Holding on to volunteers in rural Wales
Age Concern Sir Gar, Carmarthenshire has five part-time staff,
140 volunteers and an annual income £79,300. They provide
a range of services involving volunteers including a befriending
scheme and a home handyperson scheme. Recruiting and retaining
volunteers in a rural area, one of largest counties in Wales,
can take more than the usual posters and leaflets.
| 'Whatever
we do as an organisation we include volunteers. We are
very aware that they are the cornerstone of what we
do.' |
Sue Sharp, chief officer, explains: 'Whatever we do as an
organisation we include volunteers. We are very aware that
they are the cornerstone of what we do. To keep volunteers
involved we have a bi-monthly newsletter and have also introduced
a recognition and reward scheme to show our volunteers that
we value them. We organise events for volunteers such as tea
parties, mayor's parties and day-trips. It's important that
volunteers get tangible recognition for their contribution.
Last year we gave them certificates. As well as a general
volunteer handbook we produce different volunteer handbooks
for each of our different schemes.'
| 'It's
really important
to remember
that all volunteers
are different.' |
Berian Tillman, volunteer co-ordinator for the befriending
scheme, describes the recruitment process: 'After a prospective
volunteer has filled in the application form and we have taken
up their two references, I conduct the interview and, if the
candidate is successful, the induction takes place at their
home. I leave them with a copy of the handbook. We ask people
to make a minimum contribution of two hours per week but also
explain that it is their right to decide how much time they
can give. It's also really important to explain to volunteers
what we expect from them. Because they are representing Age
Concern they must abide by our standards.
| 'The
secret to retaining volunteers is meeting their individual
needs.' |
It's really important to remember that all volunteers
are different. For example, some volunteers want the formality
and structure of attending training and events whilst others
prefer to concentrate solely on their befriending activities.
The secret to retaining volunteers is meeting their individual
needs.
| 'When
matching
up volunteers
with clients in their
area, I always try
to ensure that the
volunteer and
client have
interests in common.' |
When matching up volunteers with clients in their area, I
always try to ensure that the volunteer and client have interests
in common. To protect the volunteers' right to privacy
we do not give their contact details to our clients. It's
important to keep the boundaries clear.'
|
