Practice area 2
Welcome and onboard volunteers
Principles
- Relationships are at the heart of volunteer engagement and involvement.
- Volunteers experience a warm welcome and a positive onboarding.
- Policies and procedures are in place to ensure volunteers are welcomed, trained and inducted appropriately.
Why this practice is important
The welcome and onboarding phase helps volunteers understand and feel comfortable with the workings of the organisation. It provides volunteers with background, practical knowledge of the organisation so they see how they can contribute to the organisation’s purpose. Understanding the organisation’s mission, values and systems for volunteer management enables volunteers to find their place in the organisation and to contribute more productively.
What volunteers need
- To feel welcomed and appreciated for who they are and what they bring
- To understand the organisation’s kaupapa (purpose) and ensure it’s a good fit for them
- To have clear expectations of the role requirements and the skills and training required
- To communicate their needs and preferences, including any access needs
- To understand how to navigate the organisation, including organisational culture, and how its volunteer systems work
- To feel socially connected with the organisation (whanaungatanga)
- To be assured of confidentiality/ privacy as appropriate
What good practice looks like
Have a good welcome
- Have everything ready for volunteers e.g. paperwork, uniform, materials, and workspace
- Create a welcoming environment for their first day
- Proactively ask them if there is anything they need to feel safe and welcome in the workspace
- Meet them and provide introductions
- Organise welcome event or mihi whakatau (if appropriate)
Explain the organisation’s kaupapa/ purpose
- Provide an overview of the kaupapa/purpose and values (ngā matapono) of the organisation
- Share the history and strategy of the organisation
- Show how their role contributes to the success of the organisation
- Describe the communities served, the cultures and demographics and programmes/services provided
Clarify the volunteer role and what is required (expectations)
- Confirm their role, what they will be doing, and expectations of them
- Discuss the skills and training required
- Clarify the parameters/opportunities of the role
- Ensure all pre-employment checks are complete
- Work alongside the volunteer and coach them to perform the tasks/activities required
Understand the needs and preferences of the volunteer
- Offer information on multiple roles, if you have them, allowing the volunteer to self-select
- Determine how the volunteer will give their time e.g. regular weekly commitment or project-based
- Discuss how the role fits with the volunteer’s other life commitments
- Set up structured check-in times to see how they are progressing i.e. each week for their first month
- Have a review (at the end of their first month) to discuss how the role is going for them and if any additional support or changes are needed
Enable the volunteer to navigate the organisation
- Outline the structure of the organisation, its programmes and how the volunteer contributes
- Introduce the volunteer to the systems of volunteer management e.g. reimbursement of expenses
- Introduce the policies and processes of the organisation
- Provide clear written or graphical steps for processes
- Do a tour of the premises and outline health and safety practices
- Provide a clear process for volunteers to be able to give feedback and to ask for help if they need it, e.g. technical issues
Provide social orientation and connection
- Introduce the organisation leaders and key contacts to the volunteer; provide contact details, bios, and photos
- Outline organisational values
- Introduce organisation’s tikanga (protocols) and culture
- Discuss the organisation’s diversity and inclusion commitments and expectations of its members
- Allow them to meet other teams within the organisation and make connections with external organisations (if required)
- Assign them a buddy and/or peer who they can go to, to ask for help or clarification
- Connect the volunteer to members of the community being served
- Offer multiple ways for interaction with staff and other volunteers e.g. social media group, social events, and training, and while volunteering