Best Practice Guidelines | Te Anga Whaitake

A new tool to support volunteer engagement

Volunteers | tūao give their unpaid time and skills to communities and causes they believe in. This volunteering action needs to be nurtured and enabled. Our Guidelines are based on what volunteers need and offers easy steps for you to meet their needs. Seven practice areas, based on the volunteering life cycle journey have been identified.

Practice area 1

Engage and recruit volunteers

Practice area 2

Welcome and onboard volunteers

Practice area 3

Volunteer support, leadership and management

Practise area 4

Train and grow volunteers

Practice area 5

Feedback and recognition

Practice area 6

Celebrate volunteer impact

Practice area 7

Exit volunteers

How do we use the framework?

Each area has key principles, what good volunteer practice looks like and actions you can take for each of these practice areas. Read the principles and the practice areas. Identify the area you need support on now, and reflect on “what good looks like”, work your way through the tools and resources. Be sure to share with your team!

Who can use the framework?

Anyone! The guidelines have been designed with small to medium sized community organisations in mind. However anyone can use them. These practice areas apply to all.

  • Organisations
    By organisations to identify areas of strength and areas for development

  • Volunteer Managers
    By volunteer managers, leaders, and co-ordinators

  • Volunteers
    By volunteers to know what good practice looks like

  • Advisors
    By those providing support and advice to boards on strategic volunteer issues

  • Funders & Donors
    By funders and donors interested in the volunteer centric capability of those they support

How were they developed?

The guidelines were developed by Volunteering New Zealand | Tūao Aotearoa in collaboration with the community sector. They draw on the experience and wisdom of volunteers and sector leaders across Aotearoa New Zealand. Over 400 people contributed to creation of these guidelines.