Ieatur|ng the exper|ences of

organ|sanons and |nd|v|dua|s |n Sr| Lanka

A gu|de to work|ng
w|th vo|unteers
Ieatur|ng the exper|ences
of organ|sanons and
|nd|v|dua|s |n Sr| Lanka
A gu|de to
work|ng w|th
vo|unteers
1hls Culde ls parL of volunLary Servlce Cverseas (vSC) Srl Lanka's
Acuve Cluzenshlp programme and ls funded by vSC.
WlLhln Srl Lanka on|y you are free Lo:
Share - Lo copy, dlsLrlbuLe and LransmlL Lhe work
8emlx - Lo adapL Lhe work
under Lhe followlng condluons:
Aurlbuuon - ?ou musL aurlbuLe Lhe work ln Lhe manner specled by
Lhe auLhor or llcensor (buL noL ln any way LhaL suggesLs LhaL Lhey endorse
you or your use of Lhe work)
non-commerclal - ?ou may noL use Lhls work for commerclal purposes
Share allke - lf you alLer, Lransform, or bulld upon Lhls work, you
may dlsLrlbuLe Lhe resulung work only under Lhe same or slmllar
llcense Lo Lhls one
WlLh Lhe undersLandlng LhaL ln no way are any of Lhe followlng rlghLs
aecLed by Lhe llcense:
?our falr deallng or falr use rlghLs, or oLher appllcable copyrlghL excepuons
and llmlLauons
1he auLhor's moral rlghLs
8lghLs oLher persons may have elLher ln Lhe work lLself or ln how Lhe work ls
used, such as publlclLy or prlvacy rlghLs
nouce - lor any reuse or dlsLrlbuuon, you musL make clear Lo oLhers Lhe
llcense Lerms of Lhls work
1he conLenLs of Lhls documenL may noL be copled, dlsLrlbuLed or Lransmlued
ouLslde Srl Lanka.
vSC ls an lnLernauonal developmenL charlLy LhaL works Lhrough
volunLeers Lo ghL poverLy and dlsadvanLage.
www.vso.org.uk
LayouL & deslgn: kaLherlne Clbney - accuraLeyak[gmall.com
rlnL: deslgnneL[slLneL.lk
lronL and back cover phoLos: eace & CommunlLy Acuon
Contents
AcknowledgmenLs age 6
Clossary of Lerms & acronyms age 8
lnLroducuon age 9
AbouL Lhe Culde age 10
Secuon 1: volunLeerlng baslcs age 11
Secuon 2: ls your organlsauon ready Lo
engage volunLeers? age 17
Secuon 3: Pow do you work wlLh your volunLeers? age 23
Crganlsauon focus: Lngaglng volunLeers ln
dlerenL secLors age 41
1ools age 47
noLes age 63
6
Acknow|edgments
1he publlcauon of Lhls Culde has been
made posslble Lhanks Lo fundlng from
volunLary Servlce Cverseas (vSC) Srl
Lanka, and Lhe generous agreemenL of
vSC 8ahaglnan for Lhe conLenL of Lhelr 'A
rlmer on Lhe worklng wlLh volunLeers for
developmenL' Lo be used as a basls for Lhe
documenL. 1he supporL of ur MargareL
kuruppu and vSC volunLeer kaLherlne
Clbney ls much appreclaLed ln Lhe edlung
and layouL process. 1he Culde draws on
Lhe experlences of vSC and many oLher
lndlvlduals and organlsauons ln Srl Lanka
wlLh a volunLeerlng background. 1he
followlng people have played a key role
ln shaplng Lhe conLenL of Lhls Culde and
ensurlng LhaL lL ls rmly rooLed ln Lhe Srl
Lankan experlence, and approprlaLely,
volunLeered Lhelr ume and lnpuLs Lo Lhls
process.
Ananda Ga|appam - As a young
psychology graduaLe ln 1996, Ananda
began hls career ln menLal healLh and
psychosoclal supporL wlLh an elghL-
monLh sunL volunLeerlng wlLh servlces for
survlvors of LorLure. Pe has slnce Laken
on regular shorL-Lerm and long-Lerm
volunLary roles, lncludlng an 18-monLh
full-ume posL as advlsor and co-ordlnaLor
of dlsLrlcL psychosoclal servlces aer Lhe
2004 Lsunaml. Convlnced of Lhe value of
volunLeer conLrlbuuons and of Lhe personal
rewards for volunLeers, Ananda currenLly
co-ordlnaLes a neLwork of professlonals
who provlde volunLary Lralnlng, supervlslon
and Lechnlcal advlce ln menLal healLh and
psychosoclal care across Srl Lanka.
Anusha 1hangakone - A volunLeer
slnce her unlverslLy days, Anusha has
worked aL vSC Srl Lanka slnce 2004.
As a sLudenL she rsL volunLeered wlLh
vlsually lmpalred people, and laLer wlLh
LSCAL, an organlsauon LhaL supporLs
sexually abused and explolLed chlldren.
As programme manager for vSC's Acuve
Cluzenshlp programme, Anusha has
supporLed Lhe developmenL of local
volunLeerlng sLrucLures and conLrlbuLed Lo
Lhe sLrengLhenlng of quallLy volunLeerlng
programmes. She also volunLeers wlLh
young people ln her local church where
she helps Lhem Lo reallse Lhelr poLenual Lo
make a dlerence Lo Srl Lanka.
Arav|nth Na||athamby - lL was aer
auendlng a workshop organlsed by
WeeramanLry lnLernauonal CenLre for
eace Lducauon and 8esearch ln 2009, LhaL
AravlnLh's commlLmenL Lo volunLeerlng
began. A number of volunLeer asslgnmenLs
for communlues have glven hlm experlence
and self-condence ln boLh hls personal
and professlonal llfe. 1hls sausfacuon -
and Lhe encouragemenL of some greaL
lndlvlduals - means LhaL he conunues Lo
reLurn Lo volunLeerlng.
Iadh|| 8akeer Markar - A volunLeer slnce
hls school days, ladhll ls a Co-lounder of
ConnecL Lanka, a movemenL worklng Lo
provlde people wlLh opporLunlues. Pe has
volunLeered ln many dlerenL capaclues
boLh ln Srl Lanka and overseas. ladhll has
also served as a nauonal unlLed nauons
volunLeer.
Ie||c|an 1haya|ara[ Iranc|s - A psychosoclal
pracuuoner and an assoclaLe of 1he
Cood racuce Croup, lellclan has been a
volunLeer wlLh Lhe ?oung Men's Chrlsuan
Assoclauon (?MCA) movemenL for more
Lhan 10 years.
Nadara[ah Suk|rthara[ - CurrenLly auached
Lo !ana Soclal Acuon CenLre (!SAC) as
co-ordlnaLor, SuklrLhara[ has been lnvolved
ln volunLeer work slnce hls school days.
Pe has been parL of varlous soclal servlce
clubs, and has also made lndlvldual
volunLary conLrlbuuons. Pe ls proud Lo
7
have served as a volunLeer for vulnerable
people, and currenLly promoLes nauonal
volunLeerlsm ln Lhe communlLy Lhrough
!SAC.
Nata| Donna|o|a - Aer 20 years of
volunLeerlng on an lndlvldual basls, as
well as parL of pollucal, sLudenL, and
aLhleucs groups, naLal has a huge range of
experlence. Pe has worked wlLh chlldren
and young adulLs on human rlghLs lssues
and has also helped Lo organlse and run
school camps. Slnce 2011 he has been
Lhe unlLed nauons volunLeers (unv)
rogramme Cmcer for Srl Lanka.
A. C. M. kuma|z - uurlng a slx-monLh
volunLeerlng sunL ln 1993, 8umalz collecLed
daLa and sLausucs on famllles for Lhe 8ul
organlsauon ln Mannar lsland. Slnce Lhen
he has been worklng wlLh women and
chlldren faclng soclal problems, and wlLh
dlsabled chlldren and adulLs on human
rlghLs lssues and capaclLy bulldlng. Pe ls
founder and chlef execuuve of Chlld vlslon
Srl Lanka, and has been lnvolved ln lLs work
ln varlous capaclues slnce 1996.
kuvanth| S|vapragasam - arL of Lhe vSC
Srl Lanka Leam ln a range of roles slnce
1994, 8uvanLhl prevlously worked aL Lhe
Alcohol and urug lnformauon CenLre Srl
Lanka, supporung lLs volunLeers. She began
volunLeerlng aer leavlng school wlLh Lhe
uS Save Lhe Chlldren's Colombo ouLreach
programme. She also paruclpaLed acuvely
ln socleues and campalgns aL Lhe unlverslLy
of eradenlya. 8uvanLhl ls currenLly on Lhe
8oard of eace and CommunlLy Acuon and
advlsor Lo PambanLoLa ulsLrlcL Chamber of
Commerce ln a volunLary capaclLy.
Shee|a Daskara - WlLh a range of posLs
aL dlerenL organlsauons, Sheela has
volunLeered boLh ln Srl Lanka and overseas.
8eLween 2009 and 2010 she was a
nauonal volunLeer for Lhe unv Srl Lanka
programme. She moved on Lo lnLernauonal
volunLeerlng, spendlng Lwo years wlLh
vSC ln apua new Culnea. She currenLly
volunLeers wlLh vSC Srl Lanka worklng Lo
lmprove nauonal volunLeer managemenL.

1. 1hayaparan - As nauonal Co-ordlnaLor
of CA, for 1hayaparan volunLeerlng plays
a ma[or role ln boLh hls professlonal and
personal llfe. Pe ls experlenced boLh as a
volunLeer, and ln worklng wlLh nauonal and
lnLernauonal volunLeers, lncludlng vSC's
Clobal xchange and Acuve Cluzenshlp
programmes. Pe has worked wlLh a range
of nauonal and lnLernauonal organlsauons
and wlLh unlverslues. Pe belleves LhaL
volunLeerlng ls a greaL opporLunlLy Lo serve
and learn.
Udan Iernando, hD - 1he SLudenL
Chrlsuan MovemenL provlded udan wlLh
hls rsL experlences of volunLeerlsm durlng
hls school days. 1hls conunued aL reglonal
and Lhen global level Lhrough Lhe World
SLudenL Chrlsuan lederauon. udan's
professlonal work from 1989 onwards
enabled hlm Lo lnLeracL closely wlLh a wlde
range of volunLary organlsauons, boLh ln Srl
Lanka and overseas. Pls docLoral research
focuses on Srl Lankan clvll socleLy and also
lncludes a varleLy of volunLary lnsuLuuons.
We are graLeful Lo Lhe followlng
organlsauons for allowlng us Lo use Lhelr
phoLos ln Lhls Culde: vSC Srl Lanka,
unlLed nauons volunLeers (unv), eace
& CommunlLy Acuon (CA), Chlld vlslon &
Assoclauon for arenLs of ulsabled chlldren
(AuC).
8
G|ossary of terms & acronyms
C8C CommunlLy 8ased Crganlsauon
C8k CommunlLy 8ased 8ehablllLauon
M&L MonlLorlng and Lvaluauon
NGC non-CovernmenL Crganlsauon
CCA Crganlsauonal CapaclLy AssessmenL - a gulde Lo measure Lhe
organlsauon's resources ln supporung programmes
NV nauonal volunLeerlng
SWC1 SLrengLhs, Weaknesses, CpporLunlues & 1hreaLs - a sLraLeglc
plannlng meLhod LhaL ldenues condluons wlLhln and Lhose
exLernal Lo Lhe organlsauon

VMS volunLeer ManagemenL SysLem - lnLegraLed processes ln
worklng wlLh volunLeers, lncludlng volunLeer AsslgnmenL
uevelopmenL, volunLeer selecuon, volunLeer supporL and
volunLeer evaluauon
VSC volunLary Servlce Cverseas
9
Introducnon
vSC Srl Lanka has worked wlLh lnLernauonal
and nauonal volunLeers for four decades.
ln anuclpauon of Lhe planned closure of
vSC Srl Lanka omce ln 2014, Lhere has been
an emphasls ln recenL years on maklng a
conLrlbuuon Lo frameworks and sysLems
LhaL wlll supporL Lhe fuLure of nauonal
volunLeerlng ln Srl Lanka. 1hls Culde ls an
ouLcome of Lhe dlalogue LhaL vSC Srl Lanka
has had wlLh lndlvlduals and organlsauons
commlued Lo Lhe promouon of volunLeerlng
ln Srl Lanka.
volunLeerlng ls essenually a people-Lo-
people acuvlLy, creaung common ground
beLween groups and lndlvlduals. 1hls soclal
caplLal ls essenual ln bulldlng a peaceful,
sLable Srl Lanka. volunLeerlng oers all
klnds of people Lhe chance Lo play a posluve
role ln shaplng Lhe fuLure. lL bullds skllls,
knowledge and experlence, lL helps Lhose
who have been dlsplaced Lo rebulld Lhelr
llves, lL helps marglnallsed groups and
lndlvlduals Lo access opporLunlues, and lL
helps educaLed professlonals Lo undersLand
Lhe llves of people Lhey volunLeer wlLh
and on behalf of. 1he currenL pollucal and
developmenL envlronmenL ln Srl Lanka
makes Lhe sLrucLurlng and formallslng of
nauonal volunLeerlng a umely approach.
lnLernauonal denluons of volunLeerlng
lnclude Lhe ldea LhaL lL ls noL mouvaLed by
money, LhaL ume ls glven by cholce, LhaL
lLs beneLs have a wlder reach Lhan famlly
and frlends, and LhaL lL ls sLrucLured
1
. ln Srl
Lanka, as ln many parLs of Lhe world, people
generally have a clear personal ldea abouL
whaL lL enLalls Lo volunLeer.
A nauonal debaLe Lo dene volunLeerlng
has yeL Lo happen aL a broader, sLraLeglc
level. Such a dlscusslon could lmpacL on
leglslauon, pollcy, recognluon and good
pracuce, for example, around paymenL and
Lerms and condluons.
Srl Lanka has a long hlsLory of volunLeerlng -
lL ls parL of our culLural, soclal, and splrlLual
llves, wlLh a range of acLs belng grouped
under Lhe word. 5btomoJooo 'oerlng one's
labour' ls a Slnhala Lerm assoclaLed wlLh
vlllage-level eorLs, where Lhe communlLy
comes LogeLher Lo bulld a road or clear
land. 1hese are generally one-o pro[ecLs.
CLher Slnhala Lerms assoclaLed wlLh more
organlsed, buL sull unpald eorLs lnclude
5omoojo weJo 'soclal work', and 5wecbcbo
5evoyo 'volunLeerlng'. 1amll Lerms lnclude
5ltomoJooom, slmllar Lo 5btomoJooo,
and 1booJotsevol, whlch means 'free' or
'unpald' servlce.
1he 2009 vSC sLraLeglc revlew ldenued
several areas of focus for developlng and
sLrengLhenlng Srl Lankan volunLeerlsm.
1hese lnclude beuer co-ordlnauon
and promouon, lmprovlng Lhe quallLy
of volunLeerlng programmes, maklng
volunLeerlng more lncluslve, and promoung
youLh volunLeerlng. Whlle Lhere ls a loL of
posluve experlence Lo bulld on, Lhere are
also weaknesses and gaps.
ln produclng Lhe Culde, vSC Srl Lanka
almed Lo creaLe Lhe rsL sLep ln supporung
organlsauons Lo sLrucLure and formallse
Lhelr sysLems for managlng volunLeers. 1he
Culde has been publlshed under a Creauve
Commons llcense. AlLhough lL ls vlLal LhaL
Lhe conLenL remaln rmly embedded ln Lhe
Srl Lankan conLexL, and LhaL conLrlbuuons
of vSC Srl Lanka and 8ahaglnan be noLed,
Lhls ls a llvlng documenL. So as Lhe nauonal
volunLeerlng envlronmenL evolves, Lhe
Culde can also develop Lo lncorporaLe up-
Lo-daLe ldeas and pracuces.
About the Gu|de
10
1hls 'Culde Lo worklng wlLh volunLeers' alms
Lo provlde organlsauons wlLh a sLep-by-
sLep gulde Lo developlng a baslc volunLeer
programme, allgned wlLh Lhelr needs, wlLhln
a Srl Lankan conLexL. lL also alms Lo provlde
suggesuons for pollcy and procedure so
LhaL organlsauons can eecuvely work wlLh
volunLeers ln Srl Lanka.
1he Culde lncludes volunLeer managemenL
sLeps and guldellnes based on Lhe
experlences of vSC, lLs sLakeholders,
and oLher organlsauons and lndlvlduals
experlenced ln worklng wlLh volunLeers.
1he necessary lnslghLs of sLakeholders
from dlerenL dlsclpllnes were shared aL
a prellmlnary workshop organlsed by vSC
Srl Lanka for preparauon of Lhe 'Culde Lo
worklng wlLh volunLeers'.
1hls prellmlnary workshop conducLed by
vSC explored experlences and lnslghLs ln
volunLeerlsm. SLakeholders from a range of
dlsclpllnes Look parL, each brlnglng a dlerenL
perspecuve. 1he workshop was Lhe sLarL of a
Lwo-sLrand process: 1o creaLe a concreLe Lool
for volunLeer managemenL ln Srl Lanka, and
Lo share lL wlLh organlsauons wlshlng Lo use
lL as a gulde Lo worklng wlLh volunLeers.
1he currenL sLaLus of volunLeerlsm ln Srl
Lanka was dlscussed aL Lhe prellmlnary
workshop. 1here ls no slngle denluon
or undersLandlng of volunLeerlng, so lL
was agreed LhaL volunLeerlsm had Lo be
dened ln a manner LhaL people use lL ln
Lhe rlghL perspecuve, keeplng ln mlnd LhaL
dlverslLy ls a parL of volunLeerlsm. varlous
lssues ln Lhe eld of volunLeerlsm were
dlscussed and Lhe need for dlerenuaung
beLween volunLeerlsm and employmenL
was hlghllghLed. Lxamples of dlerenL
Lypes of volunLeerlsm were drawn from Lhe
experlences and learnlng of Lhe workshop
paruclpanLs. Case sLudles feaLurlng dlerenL
Lypes of volunLeerlsm ln Srl Lanka have been
lncluded ln Lhe publlcauon as good pracuce
examples.
As worklng wlLh volunLeers ls a dynamlc
process and ls lnuenced by varlous facLors,
Lhls Culde does noL advlse any speclc
pollcles or procedures. 1he Culde ls lnLended
Lo provlde organlsauons LhaL currenLly
work wlLh volunLeers, or wlsh Lo do so ln
fuLure, wlLh useful ldeas. Crganlsauons are
encouraged Lo adapL any of Lhe proposed
guldellnes Lo sulL Lhelr needs and speclc
conLexL, acknowledglng Lhe orlglnal verslon
and lLs lnlual publlcauon by vSC Srl Lanka.
Who |s |t for?
Crganlsauons and volunLeer programme
managers or co-ordlnaLors and oLher sLa
lnvolved ln worklng wlLh volunLeers may
nd Lhls Culde useful. lL ls sulLable for all
organlsauons or lndlvlduals wlshlng Lo work
wlLh volunLeers or Lo enhance Lhelr volunLeer
managemenL pracuces wlLhln Lhe Srl Lankan
conLexL.
Ieatures of the Gu|de
1he Culde ls composed of general sLeps
and guldellnes for developlng a volunLeer
programme and a volunLeer ManagemenL
SysLem (vMS). lL also has a 1ools secuon
LhaL alm Lo help volunLeer managers sLarL
deslgnlng a volunLeer programme wlLh
approprlaLe volunLeer managemenL pollcles
and procedures. Lxperlences and lnslghLs
from varlous organlsauons and sLakeholders'
work wlLh volunLeers have been lncluded
Lo oer ldeas for deslgnlng a volunLeer
ManagemenL SysLem. A few case sLudles
feaLurlng worklng wlLh volunLeers are also
lncluded. 1hese provlde examples of how
Lhese organlsauons have lncorporaLed
worklng wlLh volunLeers ln Lhelr operauons.
Secnon 1
Vo|unteer|ng
bas|cs



1
o
o
|
s












C
r
g
a
n
|
s
a
n
o
n

f
o
c
u
s












S
e
c
n
o
n

3












S
e
c
n
o
n

2












S
e
c
n
o
n

1

hoto: Vo|unteer coaches have he|ped
res|dents at the na|fway nome,
Mu||er|yaway, form netba|| teams
13
What |s vo|unteer|ng?
Many denluons of volunLeerlng exlsL across
culLures, amongsL leaders, phllosophers and
developmenL pracuuoners.
Cenerally, volunLeerlng ls dened as glvlng
ume, energy and skllls for Lhe beneL of
oLhers. lL promoLes Lhe sharlng of skllls and
learnlng, a sense of soclal responslblllLy and
muLual respecL.
Character|sncs of vo|unteer|ng
lour baslc crlLerla separaLe volunLeerlng
from any oLher endeavour:
1. lL ls noL for nanclal galn. llnanclal
asslsLance may be oered Lo lndlvlduals
Lo cover Lhe cosLs of Lhelr volunLeerlng,
buL ls noL meanL as a salary or reward
2. lree wlll ls exerclsed. lL ls noL an acuvlLy
enforced upon Lhe lndlvldual, buL
raLher, a cholce
3. 8eneLs from Lhe acuvlLy wlll lmpacL
on people ln wlder socleLy, noL only Lhe
volunLeer and Lhelr famlly
4. lL usually demonsLraLes susLalned
commlLmenL
2

1ypes of vo|unteer|ng
1he soclo-economlc and pollucal
envlronmenL deLermlnes volunLeerlng
opporLunlues. 1ypes of volunLeerlng can be
as dlverse as Lhe conLexLs ln whlch Lhese
opporLunlues develop. volunLeerlng can be
classled ln many ways, such as ln Lerms
of Lhe level of organlsauon and Lhe exLenL
of lnvolvemenL ln addresslng developmenL
challenges.
Iorma| and |nforma| vo|unteer|ng
volunLeerlng ls an lnherenL parL of llfe ln
many Lradluonal socleues. lL can happen
sponLaneously, such as when lndlvlduals
volunLeer Lo asslsL people ln lmmedlaLe
need - vlcums of accldenLs and dlsasLers.
Cr lL can be much more sLrucLured.
lor lnsLance, some organlsauons have
esLabllshed sysLems and sLrucLures for
engaglng volunLeers, lncludlng promouons
and awareness ralslng, recrulLmenL,
learnlng supporL and conunulng
lnvolvemenL.
Vo|unteer |nvo|vement
A volunLeer can have many roles wlLhln
an organlsauon. 1hese can range from
performlng or paruclpaung ln speclc
acuvlues Lo coachlng oLher volunLeers.
1hey can also be engaged and conLrlbuLe
Lo Lhe sLrengLhenlng of sysLems wlLhln an
organlsauon and of pollcles for nauonal
frameworks.
Descr|pnons and examp|es of
Sr| Lanka vo|unteer|ng
- Serv|ces de||very - prov|d|ng another
pa|r of hands, or someone to do the
[ob. Aer oods ln LasLern Srl Lanka,
a group of unlverslLy sLudenLs banded
LogeLher Lo collecL food, cloLhes and
oLher supplles, whlch Lhey dlsLrlbuLed
Lo famllles aecLed by Lhe dlsasLer
- Aer Lhe lndlan Ccean Lsunaml, Lhere
were vasL healLh needs ln camps for
dlsplaced people. PosplLal docLors,
nurslng sLudenLs and members of Lhe
publlc [olned a volunLeer emergency
healLh response Leam. 1hls Leam
ran cllnlcs and collecLed daLa abouL
lnfecuous dlseases ln a dlsLrlcL of easLern
Srl Lanka for Lwo weeks unul Lhe formal
healLh servlces were re-esLabllshed.
- Ind|v|dua| Capac|ty 8u||d|ng:
Deve|op|ng sk|||s of co||eagues or
benehc|ar|es to |ncrease profess|ona|
or techn|ca| competence. A sLaLe
lnsuLuuon ln Srl Lanka moblllsed
unlverslLy sLudenLs sLudylng soclology
and law Lo lmprove Lhe knowledge
of people llvlng ln rural communlues
abouL Lhe rlghLs and legal proLecuons
LhaL Lhey are enuLled Lo.
14
Iorma| Informa|
|anned acnv|nes
Crganlsed acuvlues where
people/organlsauons planned
and asslsL Lsunaml aecLed
communlues ln Lhelr areas
provldlng food, cloLhlng and
houslng
Spontaneous acnon
Sprlnglng from Lhe reallsauon
of an lmmedlaLe need soon
aer a landsllde, vlllagers rally
round Lo clear Lhe debrls,
rescue vlcums and rush Lhem
Lo hosplLal even before Lhe
auLhorlues arrlve
ke|anonsh|p w|th other
|nsntunons
volunLeers wlLh a small
organlsauon work wlLh local
schools and zonal deparLmenL
of educauon Lo provlde
Lngllsh language Leachlng
No |nsntunona| re|anons
1hrough awareness creaLed on
CommunlLy Acuon for ulsasLer
ManagemenL, volunLeers work
lndlvldually or ln groups durlng
emergencles wlLhouL belng
auached Lo any organlsauon
Structured organ|sanons
An organlsauon works ln Lhe
area of reproducuve healLh.
lL has a formal lnsuLuuonal
sLrucLure, compleLe wlLh
managemenL sysLem, nance
and admlnlsLrauon, ln
order Lo manage volunLeers
sysLemaucally ln Lhe eld
I|u|d or no structure
A group of youLhs wanung
Lo ralse awareness of
envlronmenLal lssues plan
and share deLalls of new hlkes
along naLure Lralls, buL Lhey do
noL have formal membershlp
or nanclal and admlnlsLrauve
sysLems
Iorma||sed work
An organlsauonworklng
ln Lhe dlsablllLy secLor has
seL guldellnes and a work
plan, wlLh Lasks allocaLed
Lo speclcally recrulLed
volunLeers
I|ex|b|e work pauerns
volunLeers who are noL full
ume workers. 1hey have
exlble work schedules LhaL
Lhey ad[usL Lo L around Lhelr
[ob responslblllues and Lhelr
volunLary commlumenLs
Lxterna| |nput of sk|||s
An organlsauon worklng
wlLh Lhe pooresL of Lhe poor
communlues on llvellhood
developmenL use volunLeer
buslness developmenL
professlonals as resource
persons
Uses vo|unteers' ex|snng sk|||s
An organlsauon worklng
wlLh Lhe pooresL of Lhe poor
communlues makes Lhe mosL
of lLs exlsung volunLeers'
knowledge of buslness
developmenL
13
nave you worked w|th vo|unteers |n your
programmes or organ|sanon?
What ro|es have they p|ayed?
D|scuss|on po|nts:
- Crgan|sanona| Capac|ty 8u||d|ng:
work|ng to strengthen systems w|th|n
|nd|v|dua| organ|sanons, and fac|||tanng
processes for programme deve|opment,
organ|sanona| susta|nab|||ty, and
strateg|c |eadersh|p. 1he occupauonal
Lherapy unlL ln a leadlng hosplLal
was asslsLed by volunLeers Lo seL up
sLrucLures and bulld skllls developmenL.
volunLeers also auended Lo gaps
ldenued ln Lhe rehablllLauon, dlscharge,
relnLegrauon and follow-up processes
for women ln Lhe communlLy, ensurlng
necessary sLrucLures were ln place.
1ralnlng and menLorlng were provlded ln
con[uncuon wlLh Lhe hosplLal's educauon
deparLmenL.
- o||cy and Lega| Iramework: |mprov|ng
nanona| po||cy and |ega| frameworks
w|th|n wh|ch organ|sanons operate
and enhance the|r ab|||ty to work
together. A commluee of 12 members
formulaLed Srl Lanka's nauonal
ollcy on ulsablllLy. 1hey gave Lhelr
ume on a volunLary basls, over a
four-monLh perlod, meeung once a
week. 1he volunLary commluee used
boLh consulLauve and paruclpaLory
approaches lnvolvlng meeungs
and dlscusslons wlLh very many
governmenL, non-governmenL and
corporaLe secLor sLakeholders. Slmllarly,
followlng approval of Lhe pollcy, a
commluee of ve people appolnLed
by Lhe relevanL mlnlsLry revlewed on
a volunLary basls Lhe exlsung dlsablllLy
leglslauon and draed a new ulsablllLy
8lghLs 8lll Lo glve eecL Lo Lhe nauonal
pollcy.
1hls llsL of examples ls noL exhausuve. ln
some conLexLs, a comblnauon of Lhese
Lypes exlsLs. lL ls also lmporLanL Lo noLe LhaL
Lhe landscape of volunLeerlng ls changlng
fasL and Lhe boundarles of Lradluonal
descrlpuons are now becomlng blurred
as new pauerns emerge. Some examples
lnclude employee volunLeerlng Lhrough
CorporaLe Soclal 8esponslblllLy (CS8)
3
and
volun-Lourlsm
4
.
Why do we work w|th vo|unteers?
ln Srl Lankan socleLy, muLual supporL and
communlLy responslblllLy have always been
an lnLegral parL of lLs culLure. vSC belleves
LhaL volunLeerlsm, whlch emerges from
Lhls sense of responslblllLy and shared
commlLmenL exlsung wlLhln a communlLy,
ls a powerful force LhaL can make a ma[or
conLrlbuuon Lo reduclng poverLy, promoung
developmenL and sLrengLhenlng clvll socleLy,
creaung a feellng of LogeLherness.
16
Case Stud|es
An endeavor of vo|unteers:
Ann-po||o campa|gn
ollomyellus (ollo) ls a vlral dlsease
LhaL can aecL nerves and can lead Lo
parual or full paralysls. ln 1993, ln an
eorL Lo compleLely ellmlnaLe pollo
from Lhe counLry, Lhe CovernmenL of
Srl Lanka wlLh Lwo oLher organlsauons,
declded Lo lmplemenL Lhe 'nauonal
lmmunlsauon uays' on SepLember 21-
22 and CcLober 19-20 each year. uurlng
Lhese days, abouL 313,000 chlldren
under ve were Lo recelve Lhe pollo
vacclne.
AbouL 3,000 healLh workers and
volunLeers were moblllsed Lo carry
ouL Lhls programme aL lmmunlsauon
CenLres, whlch were based ln schools and
oLher publlc places Lo ensure accesslblllLy
Lo all.
lL was Lhe dedlcaLed eorLs of volunLeers
LhaL led Lhe nauonal lmmunlsauon
uays Lo conLrlbuLe Lo hlgh coverage of
vacclnauon, desplLe severe shorLages
of healLh workers ln many areas of
Lhe counLry. 1hese volunLeers creaLed
awareness and educaLed parenLs
abouL Lhe dlsease and lLs prevenuon.
volunLeers vlslLed homes and
encouraged Lhe parenLs and guardlans
Lo Lhe nearby lmmunlsauon CenLres
and vacclnaLe Lhelr chlldren. 1hey also
malnLalned Lhe lmmunlsauon daLa
sysLem by enLerlng Lhe vacclnauons lnLo
Lhe Chlld PealLh uevelopmenL 8ecords
(CPu8).
1oday ln Srl Lanka pollo ls consldered
hlghly conLrolled and almosL 100 percenL
of lnfanLs (0 Lo 1 year) have been
vacclnaLed agalnsL pollo accordlng Lo Lhe
nauonal Puman uevelopmenL 8eporL
2012.
Commun|ty vo|unteer|sm:
Menta| hea|th |ntervennons
1he lndlan Ccean Lsunaml of uecember
2004 was an evenL LhaL saw remarkable
eorLs by volunLeers from all parLs of
Srl Lankan socleLy. ln some cases, Lhelr
responses Lo Lhe emergency provlded
opporLunlues for susLalned work Lo
supporL communlues and marglnallsed
people.
1o ralse awareness of menLal healLh
wlLhln Lsunaml-aecLed communlues,
communlLy organlsauons ln a coasLal
reglon of Srl Lanka bullL up a volunLeer
base of nearly 1,000 communlLy
volunLeers ln Lhelr areas. 1hese
volunLeers were Lralned Lo ldenufy
people wlLh menLal lllness ln Lsunaml-
aecLed communlues and refer Lhem
Lo menLal healLh professlonals for
LreaLmenL. MosL volunLeers had relauves
or frlends who had llved wlLh menLal
lllness.
volunLeers organlsed rellglous and
soclal acuvlues Lo enhance unlLy wlLhln
Lsunaml communlues. 1hey addressed
famlly separauon and helped men
manage alcohol dependency. 1hey
worked wlLh Lhe prlmary healLh sLa,
Lhe Crama nlladharl (vlllage omclal)
and Soclal Servlces omcers Lo lnLegraLe
menLally lll people socleLy. 1he work of
Lhe volunLeers was greaLly valued by
Lhe prlmary healLh care workers, sLaLe
omclals and members of Lhe aecLed
communlues.
Secnon 2
Is your organ|sanon ready
to engage vo|unteers?



1
o
o
|
s












C
r
g
a
n
|
s
a
n
o
n

f
o
c
u
s












S
e
c
n
o
n

3












S
e
c
n
o
n

2












S
e
c
n
o
n

1

hoto: oung peop|e pa|nt handmade
[ewe||ery as part of the Menta| nea|th
8uuery campa|gn 2012
19
Crgan|sanona| read|ness to
engage vo|unteers
Lngaglng volunLeers ls a naLural opuon
for developmenL organlsauons whlch are
characLerlsed by llmlLed organlsauonal
sLrucLures and nanclal resources. Such
organlsauons need Lo ensure Lhe resources
devoLed Lo a volunLeer programme are
spenL approprlaLely. Llke any programme or
servlce, a volunLeer programme has Lo be
needs based Lo ensure LhaL lL ls relevanL and
susLalnable. 1he organlsauon, Lherefore,
has Lo answer Lhe followlng quesuon
before worklng wlLh volunLeers: uoes my
organlsauon
3
need volunLeers or a volunLeer
programme?"
kev|s|nng your organ|sanon's
purpose
1o answer Lhe quesuon of wheLher an
organlsauon needs volunLeers or a volunLeer
programme, Lhe organlsauon needs Lo
revlew lLs purpose and lLs capaclLy Lo full
Lhls purpose. WhaL ls your organlsauon's
purpose? Pow are your programmes
conLrlbuung Lo lL? Can volunLeers play
a meanlngful role ln your programmes?
uo beneclarles and members of Lhe
organlsauon undersLand Lhe value and Lhe
conLrlbuuon of volunLeers?
Assess organ|sanona| capac|ty
Cnce you have conrmed LhaL a volunLeer
programme would sulL your organlsauon,
nexL assess your organlsauon's capaclLy
Lo creaLe one. 1hls can help you ldenufy
Lhe roles LhaL volunLeers can play ln
your organlsauon. 1here are a varleLy of
organlsauonal capaclLy assessmenL Lools
LhaL your organlsauon can use. A SLrengLhs,
Weaknesses, CpporLunlues, 1hreaLs (SWC1)
analysls ls one of Lhe more common Lools
Lo faclllLaLe Lhls. lf your organlsauon has
already done an assessmenL, you can revlew
Lhese resulLs and explore where volunLeers
can conLrlbuLe.
now do you conduct a SWC1
Ana|ys|s?
1he SWC1 Analysls looks aL lnLernal and
exLernal facLors aecung Lhe organlsauon's
operauons. 1hls exerclse can be done for
an enure organlsauon or for [usL a relevanL
programme or deparLmenL.
An |nterna| assessment wlll reveal an
organlsauon's sLrengLhs and weaknesses.
CuLllned below are Lhe lnLernal aspecLs
of an organlsauon's operauons and some
quesuons Lo help faclllLaLe an assessmenL:
Commun|canon Capac|ty
- Who are your organlsauon's LargeL
audlence or beneclarles?
- uoes lL have good relauonshlps wlLh
Lhem?
- WhaL ls Lhe geographlcal area for your
organlsauon's work?
- WhaL lmpacL has been achleved
Lhrough Lhe servlces lL provldes?
- Pow do you measure Lhe lmpacL of lLs
work?
- ls Lhere a sysLem for managlng
lnformauon or communlcauon wlLhln
and ouLslde Lhe organlsauon?
Manager|a| Capac|ty
- uoes your organlsauon have a
governlng body?
- Pow are declslons made?
- uo sLa members paruclpaLe ln
declslon-maklng?
- Are pollcles and sysLems ln place for
a falr and respecuul LreaLmenL and
developmenL of sLa?
- ls a monlLorlng and evaluauon (M&L)
sysLem ln place?
- ls relevanL and umely lnformauon
collecLed Lo make lnformed declslons ln
lmprovlng your organlsauon?
20
I|nanc|a| Capac|ty
- Are nanclal sysLems ln place?
- uoes your organlsauon exerclse nanclal
conLrol and accounL for lLs resources
wlLhln a framework of law and good
pracuce?
- uoes your organlsauon generaLe
resources Lo supporL lLs needs?
Network|ng Capac|ty
- ls your organlsauon a member of any
organlsauonal neLworks?
- Pas your organlsauon paruclpaLed ln
any pollcy-maklng dlalogues wlLh donors
and/or governmenL?
- uo you work wlLh oLher organlsauons -
sharlng lnformauon? uolng [olnL work?
rovldlng complemenLary servlces?
lnuenclng change?
An externa| assessment provldes an lnslghL
lnLo CpporLunlues and 1hreaLs LhaL an
organlsauon faces as eecLs of Lhe exLernal
envlronmenL. 8elow are Lhe exLernal facLors
LhaL organlsauons can conslder and some
quesuons Lo help make an assessmenL.
Soc|o-Lconom|c and Lnv|ronmenta| 1rends
- WhaL are Lhe condluons LhaL could
prevenL or faclllLaLe developmenL work?
lor example, wlll an lncrease ln cosL of
llvlng aecL Lhe avallablllLy of people Lo
do volunLeer work?
- WhaL are Lhe currenL and fuLure
developmenL lssues ln your communlLy?
o||nca| and Insntunona| Contexts
- WhaL are Lhe fundlng or budgeLary
Lrends?
- WhaL are Lhe parLnershlps LhaL supporL
your organlsauon's purpose?
- ls Lhere anyLhlng LhaL could lmpede or
prevenL your organlsauon from achlevlng
lLs purpose?
- uoes Lhe pollcy envlronmenL supporL
your developmenLal goals or noL?
- Are Lhere developmenLs you need Lo
guard agalnsL or prepare for?
- WhaL are Lhe currenL fundlng Lrends?
A Lhorough organlsauonal assessmenL wlll
provlde an evldence-base Lo deLermlne
wheLher Lhere ls a need for volunLeers
and where Lhey are needed ln an
organlsauon's operauons. 1o help ensure
LhaL your assessmenL ls ob[ecuve and
comprehenslve, you should consulL and
lnvolve your key sLakeholders, lncludlng
Lhe sLa, parLners, and beneclarles. lf
your organlsauon has already done an
assessmenL, you could revlse Lhose resulLs
ln Lhe presenL conLexL.
Case Study
Lxpand|ng the ro|e of vo|unteers
A small nCC lnLended Lo use volunLeers
ln lLs communlLy work. lL soon reallsed
LhaL aparL from Lhe usual roles, volunLeers
were engaged ln managerlal work,
pollcy developmenL, and organlsauonal
sysLems developmenL and ln Lralnlng sLa.
1hrough Lhe SWC1 analysls Lhey reallsed
LhaL volunLeers could also be used for
advocacy and fundralslng Lo supporL Lhe
organlsauon's work.
Wou|d you ||ke to assess the capac|ty of your
organ|sanon?
Comp|ete 1oo| 1 (see page 49).
racnca| po|nts:
21
Lxp|or|ng Strateg|c Cpnons
When looklng aL Lhe resulLs of Lhe lnlual
organlsauonal assessmenL, conslder how
volunLeers mlghL play ln addlng Lo your
organlsauon's sLrengLhs ln addresslng lLs
weaknesses. 1he followlng seL of quesuons
mlghL help you Lo dene LhaL role
6
.
uesnons to ask before des|gn|ng
and |mp|emennng a vo|unteer
programme
- 8evlew your organlsauon's purpose, eg,
vlslon, Mlsslon and Coals and ldenued
SLrengLhs, Weaknesses, CpporLunlues
and 1hreaLs. ln whaL areas are
volunLeers needed?
- WhaL speclc Lasks would volunLeers do?
- WhaL skllls are needed Lo carry Lhem
ouL?
- WhaL shorL-Lerm goals wlll be achleved
Lhrough a volunLeer programme?
- WhaL long-Lerm beneLs can a volunLeer
programme have Lo Lhe organlsauon,
communlLy, sLa and volunLeers?
- Who would co-ordlnaLe Lhe volunLeer
programme?
- WhaL resources are needed?
- WhaL are Lhe posslble soluuons Lo any
barrlers prevenung a programme from
belng lmplemenLed?
Draw|ng a d|agram of how
vo|unteer|sm works |n your
organ|sanon
So far, you have explored and undersLood
how volunLeerlsm or volunLeerlng relaLes Lo
your organlsauon's purpose, acuvlues and
sLraLegles. now, uslng shapes, arrows, colours
and oLher symbols ln a way LhaL makes
sense Lo you, lllusLraLe how volunLeerlng
conLrlbuLes Lo your organlsauon's work.
1he dlagram on Lhe nexL page ls [usL an
example of how you can make a vlsual record
of how volunLeers L lnLo your organlsauon.
use a sLyle LhaL makes sense Lo you and
can be undersLood by colleagues and
sLakeholders.
Is your organ|sanon th|nk|ng of semng up a
vo|unteer programme?
Cons|der the quesnons above.
D|scuss|on po|nts:
hoto: Vo|unteer Management
Systems (VMS) tra|n|ng
22
ln Lhe 1980s, a people's movemenL
formed Lo monlLor elecuons Lo ensure
LhaL Lhey were boLh free and falr. More
Lhan 20,000 volunLeers moblllsed
by varlous clvll socleLy organlsauons
LhroughouL Lhe counLry engaged ln Lhe
elecuon monlLorlng process.
1he movemenL comprlses of a nauon-
wlde neLwork of over 300 organlsauons
and a uld pool of volunLeers almed aL
promoung democrauc pollucal values ln
Srl Lanka.
ln parallel Lo lLs monlLorlng work, Lhe
movemenL lmplemenLs programmes.
lL does Lhls ln collaborauon wlLh clvlc
organlsauons ln every dlsLrlcL and Lhrough
Lhe formauon of cluzens' commluees LhaL
creaLe pollucal awareness.
L|ecnon Mon|tor|ng
20,000
vo|unteers
Lnsure free &
fa|r e|ecnons
romote democranc
po||nca| va|ues
Imp|emennng
programmes
L|ecnon
mon|tor|ng
Iormanon of
c|nzens' comm|uee
Create po||nca|
awareness
L|ecnon
mon|tor|ng
movement
300 c|v|| soc|ety
organ|sanons
|n network

u
r
p
o
s
e
]
a
|
m
s


o
f

m
o
v
e
m
e
n
t
kecru|t vo|unteers
around country
Ioca| po|nt for
acnv|nes of...
k
o
|
e

o
f

t
h
e

v
o
|
u
n
t
e
e
r
s
9
Secnon 3
now do you work
w|th your vo|unteers?



1
o
o
|
s












C
r
g
a
n
|
s
a
n
o
n

f
o
c
u
s












S
e
c
n
o
n

3












S
e
c
n
o
n

2












S
e
c
n
o
n

1

hoto: Contextua||sanon workshop dur|ng
the p|ann|ng process for the Gu|de
23
Work|ng w|th vo|unteers
Work|ng w|th vo|unteers
SLudylng Lhe varlous examples provlded
and Lhrough Lhe SWC1 analysls, you have
seen how volunLeerlng conLrlbuLes Lo
your organlsauon's purpose. now you can
esLabllsh pollcles and procedures for how
besL Lo work wlLh volunLeers.
L|ements of Vo|unteer Management
?our organlsauon's volunLeer ManagemenL
SysLem (vMS) may be composed of a number
of elemenLs. 1hese elemenLs can help ensure
eecuve engagemenL of volunLeers. 1he
followlng elemenLs have been ldenued
based on Lhe experlence of vSC and oLhers
wlLh volunLeerlng experlence and lnslghLs.
Vo|unteer Ass|gnment Deve|opment ls Lhe
paruclpaLory process of ldenufylng volunLeer
roles ln your organlsauon and how volunLeers
can conLrlbuLe Lo Lhe organlsauon. lL lncludes
dralng documenLs ouLllnlng Lhe volunLeer's
[ob descrlpuon, quallcauons, Lasks and
reporung procedures.
Vo|unteer Se|ecnon means ndlng Lhe rlghL
volunLeers. 1hls lncludes assessmenL Lo
declde wheLher appllcanLs are rlghL for your
organlsauon, and recrulLmenL.
Vo|unteer Support refers Lo boLh nanclal
and non-nanclal provlslons for volunLeers Lo
help ensure LhaL Lhey wlll be eecuve ln Lhelr
roles. lL means conslderlng whaL supporL
Lhey need Lo compleLe Lhe Lasks underLaken.
Vo|unteer Ass|gnment Lva|uanon ls Lhe
process of revlewlng Lhe volunLeer's
performance ln Lhe llghL of agreed Lasks and
deLermlnlng wheLher Lhere ls a L beLween
Lhe lnLeresL and skllls of Lhe volunLeer
and Lhelr asslgned role. 1hese pollcles
and procedures wlll form Lhe Vo|unteer
Management System (VMS) for your
organlsauon, whlch wlll cover Lhe dlerenL
sLages of Lhe volunLeer's asslgnmenL.
1he asslgnmenL of a volunLeer wlLh your
organlsauon sLarLs from Lhe rsL polnL of
conLacL, whlch ls when Lhey conLacL you Lo
express lnLeresL ln volunLeerlng, unul Lhe
compleuon of Lhe asslgned Lasks. Lach sLage
of Lhls process lnvolves Lhe co-ordlnauon
of varlous sLakeholders, and lncludes Lhe
person responslble for managlng volunLeers
ln your organlsauon, Lhe volunLeer, and
your beneclarles or parLner communlues
wlLh whlch Lhe volunLeer wlll be engaged
ln eldwork. 1he success of volunLeerlng
depends on Lhe balance beLween Lhe needs
and capaclues of Lhese varlous sLakeholders.
1hls balance can be encouraged and
malnLalned when an organlsauon's pollcy ls
deslgned Lo make gemng Lhlngs done easy.
lf your volunLeer co-ordlnaLor has oLher
responslblllues, lL ls essenual LhaL Lhey are
able Lo asslgn Lhe ume for all Lhelr duues and
LhaL Lhelr work be recognlsed.
Many organlsauons work wlLh volunLeers
on varylng levels. Powever, noL all have
wrluen pollcles Lo manage Lhelr engagemenL.
Cenerally, lnvolvlng volunLeers ls based on
pracuce or Lradluons ln socleLy. lL ls, however,
besL for an organlsauon Lo have relevanL
pollcles wrluen Lo ensure susLalnablllLy,
conslsLency, and Lransparency.
1he benehts of hav|ng c|ear|y
dehned po||c|es and procedures are:
- Clear roles & expecLauons for volunLeers
- uened responslblllues for volunLeers,
sLa and managemenL
- LsLabllshed sLandards for worklng
among sLakeholders
- 8lsk managemenL
- ConunulLy wlLh new sLa or volunLeers.
1he Vo|unteer Manager]
Co-ord|nator ko|e
1he funcuon of Lhe volunLeer manager
or co-ordlnaLor should be lodged ln Lhe
[ob descrlpuon of a speclc posL wlLhln
26
Lhe organlsauon and Lhls ls cruclal Lo Lhe
success of Lhe volunLeer programme. lL ls
ldeal Lo have Lhls as a full-ume posL, buL Lhls
may noL be necessary especlally for small
organlsauons. WhaL ls lmporLanL ls Lo bulld
capaclLy wlLhln Lhe organlsauon Lo eecuvely
manage Lhe programme.
1he vo|unteer manager's]co-ord|nator's
ma[or ro|es |nc|ude |ead|ng:
- ueslgnlng & plannlng volunLeer
programme
- Crganlsauon of relaLed acuvlues
- 8ecrulung, selecung & placlng volunLeers
- Supervlslon of volunLeers
- laclllLaung co-operauve relauonshlp
wlLh volunLeer and oLher sLa
- Supervlslon, lncludlng monlLorlng
progress.
1he volunLeer manager/co-ordlnaLor wlll Lake
Lhe lead buL noL necessarlly perform all Lhe
funcuons. 1asks can be shared wlLh oLher
sLa, especlally Lhose who wlll be worklng
closely wlLh Lhe volunLeers.
Some common cha||enges re|ated to
work|ng w|th vo|unteers |nc|ude:
- Vo|unteer expectanons. A common
expecLauon of volunLeerlsm ls LhaL lL
wlll lead Lo employmenL. 1hls can resulL
ln dlmculues aL end of pro[ecLs, unless
expecLauons are managed from Lhe
ouLseL.
- kemuneranon. WlLh volunLeers
from soclo-economlcally deprlved
backgrounds, Lhe pracuce of paylng
allowances or supends may mean LhaL
volunLeer roles become a form of low-
pald and lnsecure employmenL. 1hls may
lead Lo boLh volunLeer and organlsauon
belng explolLauve, as well as creaung
unhelpful expecLauons or dependencles
among volunLeers. lor example, ln Lhe
posL-Lsunaml conLexL ln Srl Lanka, Lhere
was much confuslon abouL wheLher
volunLeer asslgnmenLs were ln facL parL
employmenL, due Lo paruclpanLs belng
pald an allowance over and above Lhelr
subslsLence.
- Neganve ercepnons. Soclal percepuons
of volunLeerlsm as a 'hobby' or as
belng 'opuonal' undermlne Lhe depLh
of volunLeer commlLmenL and soclal
supporL requlred for volunLeerlsm.
volunLeerlsm ls seen as a poor subsuLuLe
for work LhaL ls remuneraLed.
- Se|ecnon]Dehn|ng needs. lf Lhe
number of volunLeers selecLed does noL
maLch Lhe workload and Lhe Lasks Lo
be performed wlLhln Lhe organlsauon,
Lhls may lead Lo dlssausfacuon and
resenLmenL on Lhe parL of volunLeers
as well as Lhe sLa. 1he organlsauon
should have dened needs for recrulung
volunLeers. Cn Lhe oLher hand,
oversupply of volunLeers can lead Lo
Lasks belng creaLed Lo accommodaLe
Lhem, sLreLchlng of resources such as
worklng faclllues, omce space and funds.
- Vo|unteer support]Mon|tor|ng.
Someumes volunLeers may need exLra
guldance and sLa wlLh oLher [obs wlll
nd lL dlmculL Lo provlde Lhls supporL.
- lf volunLeers become unwllllng Lo carry
ouL Lhelr work, lL ls dlmculL Lo hold Lhem
Lo prlor agreemenLs.
Vo|unteer Management System
(VMS) Assessment 1oo|
8efore you sLarL developlng your vMS,
deLermlne whaL volunLeer managemenL
pollcles and procedures you may already
have, and assess how developed and
eecuve Lhey are. 1hls can help your
organlsauon plan whaL needs Lo be done.
1hls wlll also serve as Lhe basellne by whlch
you can compare how you have progressed ln
esLabllshlng your vMS over ume.
1he vMS AssessmenL 1ool helps organlsauons
Lo carry ouL a quanuLauve and quallLauve
assessmenL of Lhelr volunLeer managemenL
pracuces.
27
What |s ass|gnment deve|opment?
ueveloplng a volunLeer asslgnmenL ls Lhe
process of esLabllshlng how a volunLeer can
conLrlbuLe Lo Lhe organlsauon's sLraLeglc
dlrecuons. lL deLermlnes Lhe volunLeer's role
ln Lhe organlsauon and Lhe quallcauons
LhaL wlll help ensure LhaL Lhe volunLeer wlll
geL Lhe [ob done well. ldeally, lL lnvolves Lhe
paruclpauon of lnLernal and exLernal parues
LhaL wlll be worklng wlLh Lhe volunLeers.
1he Ass|gnment Deve|opment process
leads Lo Lhe dralng of an Ass|gnment
Descr|pnon, whlch ls a summary of relevanL
lnformauon abouL a parucular volunLeerlng
opporLunlLy. A clearly sLaLed AsslgnmenL
uescrlpuon helps Lhe volunLeers Lo self-
selecL" or assess Lhemselves on wheLher
Lhls ls Lhe rlghL volunLeerlng opporLunlLy for
Lhem.
What do you cons|der when
deve|op|ng vo|unteer ass|gnments?
- aruclpauon and readlness of
sLakeholders Lo work wlLh volunLeers
- AllgnmenL of Lhe volunLeerlng need Lo
Lhe purpose of Lhe organlsauon
- lf Lhe organlsauonal conLexL, Lerms of
reference, eLc have been documenLed
wlLh respecL Lo Lhe work envlronmenL
- WrlLe Lhe asslgnmenL descrlpuon: why
does Lhe organlsauon wanL Lo work
wlLh or Lhrough volunLeers?
- !ob descrlpuon - uLle, ob[ecuves, roles,
responslblllues, essenual and deslrable
skllls, knowledge or experlence, conLacL
persons, appllcauon process, beneLs
- Pow many volunLeers for a parucular
asslgnmenL do you need and for how
long?
now to wr|te vo|unteer ass|gnment
descr|pnons
Cn Lhe nexL pages ls an ouLllne of Lhe
conLenLs of an asslgnmenL descrlpuon and
some quesuons Lo help you compleLe a
good one.
Deve|op|ng a Vo|unteer Ass|gnment
Wou|d you ||ke to assess your vo|unteer
management pracnces?
kead more about the VMS assessment too| and
comp|ete 1oo| 2 (see page S2).
racnca| po|nt:
hoto: Vo|unteer Management
Systems (VMS) tra|n|ng
28
NAML CI
CkGANISA1ICN
CUk CkGANISA1ICN NAML nLkL
1he uLle ls Lhe volunLeer's ldenucauon/deslgnauon, based
on whaL Lhe volunLeer wlll be dolng.
Cb[ecuves refer Lo WhaL does your organlsauon do?"
1ake Lhe perspecuve of a volunLeer and use Lhe urpose
sLaLemenL of your organlsauon Lo answer Lhe quesuon
WhaL wlll Lhe volunLeer do ln Lhe organlsauon?"
Lxamples of uLles wlLh Lhe responslblllLy auached Lo Lhese
are glven below:
- CommunlLy CareLakers (5omobo potbokovolot,
kekobolooqoooo) provlde lnlual supporL Lo women or
chlldren aecLed by vlolence ln Lhelr communlues
- Soclal arLners (5omobo pooqollkol, 5omojo
bovolkotoko) are youLh who use LheaLre and culLural
acuvlues Lo ralse soclal lssues and promoLe Lradluonal
pracuces
- Legal Ald volunLeers (5ouo utbovl 1booJo ullyot)
provldlng lnformauon abouL legal rlghLs and servlces Lo
rural communlues
- CuLreach workers vlslL schools Lo provldlng
lnformauon abouL alcohol and drug addlcuon.
- volunLary CommunlLy PealLh workers (5omobo
sobotboto tbooJot, ltojo 5ookyo 5wecbcbo 5evoko)
provlde healLh lnformauon and do referrals.
1|t|e & Ma[or
Cb[ecnves
Dunes &
kespons|b|||nes
LlsL all Lhe duues and responslblllues of Lhe volunLeerlng
[ob as speclcally as posslble.
ua||hcanons &
kequ|rements
- WhaL quallcauons and requlremenLs are needed?
- lnclude necessary educauon, language skllls,
age llmlLauons, preferred skllls, credenuals, ume
requlremenLs, physlcal resources and quallues
necessary for performlng Lhe duues
- Speclc quallcauons, references, and screenlng
requlremenLs should be requlred for volunLeers
worklng wlLh vulnerable populauons (youLh, elders,
people wlLh speclal needs such as Lhose wlLh dlsablllLy,
menLal lllness). Slmllar conslderauons musL be made
wlLh volunLeers lnvolved wlLh managemenL of money,
asseLs and condenual lnformauon
- 8e careful noL Lo seL requlremenLs Loo hlgh - you could
lose poLenual volunLeers lf your demands are Loo rlgld
wlLh respecL Lo educauonal or skllls requlremenLs
29
L|nes of
Commun|canon
Who wlll show volunLeers whaL Lo do? Who wlll supervlse
her/hls acuvlues? 1he volunLeer coordlnaLor/manager wlll be
responslble for Lhls
Cr|entanon &
1ra|n|ng
1hls refers Lo hours of Lralnlng and orlenLauon avallable Lo
volunLeers, and Lhe resource persons conducung Lhese could
also be ldenued
1|me needed &
|ace of work
1hls should lnclude hours of duLy, days of Lhe week, and
where Lhe volunLeer ls expecLed Lo perform Lhe servlces
Comm|tment
requ|red
1he mlnlmum amounL of ume needed from Lhe volunLeer
should be noLed. 1hls commlLmenL ls based on your
organlsauon's lnvesLmenL ln Lralnlng and supervlslng Lhe
volunLeer
8enehts LlsL any beneLs avallable Lo Lhe volunLeer, lncludlng paymenL
of expenses. lor example: Lravel expenses, meals on duLy,
unlforms, overnlghL accommodauon where necessary, skllls
Lralnlng and servlce records
Annc|pated work
cond|nons
MaLerlal and soclal condluons Lhe volunLeer may encounLer
durlng her/hls asslgnmenL. 1hls may lnclude elemenLs LhaL
are challenglng as well as Lhose whlch are enrlchlng and
rewardlng
Contact deta||s LlsL conLacL name and address and oLher lmporLanL
lnformauon such as phone and fax numbers and e-mall
addresses
racnca| po|nt:
Wou|d you ||ke to drah your organ|sanon's po||c|es
and procedures for vo|unteer ass|gnment
deve|opment?
Comp|ete 1oo| 3 (see page 62).
NAML CI
CkGANISA1ICN
CUk CkGANISA1ICN NAML nLkL
30
now you know whaL klnd of volunLeers you
need. lL ls ume Lo Lhlnk abouL how you can
nd Lhe rlghL volunLeers. Auracung and
selecung sulLable volunLeers ls lmporLanL,
slnce as Lhey are parLners ln achlevlng Lhe
purpose of your organlsauon. Selecung
volunLeers comprlses Lwo key sLeps -
recrulLmenL and assessmenL.
8ecrulLmenL carrles wlLh lL Lhe connoLauon
of employmenL. 1herefore, anoLher
commonly used Lerm ls moblllslng, whlch
means drawlng volunLeers ln larger
numbers
7
.
Powever when looklng for one or Lwo
skllled volunLeers for speclc roles, Lhe word
recrulLmenL ls approprlaLe.
What |s recru|tment]mob|||sanon?
8ecrulLmenL ls Lhe process of encouraglng
people Lo volunLeer Lhelr ume, energy and/
or resources Lo an organlsauon or a cause.
lL lnvolves plannlng acuvlues Lo auracL Lhe
besL posslble candldaLes and uslng Lools
Lo gaLher Lhe necessary lnformauon Lo
ensure Lhe besL maLch for volunLeer and
asslgnmenL. Successful recrulLmenL ls an
organlsauonal eorL and ls dlrecLly aecLed
by publlc relauons and Lhe soclal markeung
sLraLegy of Lhe organlsauon.
I|nd|ng the r|ght vo|unteers
More and more organlsauons are beglnnlng
Lo work wlLh young volunLeers. Whlle Lhls
means young people are exposed Lo soclal
lssues, concerns have been ralsed over
wheLher Lhey are Lhe rlghL volunLeers for
Lhe needs of organlsauons. lncreaslngly,
Lhere ls a need for asslsLance ln advocacy
work and ln provldlng servlces Lo people
ln communlues wlLh speclc needs. ?oung
people may noL have such skllls and
experlence. As a resulL, Lhe organlsauon
has Lo spend more ume ln orlenung lLs
youLh volunLeers and supervlslng Lhem.
1herefore, lL ls perunenL Lo look aL some of
Lhe followlng aspecLs:
- Are youLh Lhe rlghL volunLeers for Lhe
organlsauon?
- ls Lhls Lhe rlghL volunLeerlng
opporLunlLy for Lhe young people?
- lf we need more experlenced and
skllled volunLeers, where and how do
we nd Lhem?
1here are two key steps |n recru|nng
vo|unteers eecnve|y:
- Idennfy your target aud|ence. ?our LargeL
audlence ls Lhe group or lndlvlduals you
would llke Lo recrulL as volunLeers. 1hese
could be unlverslLy sLudenLs or people wlLh
a parucular Lype of professlonal background,
eg, l1 professlonals, lawyers, soclal workers,
menLal healLh or dlsablllLy workers and
fundralsers.
- Appea| to target aud|ence. ln order Lo
Lap Lhls rlch source of LalenL and energy,
you need Lo undersLand whaL mouvaLes
cerLaln volunLeers. 1oday's volunLeers glve
Lhelr ume for a number of reasons. Lach
person wlll have hls or her own reasons for
volunLeerlng. Powever, lf you can appeal
Lo Lhe general mouves of Lhe group you
are Largeung, you are more llkely Lo be
successful. Cnce you undersLand whaL
mouvaLes Lhem, you can selecL Lhe mosL
approprlaLe Lechnlques for recrulLmenL.
Lxamp|e
A||gnment w|th core va|ues -
Sunday Schoo|s
volunLeers regardless of Lhe rellglon
concerned musL usually be adherenLs of
Lhe relevanL falLh, and Lhelr conducL ls
usually requlred Lo conform wlLh Lhe norms
and values of LhaL rellglous communlLy.
Vo|unteer se|ecnon
31
Ways of mob|||s|ng and]or recru|nng
vo|unteers |n Sr| Lanka
1he followlng are among Lhe several ways of
moblllslng and/or recrulung volunLeers.
- nouce boards are used by many,
especlally ln schools, unlverslues,
professlonal bodles and vlllage semngs
- llyers/handbllls are commonly used ln
publlc venues such as communlLy halls,
Lemples, churches, uS omce
- Word of mouLh
- ersonal conLacLs and neLworks such as
nCC forums, or consorua
- ubllc announcemenLs
- lnsplrauonal Lalks/presenLauons
- Workshops
- Schools, colleges and unlverslues
- Soclal medla and lnformauon and
CompuLer 1echnology (lC1)
- apers, daLabase, elecLronlc medla,
such as lacebook and 1wluer
- uslng celebrlues such as famous
crlckeLers
- Songs
- volunLeer falrs and exhlbluons
- SLalls aL publlc falrs and exhlbluons Lo
meeL prospecuve volunLeers, meeung
Lhose who come ln, greeung Lhem wlLh
presenLauons and publlclLy maLerlals
and lnLervlewlng and assesslng Lhem
Lhen and Lhere
- ln Lhe Srl Lankan conLexL, walk-ln
volunLeers are also common
hoto: Vo|unteer Management
Systems (VMS) tra|n|ng
32
A recrulLmenL plan serves as Lhe basls for
an organlsauon's volunLeer recrulLmenL
campalgn.
8elow ls a sample formaL LhaL you can
conslder as you are developlng your
own plan.
Drah a vo|unteer recru|tment p|an
kCGkAMML:
ILCCD kLLILI kCGkAMML
NUM8Lk CI VCLUN1LLkS
NLLDLD: 1S
(Wh|ch programme |n the organ|sanon
needs vo|unteers?)
Ass|gnment:
(Where w||| the vo|unteers work?)
Locauon: uS ulvlslons - kuhana,
SamanLhural, Akkaralpauu
Crgan|sanon: Lmergency
vo|unteer|ng organ|sanon
urpose of Ass|gnment:
(now w||| th|s ass|gnment be he|pfu| to aua|n organ|sanona| purpose?)
1argeL audlence: ?ouLh wlLh
mlnlmum C-Level quallcauons
1arget source: C8Cs from Akkara|pauu
D|v|s|on (Schoo| |eavers)
Conslderauons:
(l.e. avallablllLy, lnLeresLs, mouvauons for
volunLeerlng)
Cons|deranons:
(|.e. access|b|||ty)
kecru|tment method: I|rst come hrst served.
- W||||ngness to work w|th|n the |dennhed sector
- W||||ng to work |n other D|v|s|ons
- I||||ng forms
Idennfy|ng cha||enges:
- kecru|ts have no pr|or tra|n|ng |n he|d data co||ecnon
- otenna| for expectanons of a future [ob
- ketennon of vo|unteers |f other re||ef [obs become ava||ab|e to them
kecru|tment cr|ter|a:
- C-Leve| qua||hcanons (dehne passes requ|red)
- W||||ngness to work
33
volunLeer AssessmenL helps ensure a
good maLch beLween Lhe person and Lhe
volunLeer [ob. 1he assessmenL process
helps you see wheLher Lhe volunLeers
meeL requlremenLs ln Lerms of skllls
and experlence you have seL, and Lhe
volunLeerlng opporLunlLy sauses whaL Lhe
volunLeers are looklng for.
Cons|der the fo||ow|ng pr|nc|p|es
|n des|gn|ng your assessment
procedures:
- Ia|rness. use Lhe same sLandards
or selecuon crlLerla for all poLenual
volunLeers
- Non-d|scr|m|nat|on. Lnsure LhaL
Lhe assessmenL process does
noL dlscrlmlnaLe agalnsL culLural,
rellglous, pollLlcal and oLher bellefs
- 1ransparency. lnform volunLeers of
Lhe selecuon procedures, crlLerla, and
organlsauon's values
- Cu|ture and gender sens|nv|ty. Lnsure
LhaL Lhe process ls unblased. rovlde
an aLmosphere LhaL ls non-LhreaLenlng
and accepung
- Documentanon. uocumenL Lhe
assessmenL pollcles and procedures
Lo ensure conslsLency. noLe Lhe
assessmenL proceedlngs and key
responses from volunLeer appllcanLs
and Lhelr behavlour durlng lnLervlews
and oLher assessmenL acuvlues Lo help
ensure Lhe avallablllLy of sumclenL
lnformauon.
Assessment essenna|s
8elow are some assessmenL Lools you
can use Lo help you come up wlLh
verlable lnformauon on wheLher
volunLeer appllcanLs possess Lhe skllls and
quallcauons LhaL you requlre.
- App||canon Iorm. 1he baslc
lnformauon requesLed ln an
appllcauon form wlll lnclude name
and conLacL deLalls. lf Lhe age of Lhe
volunLeer ls golng Lo be relevanL Lo
Lhe work, you can requlre appllcanLs
Lo uck a box conrmlng LhaL Lhey
meeL Lhe age requlremenLs (eg, over
18). 1he remalnlng quesuons should
be deslgned Lo help appllcanLs assess
Lhelr own sulLablllLy and mouvauon
for applylng, and Lo provlde you wlLh
lnformauon Lo assess Lhelr sulLablllLy.
- keferences. 8eferences mlghL conLaln
hlnLs abouL a problem wlLh Lhe
appllcanL LhaL you can Lhen follow
up wlLh Lhe referee. rovlde slmple
guldellnes abouL Lhe capaclLy ln whlch
Lhe poLenual volunLeer should know
Lhelr referee. 1he sLandard pracuce
ls Lo ask for Lwo references LhaL are
noL from personal frlends or famlly
members.
- Interv|ews. An lnLervlew glves boLh
Lhe volunLeer and Lhe organlsauon an
opporLunlLy Lo assess one anoLher.
Assessment
racnca| po|nt:
Wou|d you ||ke to drah your organ|sanon's
po||c|es and procedures on Vo|unteer Se|ecnon &
Assessment?
Comp|ete 1oo|s 4 and S (see page 63).
34
- Make sure you provlde appllcanLs wlLh
sumclenL lnformauon, a chance Lo ask
quesuons, and an opporLunlLy Lo say
'no' easlly lf lL ls noL whaL Lhey are
looklng for.
- Med|ca| Checks. Any quesuons you
ask prospecuve volunLeers abouL Lhelr
healLh musL be sLrlcLly relevanL Lo Lhe
work Lhey wlll do. 1hey need Lo be L
Lo do Lhe work and musL noL presenL
undue rlsks Lo oLhers. SLaLe LhaL you do
noL need Lo ask medlcal quesuons for
mosL Lypes of work, buL ask lf Lhey have
medlcal lssues LhaL can poLenually be a
barrler Lo Lhelr volunLeerlng and lf Lhey
are wllllng Lo dlsclose such lnformauon.
- o||ce keports. lor asslgnmenLs
wlLh vulnerable groups, Lo ensure
LhaL prospecuve volunLeers have noL
prevlously been convlcLed of a relevanL
crlmlnal oence, you could ask Lhe
pollce Lo check for a crlmlnal record.
ollce checks can be requesLed by
reglsLered organlsauons. lor eLhlcal
reasons, you must ensure LhaL you have
Lhe volunLeer's prlor consenL Lo do Lhls.
hoto: VSC contextua||sanon workshop for the Gu|de
33
Vo|unteer support
1he muLual naLure of volunLeerlng ls
such LhaL, whlle volunLeers asslsL wlLh an
organlsauon's, we also need Lo conslder
whaL supporL Lhey mlghL need Lo be able
Lo compleLe and en[oy wlLh Lhe Lasks Lhey
underLake. Lecuve supporL encourages a
parLnershlp approach where volunLeers feel
Lhey are an lnLegral parL of Lhe organlsauon,
raLher Lhan slmply resources.
A good supporL sysLem reecLs clear and
esLabllshed rlghLs and responslblllues
of volunLeers. SupporL may depend on
whaL ls relevanL Lo Lhe lndlvldual and Lhe
avallablllLy of resources. Cenerally, forms
of supporL wlll be negouaLed beLween Lhe
programme managers and Lhe volunLeers.
1he focus of supporL may be relaLed Lo
boLh personal and professlonal lssues
llnked Lo Lhelr work.
r|nc|p|es of Vo|unteer Support
ln provldlng supporL for volunLeers lL ls good
Lo be gulded by speclc prlnclples, such as
Lhose llsLed below.
Access|b|||ty. SupporL should be avallable
when and where volunLeers need lL. lor
lnsLance, coachlng for volunLeers may
be provlded LhroughouL Lhe volunLeer's
asslgnmenL and could be provlded durlng
face-Lo-face meeungs or Lhrough oLher
means llke phone or emall lf Lhe volunLeer ls
based ln a dlsLanL locauon.
I|ex|b|||ty. SupporL sLraLegles should be ln
keeplng wlLh Lhe ldea LhaL volunLeers may
have speclc needs. lor example, you may
have sLandard Loplcs for your volunLeer
orlenLauon sesslons. Powever, Lhls may
be adapLed from ume-Lo-ume Lo sulL Lhelr
speclc learnlng needs. 1hese volunLeers
may also need addluonal learnlng supporL
as Lhey perform Lhelr Lasks. Powever,
ad[usLmenLs should always conslder Lhe
llmlLs of your organlsauon's pollcles and
resources.
Appropr|ateness. SupporL should sulL Lhe
work LhaL volunLeers are underLaklng.
Lg, orlenLauon for volunLeers should
provlde lnformauon relevanL Lo Lhelr
asslgnmenL such as locauon of work, roles
and responslblllues, expecLed ouLpuLs and
people wlLh whom Lhey wlll be worklng and
culLural sensluvlues.
Shared kespons|b|||ty. SupporL noL only
comes from Lhe appolnLed volunLeer
manager or co-ordlnaLor buL also from
oLher people who work wlLh Lhe volunLeer.
lor example, ln monlLorlng volunLeer
performance, feedback of oLher sLa
and even Lhose of communlLy members
where Lhe volunLeer works may be soughL
Lo ensure Lhe volunLeers conLrlbuLe Lo
achlevlng programme ob[ecuves. SafeLy,
securlLy and wellbelng of volunLeers need
Lo be ensured. 1he organlsauon should
promoLe personal growLh and developmenL
of volunLeers and volunLeers Lhemselves
should pursue opporLunlues for Lhelr own
growLh.
1ypes of vo|unteer support
volunLeer supporL ls deLermlned by Lhe
capaclLy and need of all Lhe sLakeholders.
WhaL form of supporL does your
organlsauon provlde your volunLeers? Pere
are some examples:
- Learn|ng support. CapaclLy 8ulldlng,
menLorlng, lnformauon on Lhe
organlsauon, Lralnlng and semlnars
- erformance support. Cngolng
supervlslon and feedback
- Log|snca| support. 1ransporLauon and
meal allowance, medlcal lnsurance lf
approprlaLe
- kecogn|non and apprec|anon.
CerucaLes, awards, bulldlng a
volunLeer communlLy.
36
8LICkL ASSIGNMLN1
rov|de:
- lnformauon on how,
where, whom Lo apply
lncludlng conLacL
deLalls of organlsauon
and lead person
- CrlenLauon &
lnformauon abouL Lhe
organlsauon (purpose,
programmes, supporL
servlces)
- 8eadlng maLerlals and
references (vldeos,
readlng maLerlals)
Cr|ent
- Cn Lhe rlsk of
volunLeer work ln llne
wlLh Lhe purpose of
Lhe organlsauon.
Iac|||tate
- Lxposure Lo Lhe
organlsauon,
beneclarles, oLher
sLakeholders.
LkICkMANCL SUCk1
8LICkL ASSIGNMLN1 DUkING ASSIGNMLN1 AI1Lk ASSIGNMLN1
|an:
- 1he work Lo be carrled
ouL
- Meeungs Lo be held
- 8eporLs Lo be
provlded
- arLners Lo work wlLh.
Iac|||tate:
- CapaclLy bulldlng
relevanL Lo Lhe
purpose of Lhe
organlsauon
- MenLorlng ln
relauon Lo Lhe work
asslgned Lo Lhe
volunLeer wlLhln Lhe
organlsauon
- ersonal growLh
- CulLural and Cender
sensluvlLy
- Shared responslblllLy
Inv|te:
- As resource
person, faclllLaLor,
or Lralner
rov|de:
- 8egular supervlslon
- CbLaln negauve &
posluve feedback
- Welcome
suggesuons for
lmprovemenL
- llexlblllLy - Worklng
wlLh moLhers,
sLudenLs, & oLhers
- Lvaluauon/Appralsal
and feedback
LLAkNING AND CAACI1 8UILDING SUCk1
VCLUN1LLk
SUCk1
DUkING ASSIGNMLN1
AI1Lk ASSIGNMLN1
37
LCGIS1ICAL SUCk1
Lducate on:
- Loglsucal supporL
avallable
- Crganlsauonal
pracuces
rov|de:
- Access Lo omce
and any necessary
omce supplles and
equlpmenL
- Communlcauon
channels
- lood and
LransporLauon
allowance
- volunLeer's
handbook
- ShelLer lf needed
(when securlLy ls
LhreaLened)
- Medlcal lnsurance
- safeLy - Safer
worklng envlronmenL
- Well-belng of
volunLeers -
psychologlcal
SupporL ln dlmculL
envlronmenLs
rov|de:
- uaLabase access
Lo posslble [ob
opporLunlues
- Conunuous updaung
Lhrough webslLes,
e-bulleuns and
newsleuers
- Check-up (physlcal,
psychologlcal)
Lnsure
- Appreclauon
- leedback
- 8ulldlng a volunLeer
communlLy
Lnsure
- CerucaLes, awards,
- MalnLaln conLacLs
8LICkL ASSIGNMLN1 DUkING ASSIGNMLN1 AI1Lk ASSIGNMLN1
LLAkNING AND CAACI1 8UILDING SUCk1
8LICkL ASSIGNMLN1 DUkING ASSIGNMLN1 AI1Lk ASSIGNMLN1
Wou|d you ||ke to drah your vo|unteer support
po||c|es and procedures?
Comp|ete 1oo| 6 (see page 64).
racnca| po|nt:
38
Lvaluauon ls done conunuously Lo ensure
LhaL Lhe volunLeer performs Lasks and
Lakes on responslblllues LhaL have been
agreed. lurLhermore, volunLeer AsslgnmenL
Lvaluauon ls noL only abouL assesslng Lhe
performance of a volunLeer buL also maklng
sure LhaL Lhere ls a maLch beLween Lhe
volunLeer and Lhe asslgnmenL.
uesnons and examp|es to cons|der
when des|gn|ng a vo|unteer
performance appra|sa|
- WhaL wlll be Lhe lndlcaLors/parameLers
for Lhe evaluauon of performance?
Lg, accompllshmenLs, compeLence,
professlonallsm, adapLablllLy, worklng
wlLh oLhers, lnLerpersonal relauonshlp,
commlLmenL Lo learnlng
- WhaL wlll be Lhe ways Lo verlfy
performance? - Lg, reporung, lnLervlews
from peers or parLners, referee forms
- WhaL Lools or documenLs wlll be used Lo
faclllLaLe Lhe appralsal? - Lg, scheduled
reporLs
- Who wlll be lnvolved ln Lhe evaluauon?
Lg, volunLeer manager /co-ordlnaLor,
oLher relevanL persons
- lf a volunLeer's performance should
fall below Lhe requlred sLandard,
Lhere are no seL ways of provldlng
feedback or deallng wlLh such a
volunLeer. !usL remember Lo sLaLe facLs
ln glvlng feedback ln performance
and acknowledge Lhe volunLeer's
conLrlbuuon.
Approaches to dea||ng w|th a
non-perform|ng vo|unteer
- Close supervlslon, [ob coachlng,
menLorlng, lncrease frequency of
meeungs, palrlng Lhem wlLh a more
capable peer
- Call auenuon/lssue memorandum.
- lssue verbal followed by wrluen warnlng
- Counselllng: A dlsLressed volunLeer can
be provlded wlLh access Lo professlonal
counselllng supporL, whlch should noL be
provlded Lhrough Lhe hosL organlsauon
- 8evlew selecuon process, pollcles, and
conLracL
- ldenufy cause of problem and posslble
soluuons
- ConducL lnvesugauon/due process.
- uocumenL sLeps Laken Lo resolve lssue as
well as volunLeer's response
- Crlevance mechanlsm.
Vo|unteer Ass|gnment Lva|uanon
hoto: Vo|unteer Management Systems (VMS) tra|n|ng
39
lL ls lmporLanL Lo assess Lhe performance
of a volunLeer programme as a whole
Lo nd ouL Lhe quallLy and eecuveness
of Lhe programme. 1hls ls known as Lhe
ouLcome evaluauon and lL ls a valuable Lool
ln assesslng performances of Lhe volunLeer
employlng organlsauons.
Areas to cons|der when assess|ng
programme performance
- Why ls lL lmporLanL Lo monlLor and
evaluaLe Lhe performance of Lhe
programme?
- ls Lhe volunLeer programme handled
emclenLly?
- WhaL Lasks do volunLeers perform?
- Are volunLeers saused wlLh Lhe
organlsauon?
- WhaL ls Lhe reLenuon raLe of volunLeers?
- Pow sausfacLory are Lhe relauons
beLween pald sLa and Lhe volunLeers?
- uo volunLeers have necessary auLhorlLy
Lo perform Lhelr asslgned Lasks?
- Pow lnLegraLed are Lhe volunLeer and
Lhelr co-workers?
- uoes Lhe volunLeer geL adequaLe
supervlslon, supporL and Lralnlng?
- ls Lhere good communlcauon beLween
volunLeers and Lhe organlsauon?
- Are volunLeers lnvlLed Lo relevanL
meeungs?
- Are volunLeers lncluded ln day-Lo-day
acuvlues?
- Are volunLeer conLrlbuuons recognlsed
and celebraLed?
- WhaL are Lhe lndlcaLors for evaluauon of
Lhe relauons wlLh Lhe volunLeer?
- WhaL are Lhe Lools ln evaluauon?
1he eecuveness of handllng volunLeers ls an
lmporLanL parL of a volunLeer programme. lL
can help ln lmprovlng Lhe performance of Lhe
programme.
Some of the th|ngs that can be
taken |nto cons|deranon
- Lnsurlng Lhere ls a conLracL/seL of
ground rules and expecLauons ln place Lo
monlLor agalnsL
- Clearly spelL condluons of volunLeerlng
ln conLracL documenLs
- Pave clear communlcauon/language/
llnes of responslblllLy, eLc and suggesL
ways of lmprovlng Lhese
- Ceneral code of conducL for sLa
handllng volunLeers
- Awareness of new lssues for Lhe
organlsauon LhaL are llnked Lo volunLeers
- 8egular meeungs - ldeally wlLh parLner
organlsauon and volunLeer LogeLher
- 8evlslung volunLeer role and speclc
Lasks LogeLher
- erformance appralsal for Lhe volunLeer
managers / co-ordlnaLors
- MalnLaln volunLeer reLenuon raLes
- volunLeer umbrella organlsauons Lo
monlLor Lhe organlsauonal performances
- lnLroduce volunLeer managemenL
sysLems Lo poor performlng
organlsauons.
Vo|unteer programme eva|uanon
racnca| po|nt:
Wou|d you ||ke to drah your Vo|unteer Ass|gnment
Lva|uanon po||c|es and procedures?
Comp|ete 1oo| 7 (see page 64).
40
41
Crgan|sanon focus:
Lngag|ng vo|unteers
|n d|erent sectors



1
o
o
|
s












C
r
g
a
n
|
s
a
n
o
n

f
o
c
u
s












S
e
c
n
o
n

3












S
e
c
n
o
n

2












S
e
c
n
o
n

1

hoto: Vo|unteer Management Systems (VMS) tra|n|ng
43
1he case sLudles ln Lhls chapLer are deslgned
Lo show how volunLeers can be managed ln
Lwo very dlerenL secLors and slLuauons.
1hey are speclc examples buL should
provlde a range of ldeas abouL how dlerenL
Lypes of organlsauons can arrange Lhelr
volunLeer programme ln Lhe mosL eecuve
way.
Crgan|sanona| focus
Case Study 1: Lngag|ng vo|unteers
|n Lega| Lmpowerment
Vo|unteer|ng context
A volunLeer pro[ecL saw Law and
Soclology sLudenLs each volunLeer for
300 hours wlLh Lhe reglonal cenLres of an
organlsauon provldlng legal asslsLance Lo
empower vulnerable groups. volunLeers
used Lhelr legal skllls Lo supporL and
lnform selecLed groups of dlsadvanLaged
women, mlgranL workers and Lhelr
famllles, elders and lnLernally dlsplaced
people. 1hree baLches LoLalllng 63
volunLeers Look parL from 2008 Lo 2011.
C|ar|fy|ng vo|unteer ro|es,
enhanc|ng vo|unteer se|ecnon
1he organlsauon belleved LhaL uslng Lhese
volunLeers could slgnlcanLly advance
Lhe legal empowermenL of dlsadvanLaged
communlues, whlch was conrmed by
Lhe work of Lhe lnlual baLch of volunLeers
ln 2008. 1he organlsauon followed a
scorlng sysLem for selecuon process and
Lhe candldaLes were kepL lnformed of
Lhelr appllcauon and lnLervlew sLaLus.
Suppornng vo|unteers
volunLeers were recrulLed and Lralned
Lhrough a paruclpaLory sysLemsysLem,
whlch lncluded group dlscusslons,
break-ouL acuvlues and case sLudles.
1he volunLeers lmproved Lhelr
communlcauon skllls, puncLuallLy
and ume managemenL, nance
managemenL, lnLerpersonal skllls,
pro[ecL plannlng, l1 skllls, counselllng,
eLc.
A volunLeers Pandbook was publlshed
by Lhe pro[ecL. 1he alm was Lo provlde
volunLeers wlLh Lhe knowledge and
skllls needed Lo work wlLh communlues
ln Lhe process of human rlghLs-based
legal empowerenL. lL was publlshed ln
Slnhala, 1amll and Lngllsh and dealL
wlLh volunLeerlsm and legal ald, as
well as selecLed areas of law focuslng
on common lssues encounLered by
Lhe organlsauon's legal omcers. lL also
provlded conLacL deLalls of relevanL
lnsuLuuons for use by volunLeers and
sLa.
Lega| Lmpowerment
Vo|unteer|ng
1he reglonal cenLres where volunLeers
were placed provlded Lhem wlLh
valuable exposure, as well as glvlng
Lhem Lhe opporLunlLy Lo brlng [usuce
Lo poor people. 1hey helped Lo
lncrease Lhe number of cases led by
Lhe cenLres by ralslng awareness, as
well as underLaklng consulLauons, and
dralng legal documenLs. 1hey spread
Lhelr knowledge Lhrough counselllng
and house vlslLs, focuslng on LargeLed
dlsadvanLaged communlues.
volunLeers promoLed Lhe rlghLs of
dlsadvanLaged secuons of socleLy, whlle
galnlng valuable skllls and sLrengLhenlng
Lhelr rsL-and knowledge of lndlvlduals
and communlues. 1hey galned famlllarlLy
wlLh worklng ln boLh a courL and omce
semng, pumng Lhelr Lheorucal legal
knowledge lnLo pracuce.
volunLeers creaLed Lhelr own work
plans, and malnLalned records of work,
documenung case sLudles and success
sLorles, ln Lhelr nal reporLs volunLeers
made recommendauons for furLher
acuvlLy by Lhe organlsauon.
Susta|nab|||ty and |mpact
1he pro[ecL provlded an opporLunlLy for
young undergraduaLes Lo lnLeracL wlLh
Lhe general publlc, llsLen and undersLand
Lhelr problems, work ln an omce, plan
and lmplemenL acuvlues, wrlLe reporLs,
eLc - skllls LhaL wlll help Lhem long-
Lerm ln Lhelr careers. AlmosL all of Lhe
volunLeers supporLed Lhe conunuauon
of Lhe volunLeerlng programme.
An annual award Lo recognlse Lhe
mosL successful volunLeer from each
baLch was creaLed. lL commemoraLes
a deceased volunLeer and alms Lo
uphold Lhe quallLy and Lhe morallLy of
volunLeerlsm Lhrough appreclaung a
role model. 1he wlnner was selecLed
on Lhe basls of posluve changes Lo Lhe
organlsauon, Lhe volunLeer's work,
and Lhelr lmpacL on beneclarles and
communlLy aL large.
uependenL on Lhe avallablllLy of fundlng,
lL ls expecLed LhaL Lhe organlsauon wlll
conunue Lhls pro[ecL aL an organlsauon
level ln Lhe long-Lerm, based on
Lhe pro[ecL evaluauon and posluve
recommendauons of volunLeers and
sLa.
Impact examp|es
Sta at the organ|sanon comp|eted
quesnonna|res re|anng to the
vo|unteers' work. Cf the respondents
who comp|eted the form:
- 100 agreed LhaL volunLeers had
helped lncrease cllenLs' access Lo
servlces ln Lhe communlLy
- 100 belleved LhaL Lhe volunLeers
had enhanced Lhe repuLauon of
reglonal cenLres and provlded
approprlaLe communlLy servlces
- 83 agreed LhaL Lhe volunLeers had
helped make Lhelr [ob easler and
allowed Lhem Lo do work LhaL Lhey
would oLherwlse noL have had ume
Lo compleLe.
Cne reglonal cenLre dlrecLor sald: 1he
volunLeer pracucally undersLood Lhe
deLalls of legal mauers, humanlLarlan
problems and how Lo help suerlng
people resolve Lhelr legal problems. l
belleve Lhe programme ls a valuable
opporLunlLy for Lralnee lawyers."
Vo|unteers a|so comp|eted a
quesnonna|re at the|r hna| rev|ew
workshops. Cf the respondents who
comp|eted the form:
- 100 sald Lhey would recommend
Lhe programme Lo oLhers
- 100 agreed LhaL Lhe programme
had glven Lhem valuable skllls for a
fuLure [ob
- 100 agreed LhaL Lhe programme
had lncreased Lhelr ablllLy Lo geL
pald work.
Cne volunLeer sald: AlLhough Lhe
programme ls over, l shall never cease
belng a volunLeer ln my llfe. l have
earned rsL-hand knowledge abouL
socleLy and people. l have learned
how Lo work wlLh people, how Lo puL
Lheory lnLo pracuce, and how Lo be
compasslonaLe."
44
Case Study 2: Lngag|ng vo|unteers
|n menta| hea|th |ntervennons
Vo|unteer|ng context
A pool of around 900 communlLy
volunLeers was bullL up by parLner
organlsauons of a menLal healLh pro[ecL.
1he alm was Lo ralse awareness of
menLal healLh lssues ln 1sunaml-aecLed
communlues, and Lhe volunLeers
soughL ouL vulnerable members. MosL
volunLeers suered from a menLal
lllness, or had a famlly member wlLh one.
Work was already belng carrled ouL ln
rural communlues, where people cared
volunLarlly for Lhose aecLed.
Lnhanc|ng organ|sanona| capac|ty
to work w|th vo|unteers
MenLal healLh was noL dlscussed ln
publlc and Lhose aecLed were kepL aL
home due Lo Lhe sugma LhaL prevalled.
volunLeers worked aL grassrooLs level Lo
change amLudes and behavlours, wlLh
asslsLance from Lhe governmenL secLor.
Lngag|ng sta and partners
8oLh organlsauonal sLa and parLners
recelved supporL Lo help Lhem recrulL
volunLeers from Lhelr areas and lncrease
Lhelr awareness and knowledge of menLal
healLh developmenL and menLal lllnesses.
C|ar|fy|ng vo|unteer ro|es,
enhanc|ng vo|unteer se|ecnon
A clear focus was esLabllshed for
volunLeers worklng wlLh menLally lll
people ln Lhelr communlues. 8oles
and responslblllues of volunLeers
were clarled Lhrough a consulLauon
process wlLh Lhe poLenual volunLeers
ln Lhe communlLy. Selecuon was
gulded by vlllage leaders and based on
Lhe avallablllLy and wllllngness of Lhe
volunLeers Lo carry ouL Lasks.
Suppornng vo|unteers
As Lhls was a new eld, volunLeers were
provlded wlLh Lralnlng ln ldenufylng
menLally lll and vulnerable people
and maklng referrals Lo menLal healLh
professlonals. 1hey were also Lralned
ln groups Lo enable Lhem Lo sLrengLhen
communlLy llfe and unlLy among famllles
so LhaL menLal healLh lssues could be
dlscussed openly. 1hey were LaughL
slmple nanclal managemenL, for Lhelr
own beneL, and Lo pass on Lo oLhers.
1sunam| vo|unteer|ng
volunLeers were responslble for
organlslng rellglous and soclal acuvlues
Lo bulld unlLy wlLhln Lsunaml-aecLed
communlues. 1hey were able Lo brlng
famllles LogeLher and supporL Lhose
aecLed by alcohol dependency. 1hey
worked wlLh Lhe prlmary healLh care
workers, Lhe Crama nlladharl (vlllage
omclal) and Soclal Servlces Lo lnLegraLe
menLally lll people lnLo socleLy wlLh long-
Lerm eecL. WlLh carers, Lhey ensured
menLally lll people recelved LreaLmenL,
and asslsLed ln organlslng cllnlcs and
Lherapeuuc exerclses.
Susta|nab|||ty
volunLeers conunued Lo conLrlbuLe Lhelr
ume and skllls Lhrough several oLher
pro[ecLs aer Lhe posL-Lsunaml menLal
healLh awareness work was concluded
and Look up llvellhood developmenL
work ln Lhe aecLed areas. 1hey became
a source of greaL sLrengLh Lo Lhe prlmary
healLh care workers ln Lhelr areas
ln provldlng servlces Lo menLally lll
people, and recelved much accepLance
among sLaLe omclals and Lhelr own
communlues.
43
46
1oo|s
1. Crgan|sanona| Capac|ty Assessment
2. Vo|unteer Management System Assessment
3. Deve|op|ng a Vo|unteer Ass|gnment
4. kecru|nng]Mob|||s|ng Vo|unteers
S. Se|ecnng and Assess|ng Vo|unteers
6. rov|d|ng Support to Vo|unteers
7. Lva|uanng Vo|unteer Ass|gnments



1
o
o
|
s












C
r
g
a
n
|
s
a
n
o
n

f
o
c
u
s












S
e
c
n
o
n

3












S
e
c
n
o
n

2












S
e
c
n
o
n

1

hoto: Dr. S|nn|ah 1hevananthan, Iounder of the 'Cs||mo
Spec|a| Lducanon and kesearch Center for aunsnc ch||dren'
rece|ves 'Vo|unteer of the ear' at the 2012 V Awards
1hls Lool ls Lo help you dlscover your
organlsauon's sLrengLhs and weaknesses
for each of Lhe four organlsauonal capaclLy
areas ldenued under lnLernal assessmenL.
lL wlll also help ldenufy Lhe opporLunlues
and LhreaLs ln Lhe soclal, economlc and
pollucal seL up ln your worklng areas
Lhrough exLernal assessmenL. Lxamples are
provlded ln Lhe Lable as guldellnes for your
assessmenL.
USL 1nL 1CCL
1CCL 1: CkGANISA1ICNAL
CAACI1 ASSLSSMLN1
IN1LkNAL ASSLSSMLN1: S1kLNG1nS AND WLAkNLSSLS
Lk1LkNAL ASSLSSMLN1: CCk1UNI1ILS AND 1nkLA1S
AkLAS
1LCnNICAL CAACI1
- Who ls your LargeL
audlence/beneclary?
- uo you have good
relauonshlps wlLh
Lhem?
- WhaL ls your
geographlcal area?
- WhaL ls Lhe lmpacL
achleved Lhrough
your servlces?
- Pow has Lhls been
measured?
- ls Lhere a sysLem for
managlng lnformauon
or communlcauon
wlLhln and ouLslde of
Lhe organlsauon?
MANAGLkIAL CAACI1
- uoes your
organlsauon have a
governlng body?
- Pow does lL make
declslons?
- uo sLa members
paruclpaLe ln declslon
maklng?
IN1LkNAL
ASSLSSMLN1
S1kLNG1nS
LkAMLL:
Chlldren wlLh dlsablllues,
Lhelr famllles and Lhe
communlLy ln whlch Lhey
llve are LargeLed ln Lhe
programme.
- Cood repuLauon &
good relauonshlps
wlLh parenLs &
communlLy ln Lhe
area
- Commlued group of
mouvaLed volunLeers
wlLh experuse &
knowledge.
LkAMLL:
SLa provlded Lhe
necessary Lralnlng and
skllls for provldlng
servlces Lo chlldren wlLh
dlsablllLy.
- varlous areas of
experuse/ knowledge
among sLa members
WLAkNLSSLS
LkAMLL:
- Lack of
communlcauon
or neLworklng
among members,
C8Cs, nCCs,
and governmenL
lnsuLuuons.
LkAMLL:
- Lack of organlsauonal
sLrucLure
- Lack of a consuLuuon
or omclal
reglsLrauon/legal
background
- 8egular general
meeungs noL held
49
- uo you have pollcles
& sysLems ln place for
a falr and respecuul
LreaLmenL and
developmenL of sLa?
- uo you have a
MonlLorlng and
Lvaluauon (M&L)
sysLem ln place?
- Are you able Lo collecL
relevanL and umely
lnformauon Lo make
lnformed declslons
ln lmprovlng your
organlsauon?
IINANCIAL CAACI1
- Are nanclal sysLems
ln place?
- uoes Lhe organlsauon
exerclse nanclal
conLrol & accounL for
lLs resources wlLhln a
framework of law and
good pracuce?
- uoes Lhe organlsauon
generaLe adequaLe
resources Lo supporL
lLs needs?
NL1WCkkING CAACI1
- ls your organlsauon
a member of any
organlsauonal
neLworks?
- Pas Lhe organlsauon
paruclpaLed ln
any pollcy-maklng
dlalogues wlLh donors
and/or governmenL?
- uo you geL any medla
coverage?
- uo you work wlLh
oLher organlsauons/
share lnformauon/
do [olnL work/provlde
complemenLary
servlces/ lnuence
change?
- volunLeers possess
baslc C88 knowledge.
LkAMLL:
- 8egular accounLs
of boLh lncome and
expendlLure are
malnLalned.
LkAMLL:
- Member of Lhe
ulsLrlcL C88 Co-
ordlnauon unlL
- aruclpaLes ln
nCC secreLarlaL
meeungs and share
lnformauon
- aruclpaLes ln nCC
secreLarlaL acuvlues,
eg, ulsablllLy uay.
- Lack of sumclenL
knowledge.
LkAMLL:
- Crganlsauon lacks
sumclenL nanclal
resources for lLs work
- resenL accounung
sysLems are noL Lhe
besL.
LkAMLL:
- Cnly a few volunLeers
Lo do work of Lhe
LargeL group due Lo
lack of paruclpauon
ln neLworks
- Lose Lralnlng
opporLunlues due Lo
lack of paruclpaung
ln neLworks
- noL lnvlung medla
Lo cover acuvlues,
evenLs and lnluauves.
30
31
Lk1LkNAL
ASSLSSMLN1
AkLAS
SCCIC-LCCNCMIC
& LNVIkCNMLN1AL
1kLNDS
- WhaL condluons
could prevenL or
faclllLaLe developmenL
work? lor example,
wlll an lncrease ln
cosL of llvlng aecL
avallablllLy of people
Lo do volunLeer work?
- WhaL are Lhe
currenL and fuLure
developmenL lssues ln
your communlLy?
CLI1ICAL &
INS1I1U1ICNAL
CCN1Lk1S
- WhaL are Lhe fundlng
Lrends?
- Whlch parLnershlps
supporL your
organlsauon's
purpose?
- ls Lhere anyLhlng
LhaL could lmpede
or prevenL your
organlsauon from
achlevlng lLs purpose?
- uoes Lhe pollcy
envlronmenL supporL
your developmenLal
goals or noL?
- Are Lhere
developmenLs you
need Lo guard agalnsL
or prepare for?
CCk1UNI1ILS
LkAMLL:
- Welfare packages
of governmenL
(ueparLmenL of Soclal
Servlces)
- resence of oLher
dlsablllLy-focused
organlsauons wlLh
C88 programs.
LkAMLL:
- llnanclal and
organlsauonal
supporL from an nCC
worklng wlLh chlldren
- 1echnlcal and fundlng
supporL from vSC
- 8elauonshlp wlLh
ulsLrlcL nCC
secreLarlaL
- resence of a
volunLeer from
overseas.
1nkLA1S
LkAMLL:
- Lack of lnLeresL ln
provldlng skllls Lo
volunLeers Lo care
for chlldren wlLh
dlsablllues
- Lack of cenLres
for provldlng skllls
and knowledge
Lo chlldren wlLh
dlsablllues
- 1ransporLauon
dlmculues for
volunLeers.
LkAMLL:
- oLenual loss of
nanclal supporL
from Lhe nCC
presenLly supporung
as well as from vSC
for work on dlsablllLy
- no proper vlllage-
level co-ordlnauon
mechanlsm for work
on chlldren wlLh
dlsablllLy
- Lack of access Lo
occupauonal Lherapy,
physloLherapy or SL1
for guldance.
1CCL 2: VCLUN1LLk MANAGLMLN1
SS1LM (VMS) ASSLSSMLN1 1CCL
About the too|
1he alm of Lhe vMS AssessmenL 1ool
ls Lo enable organlsauons Lo generaLe
quanuLauve and quallLauve evaluauon of a
volunLeer ManagemenL SysLem based on
esLabllshed sLandard baslc elemenLs and
lndlcaLors ln order Lo ensure lmprovemenL
and maxlmum volunLeer paruclpauon.
Assesslng your organlsauon's vMS helps
ensure LhaL:
- 1he rlghL volunLeers are selecLed for Lhe
[ob
- volunLeer paruclpauon ls maxlmlsed
- volunLeers are provlded wlLh
approprlaLe asslsLance
- volunLeer performance and feedback ls
managed
1he vMS AssessmenL 1ool ls a self-
assessmenL Lool LhaL wlll help organlsauons:
- LvaluaLe Lhelr exlsung vMS
- ldenufy sLrengLhs and weaknesses of
Lhelr vMS and
- 8evlew and measure progress/
lmprovemenLs
Who can use the too|?
1he Lool can be used by volunLeer
programme managers/co-ordlnaLors from
dlerenL organlsauons regardless of slze,
secLor, and Lype of volunLeer programme.
WhaL are Lhe feaLures of Lhe Lool?
1he Lool looks lnLo an organlsauon's vMS
'elemenLs'. 1hese are seLs of Lools and
processes ln volunLeer managemenL LhaL
lnclude:
- AsslgnmenL uevelopmenL
- volunLeer Selecuon
- volunLeer SupporL
- AsslgnmenL Lvaluauon
Lach of Lhese elemenLs ls composed of
vMS lndlcaLors - Lools, processes, and
documenLs LhaL denoLe Lhe presence and
level of developmenL of a vMS elemenL.
under '8aung' mark your organlsauon
accordlng Lo Lhe followlng scale:
2 = Cood enough, 1 = needs some
lmprovemenL, 0 = Mlsslng/needs ma[or
acuon, x = nA (uoesn'L counL)
USL 1nL 1CCL
32
hoto: ub||c meenng to d|scuss
menta| hea|th organ|sed through the
VSC Menta| nea|th rogramme
33
Assessment of host commun|ty or organ|sanon
- Does the assessment cover these areas?
|. Access|b|||ty (transportanon, commun|canon)
||. Crgan|sanona| susta|nab|||ty (fund|ng,
manpower, etc)
|||. Crgan|sanona| deve|opment needs
kA1ING INDICA1CkS kLMAkkS
VCLUN1LLk MANAGLMLN1 SS1LM
ASSLSSMLN1 1CCL
ASSIGNMLN1 DLVLLCMLN1
8. ASSIGNMLN1 DLSCkI1ICN
A. CkGANISA1ICNAL CAACI1 ASSLSSMLN1
1
Vo|unteer Ass|gnment Descr|pnon
that cons|sts of:
|. Iob nt|e
||. urpose
|||. key respons|b|||nes
|v. kequ|red sk|||s]qua||hcanons
v. Superv|s|on
v|. Length of serv|ce
v||. 1|me comm|tment
v|||. Ava||ab|e vo|unteer support
1.
Ab|||ty to |dennfy deve|opment needs w|th
respect to fo||ow|ng areas:
|. Sk|||s
||. Amtude
|||. 1|me ava||ab|||ty
1.
C. ASSIGNMLN1 DLVLLCMLN1 ML1nCDCLCG
34
|v. Length of serv|ce
v. |ace of ass|gnment
Sta]emp|oyees |nvo|ved |n the programme
recommend requ|red sk|||s and qua||nes of
vo|unteers
Idennfy emp|oyee vo|unteer|ng opportun|nes
that cons|der sta deve|opment concerns
kA1ING INDICA1CkS kLMAkkS
D. ASSIGNMLN1 AGkLLMLN1 CCN1kAC1S
2
3
A Vo|unteer Agreement Contract that |s s|gned
by a|| |nvo|ved parne. It conta|ns:
|. ko|es]respons|b|||nes of vo|unteer, vo|unteer
superv|sor, and host organ|sanon or commun|ty
||. Correspond|ng sancnons for v|o|anon of
spec|hc agreements] prov|s|ons
|||. Cond|nons for term|nanon of contract
|v. Duranon of va||d|ty of contract
rov|s|ons regard|ng vo|unteer |dennfy
|. Spec|hc tasks
||. Irequency and method of repornng to
vo|unteer superv|sor
|||. 1|me]schedu|e of serv|ce
|v. Duranon of serv|ces.
rov|s|ons regard|ng vo|unteer superv|sor cover
support for vo|unteer & host organ|sanon.
rov|s|ons regard|ng the host commun|ty or
organ|sanon cover:
|. Support for vo|unteer
||. Irequency and method of repornng to
vo|unteer superv|sor
1.
2
3
4
33
kecru|tment p|an that covers:
|. kequ|red sources
||. 1arget area
|||. Contacts to recru|t |n spec|hc areas]
demograph|cs
|v. 1arget vo|unteers
v. know|edge of requ|red type of vo|unteers
(|.e., |og term or one-o, sk|||ed]profess|ona| or
non-profess|ona|)
v|. Strategy for auracnng vo|unteers
Vo|unteer app||canon form that |nc|udes:
|. Name, address and contact deta||s
||. Vo|unteer|ng exper|ence
|||. Lmp|oyment background
|v. Irequency and nme ava||ab|e for
vo|unteer|ng
v. Sk|||s that can be used |n vo|unteer|ng
v|. Interests
v||. Lducanona| background
v|||. keferences
|x. Monvanon for vo|unteer|ng
x. hys|ca| and menta| hea|th status
kA1ING INDICA1CkS kLMAkkS
1.
2.
VCLUN1LLk SLC1ICN
A. kLCkUI1MLN1
8. ASSLSSMLN1
1oo|s to assess the vo|unteer's:
|. keported & observab|e sk|||s, know|edge, amtude
1
36
||. Interests
|||. Constra|nts to vo|unteer|ng]||m|tanons (|.e.,
hnanc|a|, fear of he|ghts)
|v. Lxpectanons
v. Monvanon
Vo|unteer se|ectors that have vo|unteer|ng
exper|ence, understand the cr|ter|a]
qua||hcanons of your |dea| vo|unteers, and that
understand the|r respons|b|||nes and expected
behav|our
1he rece|v|ng commun|ty] organ|sanon and
re|evant sta]emp|oyees parnc|pate |n the
se|ecnon of vo|unteers
Vo|unteer background checks depend|ng on
nature of vo|unteer|ng opportun|ty y|e|d:
|. o||ce report
||. Lmp|oyment ver|hcanon
|||. Lducanona| references
|v. rofess|ona| ||cense cernhcanon
v. Am||anon w|th other organ|sanons
kA1ING INDICA1CkS kLMAkkS
2.
3.
4.
C. ASSIGNMLN1
Ass|gn|ng vo|unteers to ro|es that are based
on congruence between preference &
character|sncs of vo|unteers and requ|rement
of host commun|nes & organ|sanons |n
terms of:
|. 1echn|ca| and soh sk|||s
||. Interests
|||. Amtude and va|ues
|v. Length of serv|ce
1
37
v. 1|me ava||ab|||ty
v|. Nature, demand and p|ace of ass|gnment.
Ass|gnment procedures that |nvo|ve re|evant
sta and host commun|ty]organ|sanon.
kA1ING INDICA1CkS kLMAkkS
2.
VCLUN1LLk SUCk1
A. LLAkNING SUCk1
1
2.
Vo|unteer pre-ass|gnment or|entanon that
covers:
|. rogramme ob[ecnves
||. ko|es and respons|b|||nes
|||. Vo|unteer support
|v. Core tasks
v. Lxpected behav|our
v|. Lxpected output
v||. Work|ng env|ronment
Vo|unteer nandbook]Learn|ng ack for
vo|unteers d|str|buted pr|or to dep|oyment
that conta|ns:
a. rogramme ob[ecnves
b. ko|es and respons|b|||nes
c. Vo|unteer support
d. Core tasks
e. Lxpected behav|our
f. Grounds for term|nanon
g. Lxpected output
h. Work|ng env|ronment
kA1ING INDICA1CkS kLMAkkS
3.
4.
S.
Vo|unteers are coached by peers]co-ord|nators
before, dur|ng, & post ass|gnment on the|r:

|. ko|es and respons|b|||nes
||. Core tasks
|||. Lxpected behav|our
Vo|unteer debr|ehng to capture exper|ence
before, dur|ng, and aher ass|gnment cover:
|. Learn|ngs and reecnons
||. Concerns about support prov|ded by
the vo|unteer co-ord|nator and the host
organ|sanon]commun|ty
|||. Suggesnons on how overa|| vo|unteer
management can be enhanced.
Connnu|ng |earn|ng opportun|nes to enhance
vo|unteers' techn|ca| and soh sk|||s prov|ded
before, dur|ng, and aher ass|gnment
8. kL1LN1ICN]MC1IVA1ICN (WnLkL ALICA8LL)
I|nanc|a| support for vo|unteers to cover
transportanon and other re|ated expenses
before, dur|ng, and aher ass|gnment
Non-cash support before, dur|ng, and aher
ass|gnment that |nc|udes:
|. Accommodanon
||. Med|ca| and psychosoc|a|
|||. no||days
|v. Ior work|ng vo|unteers, re|ease |n omce hours
Lva|uanon of vo|unteer ass|gnment that
|nvo|ves a|| re|evant parnes covers:
|. Accomp||shment of tasks
||. Support prov|ded by partners
1
2.
38
39
kA1ING INDICA1CkS kLMAkkS
1.
2.
kecogn|non of vo|unteers who comp|ete the|r
ass|gnments
Incennves for outstand|ng vo|unteers aher
comp|enng the|r ass|gnment
L. VCLUN1LLk CCCkDINA1Ck
1.
2.
C. kLCCGNI1ICN
D. CCN1INUCUS INVCLVLMLN1 IN VCLUN1LLkING
1.
2.
3.
Vo|unteers are tracked before, dur|ng, and
aher ass|gnment |n terms of:
|. Contact and demograph|c |nformanon
||. Iuture vo|unteer|ng |nterests and ava||ab|||ty
|||. Lmp|oyment
Computer|zed database conta|n|ng vo|unteer
|nformanon that |s access|b|e to author|sed
personne| on|y and updated regu|ar|y
Iormer vo|unteers are |nformed about the
|atest vo|unteer|ng opportun|nes and other
updates about the programme
Vo|unteer coord|nator who meets the
organ|sanon's requ|red techn|ca| and soh sk|||s
Connnuous tra|n|ng on superv|sory sk|||s
A. 1LkMINA1ICN
1.
2.
Grounds for pre-term|nanon of vo|unteer
engagement wh|ch |nc|udes performance and
behav|our factors
Standard term|nanon gu|de||nes (due process)
LVALUA1ICN
A. MCNI1CkING VCLUN1LLkING AC1IVI1ILS
Mon|tor|ng
|. Number and names of vo|unteers
1.
60
kA1ING INDICA1CkS kLMAkkS
||. roh|e of a|| conc|uded acnv|nes
|||. arnc|panon rate |n terms of vo|unteer
|nvo|vement and number of hours served
|v. Crgan|sanons]peop|e reached]served
v. Monetary va|ue of vo|unteer hours served
(both profess|ona| and non-profess|ona|)
8. MCNI1CkING VCLUN1LLkING 8LNLII1S
1.
2.
Mon|tor|ng benehts of serv|ces rendered
by vo|unteers to the host organ|sanon]
commun|ty |n terms of:
|. uanntanve benehts (|.e. money ra|sed,
number of teachers tra|ned, etc.)
||. ua||tanve benehts (|.e. teachers tra|ned
to use MS Word, Lxce|, owero|nt)
Mon|tor|ng benehts of vo|unteer
opportun|nes to the vo|unteers |n terms of:
|. Changes |n amtude]perspecnve regard|ng
a parncu|ar |ssue or concern
||. Lnhancement of sk|||s
|||. New know|edge]sk|||s ga|ned
C. DCCUMLN1A1ICN]kLCCkD kLLING
1.
2.
Lva|uanon of resu|ts and cr|nca| |nc|dents are
documented and h|ed
keep|ng documents, |nc|ud|ng photographs,
are access|b|e to re|evant peop|e
D. kLCk1ING kLSUL1S
kepornng resu|ts to:
|. key peop|e |n your organ|sanon
||. key peop|e |n host commun|ty or organ|sanon
|||. Vo|unteers
1.
kA1ING INDICA1CkS kLMAkkS
Vo|unteers' exper|ences are used |n
deve|op|ng |nformanon, educanon, and
commun|canon mater|a|s
I. LkICkMANCL LVALUA1ICN]8LnAVICUk CU1U1
1.
2.
Lva|uanon to |dennfy performance and
behav|our changes among:
|. Vo|unteer
||. nost organ|sanon
|||. Commun|ty
|v. eers
Do your eva|uanons |nvo|ve contr|bunons
from host organ|sanons]commun|nes]
vo|unteers and any other organ|sanons?
L. 8UILDING CN VCLUN1LLkS' LkLkILNCL
1.
61
62
1CCL 3: DLVLLCING A
VCLUN1LLk ASSIGNMLN1
About the too|
1he Lool ls deslgned Lo help you dra your
organlsauon's pollcles and procedures
for developlng volunLeer asslgnmenLs.
Answerlng Lhe quesuons below Lo wlll help
you Lo gaLher Lhe lnformauon needed.
Introduc|ng your organ|sanon
1. name of organlsauon
2. Address
3. Crganlsauon purpose
4. Cb[ecuves
3. rogrammes/pro[ecLs.
Approach to vo|unteer|ng
A. urpose
1. WhaL ls Lhe role of volunLeerlng ln
changlng or lmprovlng Lhe world/your
organlsauon?
2. WhaL do you hope Lo accompllsh ln
your volunLeerlng programme?
8. Superv|s|on
1. Who ls Lhe volunLeer program
manager/coordlnaLor?
2. Where ls Lhe posL locaLed ln Lhe
organlsauonal sLrucLure?
3. WhaL are Lhe roles and responslblllues
of a volunLeer supervlsor?
4. Who supervlses Lhe volunLeers?
ls lL Lhe manager/co-ordlnaLor or by Lhe
sLa person/parLner wlLh whom Lhe
volunLeer wlll mosL closely be worklng?
3. WhaL ls Lhe naLure of volunLeer-sLa
relauons?
C. Vo|unteer Ass|gnment
Deve|opment
1. Who ls ln charge of volunLeer
AsslgnmenL developmenL?
2. WhaL ls Lhe role of sLakeholders (people
who would be aecLed/lnuenced by
Lhe volunLeer program) ln volunLeer
AsslgnmenL developmenL?
3. WhaL lnformauon should be lncluded ln
Lhe AsslgnmenL descrlpuon?
USL 1nL 1CCL
hoto: Ch||d V|s|on & Assoc|anon for arents of D|sab|ed ch||dren (ADC)
63
1CCL 4: kLCkUI1ING]MC8ILISING
VCLUN1LLkS
About the too|
1he Lool ls deslgned Lo help you dra your
organlsauon's pollcles and procedures
for recrulung and moblllslng volunLeers.
Answerlng Lhe quesuons below Lo wlll help
you Lo gaLher Lhe lnformauon needed.
A. o||c|es
1. Who decldes on how an appllcanL may
become a volunLeer (funcuons and
composluon of Lhe commluee)
2. WhaL are your pollcles for recrulLmenL/
moblllslng? (prlnclples and guldellnes ln
chooslng volunLeers)
3. WhaL lnformauon abouL Lhe
organlsauon may be used ln
recrulLmenL/moblllslng? Who should
approve or selecL Lhe lnformauon?
8. rocedures
1. Pow wlll/do you recrulL / moblllse
volunLeers?
2. WhaL lnformauon would be needed Lo
assess appllcanLs?
3. WhaL should Lhe lnformauon be used
for and who wlll have access Lo such
lnformauon?
4. WhaL are Lhe requlremenLs for
appllcanLs?
USL 1nL 1CCL
1CCL S: SLLLC1ING AND
ASSLSSING VCLUN1LLkS
About the too|
1he Lool ls deslgned Lo help you dra your
organlsauon's pollcles and procedures
for recrulung and moblllslng volunLeers.
Answerlng Lhe quesuons below Lo wlll help
you Lo gaLher Lhe lnformauon needed.
A. o||c|es
1. WhaL ls Lhe purpose of Lhe assessmenL?
- Lo geL Lhe besL L/candldaLe, Lo
achleve pro[ecL / organlsauon's
ob[ecuves
2. WhaL are your crlLerla for assessmenL?
MeLhods of assesslng Lhem?
3. WhaL are Lhe roles and responslblllues
of Lhe assessmenL commluee?
8. rocedures
1. WhaL do you do lf a volunLeer ls noL
sulLable for Lhe posluon on oer?
2. Pow do you selecL volunLeers?
USL 1nL 1CCL
64
1CCL 6: kCVIDING SUCk1
1C VCLUN1LLkS
About the too|
1he Lool ls deslgned Lo help you dra your
organlsauon's pollcles and procedures
for supporung volunLeers. Answerlng Lhe
quesuons below Lo wlll help you Lo gaLher
Lhe lnformauon needed.
A. o||c|es
1. Pow do you supporL your volunLeers
(whaL klnd of supporL do you provlde
your volunLeers?)
2. WhaL do you conslder ln provldlng
supporL and recognluon? (guldlng
prlnclples, e.g. accesslblllLy, exlblllLy,
and approprlaLeness).
USL 1nL 1CCL
1CCL 7: LVALUA1ING
VCLUN1LLk ASSIGNMLN1S
About the too|
1he Lool ls deslgned Lo help you LvaluaLe
volunLeer asslgnmenLs. Answerlng Lhe
quesuons below Lo wlll help you Lo gaLher
Lhe lnformauon needed.
A. o||c|es and rocedures
1. WhaL ls Lhe evaluauon and feedback
mechanlsm for volunLeers, sLa, and
parLners?
2. Pow wlll Lhe organlsauon handle
feedback and/or complalnLs? / WhaL
posslble acuons?
3. WhaL ls Lhe process for volunLeer
asslgnmenL evaluauon?
4. Are Lhere opuons for correcuve acuon?
3. WhaL are Lhe grounds for Lermlnauon
of conLracL?
6. WhaL do you conslder ln provldlng
supporL and recognluon? (guldlng
prlnclples, e.g. accesslblllLy, exlblllLy,
and approprlaLeness).
USL 1nL 1CCL
hoto: VSC Acnve C|nzensh|p rogramme
Notes
1. un denluon (2009) and Cnaan, 8.A.,
Pandy, l., and WadsworLh, M. (1996),
'uenlng who ls a volunLeer: concepLual
and emplrlcal conslderauons', ln
nonproL and volunLary SecLor
CuarLerly SepLember, 23:3, 364-383.
2. nauonal volunLeerlng 8rleng ack,
vSC, 2007, page 6.
3. volunLourlsm ls Lourlsm ln whlch
Lravellers do volunLary work Lo help
communlues or Lhe envlronmenL ln Lhe
places Lhey are vlslung, Colllns Lngllsh
ulcuonary, onllne edluon.
4. CS8 ls Lhe lncorporauon of an eLhlcal
elemenL lnLo Lhe plannlng of buslness
sLraLegy, so LhaL, for lnsLance, Lhe publlc
lnLeresL and envlronmenLal concerns
are Laken lnLo accounL when a buslness
makes commerclal plans, Colllns Lngllsh
ulcuonary, onllne edluon.
3. An organlsauon ln Srl Lanka can
vary from a sLrucLured enuLy Lo an
unsLrucLured, lnformal enuLy, for
example, lnLernauonal nCCs, Local
nCCs, CommunlLy 8ased Crganlsauons
(C8Cs), Soclal MovemenLs, ?ouLh
Clubs, 8ellglous Crouplngs, Socleues
& Assoclauons [Local, 8eglonal and
nauonal].
6. ueveloplng a volunLeer rogram: An
lnlual AssessmenL", Monlka enner, 29
CcLober 2001h, www.charlLyvlllage.
com/cv/research/rvol131.hLml
7. Cemng SLarLed: LsLabllshlng A
volunLeer rogram", Lynn lels,
volunLeer CenLre of MeLropollLan
1oronLo and 1he volunLeer 8ecrulLmenL
8ook, Susan !. Lllls
63
66