Volunteer issues

Fact sheets

Confidentiality policy template
A confidentiality policy says a lot about your organisation, and reflects your attitudes towards staff, volunteers, the public and your stakeholders.
Creating volunteer roles
If your organisation wants to set-up a new initiative or project, or improve its existing volunteering programme, one approach could be to brainstorm on why you want to involve volunteers and what you want volunteers to help your organisation achieve.
Draft Volunteer Handbook
An overview of all the important headings for your organisations Volunteer Handbook
Involving Young Volunteers
Despite rumours to the contrary, younger people are keen to be involved in charitable causes but there are a few steps you can take to ensure that they are interested in the opportunities that you provide.
Medicines Policy - Guidelines for Volunteers
The aim of this policy is to make clear the extent to which volunteers may help a service user in connection with their medicines on discharge from hospital, under the Friends of Whitstable Hospital & HealthCare “Community Friends” (visiting & befriending) project.
Minimum Wage and the Voluntary Sector
Often there is confusion between workers and volunteers.The questions comes up whether you have a worker or a volunteer and are they to be paid the national minimum wage. Here are some definitions that will help you decide whether you have a volunteer or a worker.
Mythbusting
Stereotypes about younger people and about older people
New Volunteer Form
A new volunteer is starting? Kick things off with them completing this form...
Offering Training & Qualifications for Volunteering
One of the reasons why people volunteer is to gain experience and skills to further or change careers. Volunteers it seems are also only able or are willing to commit to volunteering for shorter periods of time than in previous years.
Sample Volunteer Agreement
This Volunteer Agreement describes the arrangement between [name of organisation] and you. We wish to assure you of our appreciation of your volunteering with us, and we will do the best we can to make your volunteer experience enjoyable and rewarding.
Specimen Volunteer Role Profile - Shop Manager
Need to find a Volunteer Shop Manager? Use this template advert to start your search...
Supported Volunteering
Sometimes known as 'Broker' projects, where a volunteer who has mental health issues is found a placement and both they and the placement providing organisation are supported during this process (and afterwards as necessary).
The Legal Status of Volunteers
Currently, there isn’t any legislation or legal definitions discussing volunteer workers. It is important that organisations be careful of volunteers becoming employees according to the law, it’s important for organisations to clearly differentiate between volunteers and employees.
Volunteer Drivers
If your organisation works with volunteer drivers it is important to take into account issues such as: safety, insurance, mileage rates and screening.
Volunteer Interview Considerations
Some useful advice and good practice around interviewing volunteers for your organisation...
Volunteer Policy Framework
An example Volunteer Policy Framework to help "ring-fence" your organisation...
Volunteering
Volunteering is an activity that you choose to do for no payment that will help people other than family members. You can do voluntary work through an organisation in a 'formal' way, or 'informally' by helping out through your own initiative either individually or as part of a group.
What has volunteering got to offer?
People volunteer for many different reasons - 8 they could be:

External factsheets & publications

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Hints & Tips for Involving volunteers
A Red Foundation/Volunteer Centre Devon factsheet
Specimen Volunteer Handbook - Breakthrough Breast Cancer
Used with kind permission of Breakthrough Breast Cancer
Specimen Volunteer Policy - Breakthrough Breast Cancer
Reproduced with kind permission of Breakthrough Breast Cancer
Student Volunteering - A National Profile
A Volunteering England Publication
The Vetting & Barring Scheme Guidance
An HM Government publication

Useful links

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Association of Volunteer Managers
i-volunteer
Legal Update for Voluntary Organisations
NHS Litigation Authority: Scheme coverage for volunteers
UKVPMs
VolResource
Volunteer Genie
Volunteering England