record will prove
invaluable for future boards.
• 57% saw volunteer involvement as a way to
explore their own strengths
• 30% of people became involved because
of a friend’s involvement indicating a social
motivation
• 23% of volunteers were motivated to be
involved to improve their job
opportunities
Source: Resource Centre for Voluntary Organizations (RCVO),
MacEwan College, “Volunteer Recognition: Matching Motivations to
Rewards.”
Community League Resource Guide July 2016
Volunteer Recruitment
There are a number of very effective ways
of recruiting volunteers. Best results use a
combination of all of these methods.
• Word of mouth. Make sure people in your
league know more volunteers are needed. Staff
and volunteers who enjoy their work can be a
group’s most effective recruiters. As well, every
time your league holds a meeting or an event
where your members are present, make a short
announcement about the fun and opportunities
available through volunteering.
• Printed materials. Keep the message simple.
Remember who you are trying to reach and
“talk” directly to them. For example, if you are
trying to interest seniors in volunteering, let them
know you could make use of their skills and
experience – and you won’t need them to work
more than a few hours at a time. Make use of
your newsletter!
• Website. Websites offer a valuable way to keep
information about volunteer opportunities up to
date. Keep the information short and specific.
• Face-to-face meetings. Personal contact
is often the most effective way of recruiting
new volunteers. Go door knocking or call your
members, keeping in mind a household’s busy
times of day so your call gets off to a good start.
Keep these hints in mind for successful recruiting:
• Recruit with a specific role in mind, rather than
asking for “anybody to do anything.”
• Go to people whose interests and skills match
your league’s needs.
• Be honest – don’t cover up or downplay the
task as unimportant, the “anybody can do
it” syndrome. (Why should I want to do it if
anybody else could?)
• Recruit year round – plant the seeds early.
“May we contact you in November when
elections are being held?”
• Use many different recruitment techniques.
• Treat the job as an opportunity, not as a task
that the person ought to be concerned
about.
Volunteer Screening
Should you screen your volunteers? Yes –
particularly those who will be handling funds or
working with children. Although most volunteers
are committed individuals who care about their
community, every league has a responsibility
to protect their members. Your board has a
responsibility to exercise reasonable diligence
and care in these matters, meaning your league
should adopt generally accepted practices used
in similar organizations.
Any organization that provides programs or
services to people who are vulnerable because
of their age (children or seniors), disability or
emotional state needs to screen its volunteers.
Volunteer Canada’s Safe Steps Screening
Program provides an easy-to-use method for
organizations to ensure the people they serve are
safe. The safe steps are like a menu – you only
need to select those steps that apply specifically
to positions within your organization.
The 10 steps are:
1. Determine the risk
Organizations can control the risk in their
programs. Examining the potential for danger in
programs and services may lead to preventing or
eliminating the risk altogether.
2. Write a clear position description
Careful position descriptions send the message
that an organization is serious about screening.
Responsibilities and expectations can be clearly
set out, right down to things to the position should
and should not do. A clear position description
indicates the screening requirements. When a
volunteer changes positions, the screening
procedures may change as well.
3. Establish a formal recruitment process
Whether you post notices for volunteer positions
or send home flyers, they must indicate that
screening is part of the application process.
4. Use an application form
The application form provides needed contact
information. If the volunteer position requires other
screening measures (medical exam, driver’s
record, police records check), the application form
will ask for permission to do so.
5. Conduct interviews
The interview offers a chance to talk to the
potential volunteer about his or her background,
skills, interests and availability, and also to explore
any doubts about the suitability of the candidate.
In other words, the interview will help determine
the “right fit.”
Community League Resource Guide July 2016
6. Follow up on references
By identifying the level of trust required in the
position and asking specific questions, the
applicant’s suitability may be easier to determine.
People often do not expect their references to be
checked. Do not assume that applicants only
supply the names of people who will speak well
of them.
7. Request a Police Records Check
A Police Records Check is just one step in a
10-step screening process. These records checks
send the message — in a very public way — that
the league is concerned about the safety of its
participants.
8. Conduct orientation and training sessions
Screening does not end once the volunteer is in
place. Orientation and training sessions offer an
opportunity to observe volunteers in a different
setting. These sessions also allow organizations
to inform volunteers about policies and
procedures. Probation periods give both the
organization and the volunteer time to learn more
about each other.
9. Supervise and evaluate
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
close supervision. Frequent feedback in the first
year is particularly important. Evaluations must be
based on position descriptions.
10. Follow up with program participants
Regular contact with participants and family
members can act as an effective deterrent
to someone who might otherwise do harm.
Volunteers should be made aware of any followup activities that may occur. These could include
spot checks for volunteers in high-risk positions.
P.S. It’s much easier to decline a
volunteer application than to terminate
a volunteer after the fact.
You should complete a security check if your
employees or volunteers deal with the following
areas:
1. Contact with the vulnerable sector – children
(under age of 18), the disabled or the aged.
2. Financial management. Responsible for
handling or managing the finances of the
organization.
3. Information management. Responsible for
managing personal information of individuals
associated with organization.
4. Organizational integrity. Holds a place of
authority within the organization whose integrity
is essential to the credibility of the organization.
Types of Security Checks
Child Welfare Check. Indicates whether the
applicant has ever been involved in a child
intervention investigation.
RCMP. Records of criminal convictions attainable
through Canadian Police Information Centre
(CPIC) for which a pardon has not been granted
plus records of outstanding criminal charges
which the RCMP are aware of or indicated within
the Investigative Data Bank of CPIC.
Edmonton Police Service (EPS). Disclosure
of information from EPS local records, Justice
OnLine Information Network (JOIN) Alberta Court
records and CPIC national police records. EPS
disclosure includes:
• convictions,
• specific sentences,
• alternative measures/extrajudicial sanctions,
• pending/outstanding charges,
For more information, visit:
• outstanding warrants,
• Volunteer Canada’s website at www.volunteer.ca • not criminally responsible – mental disorder
pardons,
• RCVO at www.rcvo.org
• court orders, and
• Volunteer Alberta at www.volunteeralberta.ab.ca
• pardoned records of convictions sexual in nature
• Volunteer Edmonton at
and/or involving children (requires vulnerable
www.volunteeredmonton.com
sector consent).
Community League Resource Guide July 2016
To obtain a Police Information Check from EPS:
• The volunteer fills out the Police Information
Check form, available only at Police
headquarters, 9620 – 103A Avenue. Costs vary.
• The completed Police Information Check is then
returned to the applicant to protect his or her
personal information. The applicant may or may
not choose to present documentation to the
league. If he or she chooses not to present the
required documentation, you may choose not to
accept the individual into the position.
• The league must have written authority from the
volunteer to photocopy and retain results from
the security check.
Be aware there are limitations to security
clearances. For example, information is limited by:
• the information provided by the applicant (such
as name and birth date),
• the date the check is conducted (so it won’t
include current investigations or charges), and
• no knowledge of whether the individual is
currently involved in unreported criminal activity.
Your league can also consider the following
checks depending on your individual
circumstances:
Criminal History Check where a volunteer
position exposes the organization or members to
specific liabilities or vulnerabilities. Contact your
local police agency for more information.
Driver’s abstract/auto insurance if driving a
vehicle is a requirement of volunteer service. Visit
any registry office for more information.
Child Welfare Check if the volunteer is working
directly with children in an unsupervised
environment. For more information, visit http://
www.programs.alberta.ca and use the search
terms “child welfare check.”
Certification documents may be required for
the volunteer position (i.e.) first aid, life guard,
diploma, etc.
For more information on screening programs and
security checks, contact:
• [email protected]
• Resource Centre for Voluntary Organizations at
780-497-5616 or www.rcvo.org for information
or help in developing a screening program.
RCVO also has a good selection of materials,
including “Beyond Police Checks” related to
setting up systems and policies.
Volunteer Training
All volunteers, from those serving on the board
to those helping with a single special event, need
training and orientation to do their best work.
Volunteers working on an ongoing basis at several
different tasks need to understand:
• the big picture – the league’s overall mission, it
structure and how it accomplishes its mission,
• their specific duties on behalf of the league, and
• the logistical details they need for completing
their tasks.
For these volunteers, consider compiling a
handbook, or short manual, that gives them the
above information. The handbook might include:
• League organization chart
• League mission and goals
• List of all volunteer positions
• Training overview
• Facility information
• Emergency procedures
• Information specific to his/her volunteer position
• Volunteer recognition program
Short-term volunteers working, for example,
for one special event require less information
about the overall league. For these volunteers,
consider offering a one-page fact sheet of useful
information.
P.S. Remember, all personal information
is confidential.
Community League Resource Guide July 2016
Volunteer Recognition
P.S. The key to keeping volunteers
engaged in your organization is to
determine what motivates them and
then to recognize them based on their
motivations.
Recognizing volunteers is crucial for retaining
these essential workers. Volunteers will participate
in your league as long as they believe their work
is accomplishing something, they are appreciated
and their contribution makes a difference.
Motivation
Recognition or Support
To contribute to a particular
cause…
• Demonstrate how involvement is contributing to a cause
To utilize skills &
experiences…
• Ensure proper placement of volunteer
To socialize with others…
• Provide recognition opportunities that have a social c o m p o n e n t
• Sharing stories of how contributions are making a difference
• Ensure the best use of volunteer’s skills, experiences and time are
considered
• Ensure volunteer is in a team setting and not working in isolation
To gain new skills or improve
job opportunities…
• Provide training or skill improvement opportunities
• Provide references
• Job coaching or mentoring opportunities
There are two types of recognition methods that
should be built into your volunteer program:
Spontaneous recognition: is best used
to recognize a volunteer’s involvement and
contribution immediately. It does not generally
need a lot of planning, but make sure that the
recognition is offered very soon after the job
is completed.
Organized recognition: is a more formal
way to recognize volunteer contributions. It
usually involves a larger, organized event and
demonstrates that volunteer contributions are
valued by the organization.
P.S. Ask your volunteers what forms of
recognition they would appreciate
– and build their answers into your
recognition.
Community League Resource Guide July 2016
Whatever form your recognition takes,
remember that individuals react differently
to public recognition. Diverse personalities,
values and cultures all influence appropriate
recognition. Be sure to learn more about —
and to respect — others’ choices.
Source: Resource Centre for Voluntary Organizations (RCVO),
MacEwan College, “Volunteer Recognition: Matching Motivations to
Rewards.”
Volunteer Discipline/Dismissal
Volunteers, like paid employees, sometimes find
themselves in positions that don’t suit their skills
and needs. Other times, a volunteer has devoted
too much time and energy to the organization and
simply burns out.
• Speak privately (ensure no one else can
overhear the conversation) with the volunteer
to determine issues and problems from his/her
perspective.
• Review the job description with the individual
and point out, in a non-threatening way, how
his/her job performance is hurting the league’s
efforts. (Be sure to recognize those aspects of
the job done well.)
In either case, some volunteers will quit the
league and offer valid reasons for moving on. In
other cases, action may be required on the part
of the board member responsible for the volunteer • Be certain the volunteer understands the
specific aspects of the job he/she needs to
to either work with the individual to improve his/
improve.
her performance or, ultimately, to dismiss
the volunteer.
• Ask for ways you and the volunteer can work
together to correct the situation.
Disciplining or dismissing an individual who is
working voluntarily for your league is never an
• Set a specific timeframe for the job performance
easy thing to do – but it sometimes is necessary
to improve and outline the steps you will take,
for the good of the league. An unhappy volunteer
including dismissal from position, if performance
can lower the morale of the entire league,
does not improve.
undoing a lot of the collective good work of
• Follow up according to the timeframe you
the organization.
discussed. If dismissal is necessary, thank the
Following are some suggestions if discipline or
volunteer for his/her efforts and, if appropriate,
dismissal is required:
invite the individual to consider another
volunteer position in future that better fits the
• Ensure your facts regarding the volunteer’s job
motivations, skills and time availability.
and his/her job performance are accurate and
complete.
Community League Resource Guide July 2016