Starting a Volunteer Program

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Program Planning

Instituting a new volunteer program or reenergizing an existing one

involves a process that covers a range of management functions—

from needs assessment, volunteer position development and

recruitment, to supervision, evaluation and recognition. Together,

these interdependent processes create a synergy that will enliven your

volunteer program. Once instituted, an effective approach to

volunteer management will perpetuate itself.

Planning a volunteer program within an organization means changing

standard practices and routines. Funds must be acquired and

budgeted, relationships must be formed to link the volunteer program

into the organization, job descriptions and working relationships must

be modified, and policies must be created and approved to

accommodate care recipients.

There are many advantages to establishing a volunteer program

beyond that of accomplishing critical tasks with limited funds.

Involving community members in volunteer programs increases public

support and helps them understand the work and planning behind

management decisions. Volunteers help expand existing programs

beyond limits imposed by personnel ceilings and budget constraints

and enable more efficient project workflow. Instituting a volunteer

program is not easy nor can it be done instantaneously. Planning a

volunteer program includes job development, interviewing,

supervision, evaluation and recognition.

Needs Assessment

When planning volunteer programs, first conduct a needs assessment

of the local communities to be served and then decide whether or not

your program can help meet some of those needs. Organize a half-day

retreat centered around the question “If we had more time or

expertise, we would . . .” This exercise can help you create a more

abundant selection of volunteer opportunities that address the

important organizational needs your staff cannot currently address.

This will help you realize the potential of professionals and help staff

view volunteers as a resource and not competition.

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Starting a Volunteer Program

Questions to ask before conducting a needs assessment

1. What is your organizational vision and mission?

2. What are you trying to accomplish in your community? What

is the program’s purpose?

3. How do volunteers fit into the program’s mission, strategies

and goals?

4. How could volunteers best meet the program’s needs to serve

more people and make a greater difference in the community?

5. How can volunteers help meet program goals?

The Purpose Statement: A written statement that explains the

object for which anything exists or is done or is made

Example: The purpose of the Grand View Food Bank Volunteer

Programs is to coordinate the distribution of donated food to

those in need in the community through the efforts of volunteers.

Whom to Ask

Incorporating a volunteer

program into an organization can

impose many changes in the jobs

and working relationships of paid

staff. A joint planning process

involving organization leaders,

staff, board members, care

recipients and current volunteers

is vital to understanding each

party’s needs and perspective.

The parties work to overcome

differences and reach agreement

on how the volunteer program

can be most effectively designed,

organized and managed to

pursue its mission and goals

Who has a stake in

strengthening or starting your

volunteer program?

 Staff

 Current volunteers

 Clients and program

participants

 Community organizations

 Advisory groups

 Potential volunteers

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Starting a Volunteer Program

How can I determine our

volunteers’ needs?

 Interviews

 Tests

 Surveys

 Focus groups

Content analysis: Framework

for analyzing existing

information

SWOT analysis: Framework for

analyzing strengths,

weaknesses, opportunities, and

threats

program. It is important to engage staff by discussing the needs of

How to Gather Information

There are several methods for conducting a needs assessment—

interviews, telephone surveys, mail surveys, focus groups, e-mail and

web surveys. The chart in Appendix A weighs the pros and cons of the

different methods.

Volunteer programs should select

a method for conducting a needs

assessment based on internal

resources, staff time and

community resources available.

In an organization that has paid

staff, a volunteer coordinator

should begin the process of

creating volunteer jobs with the

help of other staff members.

Volunteers are best utilized with

staff support, so the volunteer

coordinator should consult with

staff when developing a volunteer

the program as and where they are having problems reaching their

goals.

Questionnaire to assess staff attitudes

Experience level of paid staff working with volunteers

 Have they supervised volunteers before?

 Have they worked in agencies that involved volunteers?

 Do they volunteer at other agencies?

Comfort level of staff working with volunteers

 Are there positions that staff feel volunteers should not be

doing?

 Are there program elements, such as additional staff training,

that should be instituted before volunteers are placed?

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Starting a Volunteer Program

Anxiety level that staff feel toward working with volunteers

 Are there risk management issues?

 Are there worries about loss of staff jobs?

Volunteer Advisory Committee

Another model and an excellent use of volunteers is a volunteer

advisory committee organized specifically to benefit the volunteer

program. It supports the volunteer program and provides advice.

Recommendation: The position description for advisory board

members should clarify that policies about the volunteer program are

subject to approval by the Board of Directors. Advisory committee

members should understand that their role is not to give orders, but to

advise and assist.

What do I do when I have compiled the results?

 Make a list of the benefits that can be created for the

organization, its mission and the people it serves by involving

volunteers in specific ways.

 Share the results with those who can help build or rebuild

the volunteer program.

 Use the information to guide your unit in the planning process

to improve or create a volunteer program.

 Draft project descriptions with clearly stated goals and

objectives and engage volunteers in designing the

implementation strategy.

 Design project-based volunteer opportunities that reflect the

long-term volunteer involvement your organization desires.

 Consider what short-term, high-impact projects you can create

that will make use of the skills volunteers can provide.

 Explore volunteer position sharing and team volunteering

options when developing projects.

 Think creatively about projects that could be done by groups

of volunteers at various times throughout the year.

 Design and frame volunteer projects as if you were engaging

consultants or project managers. Let volunteers play an active

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Starting a Volunteer Program

role in setting project goals, procedures and timelines to

increase their commitment.

 Provide opportunities for advancement. Reward increased

commitment and accomplishments with increased recognition

and responsibility.

 Ask volunteers what skills they wish to develop or competencies

they need to demonstrate.

 Develop a volunteer track for volunteers specifically looking

for continued and increased involvement.

Mission and Vision

Effective volunteer program planning begins with the mission of the

program. As a volunteer coordinator, you hold an important key to

turning the mission into action. It is your job to develop and fill

volunteer positions provide the services and care highlighted in the

mission. Volunteer programs, therefore, facilitate the kinds of

volunteer participation that will allow an organization to accomplish

its mission. Even for established programs, revisiting the mission

statement can be helpful when considering an expansion of services or

when changes occur in the population or geographic area served by

the program.

Example of a Mission Statement

The Mission of the Grand View Food Bank is to provide surplus,

gleaned, donated and purchased food to the poor.

Mission statements can talk about meeting a need, solving a problem,

or defining an organization’s purpose. An organization’s mission

statement is usually no more than a brief paragraph that pinpoints the

specific reason(s) for being.

Often an organization will also have a stated “vision” that expands on

the mission with a description of a desired future. The vision is a

mental image or view of broad elements that an organization or

program wishes to accomplish, based on its mission. The vision

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Starting a Volunteer Program

clarifies the future the program is trying to create. It has been found

that a program’s volunteers are most effective when there is a broadly

understood and widely articulated vision of the role of volunteers

in fulfilling the program’s mission. When considering a direction for

your volunteer program that is based on your organization’s mission

and vision, revisit the questions on page 2 of this document.

Use the answers to these questions to help you outline a strategy for

using volunteers. Consult with volunteers, staff and others—such as

coalition members and board or advisory committee members—who

know and understand the organization. Together you can devise a

mission-based strategy for working with volunteers.

Example of a Vision Statement

The Grand View Food Bank was organized to address the issue

of poor nutrition and hunger among those living in poverty in

the town of Grand View. The organization mobilizes volunteers

and staff to acquire surplus food-stuffs that can be given to

the hungry. It also works to educate anyone interested in

the rudiments of healthy eating.

Volunteer Program Tracking Systems

Most volunteer programs have a large computer database with

addresses, hours served, awards presented and other vital information.

The most direct means by which computers can streamline the

management process is with the use of a volunteer database, which

can be created from software programs such as Microsoft Access,

Microsoft Filemaker Pro, Microsoft Excel or Lotus Approach.

Steps to ensure an effective database

 Create a Records Advisory Team. This can include volunteers

who use the database or have knowledge about databases.

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Starting a Volunteer Program

 Create a written process for working with the database. Written

documents about database instructions reduce errors.

 Assign a record-keeping king or queen. While several people

might be updating records, one person should take the lead and

report to the volunteer coordinator.

 Train, train, train. Volunteers using the record-keeping database

are less likely to make mistakes if they are trained. As the

program improves, provide upgrade training for volunteers

using the database.

 Limit database access. Only trained volunteers and trained staff

members should have access. It is easy to do this by using the

security parts of the program in the database. The record-

keeping king or queen should be in charge of access.

 Clean up. Many volunteers serve in more than one capacity,

making it likely for them to appear more than once in the

database. There should be a regular system for eliminating

duplicates in the records and checking the accuracy of the

information you have.

 Stay on top of Input. Keep the database viable by timely input

of data. This job is ideal for teens or college students in

computer classes—under the supervision of the record-keeping

king or queen. A good database is only useful when updated

regularly.

 Produce a maintenance schedule. Most databases systems have

ways to identify problems. Establish a check-up system.

 Think disaster. Organize a disaster plan. Back up records once

per month in an off-site location, e.g., ask your software vendor

for suggestions and/or involve technologically savvy volunteers

in this planning.

Originally published by the Points of Light Foundation in 2004

Revised by HandsOn Network in 2010