Resources

Volunteering Principles
Recruitment
Volunteering and welfare benefits
Equality and Diversity
Professional development for volunteer managers
Micro-volunteering
Social media
Video resources

See also articles on aspects of good practice in working with volunteers

                                                 

Volunteering principles

Code of practice for involving volunteers
The code of practice has been developed to help everyone who involves volunteers in their activities to ensure that they do so within the framework of good practice. Download the order form here

Universal declaration of volunteering
The Declaration supports the right of every woman, man and child to associate freely and to volunteer regardless of their cultural and ethnic origin, religion, age, gender, and physical, social or economic condition. English only.

Volunteer safety and security good practice
A document full of advice about all aspects of volunteer safety, both for volunteers in general and for those in specific situations,  such as driving, lone working,  fundraising or volunteering at events. Written by Sandy Adirondack a freelance trainer and consultant who specialises in volunteering and the Third Sector

A Charter for Strengthening Relations between paid staff and Volunteers (2011) - WCVA has produced jointly with Wales TUC a Charter to strengthen relationships between paid and unpaid staff. This sets out principles for involving volunteers so as to promote a healthy harmonious workplace. The Charter has been endorsed by Wales Volunteering Network.

Volunteers and the law a revised comprehensive guide for volunteer managers or anyone that supports volunteers - the answers to all your legal questions in one place on the Knowhow website (just sign in).

Environmental Volunteering Toolkit - Improve your own personal and professional skills whilst helping to protect habitats and wildlife for the benefit of current and future generations.

Volunteer driving - The Motor Insurance commitment ABI (2017)
Some insurers cover volunteer driving within regular motor insurance policies while others may charge an extra premium or impose a higher excess for volunteer drivers. ABI have produced a list to help.

Case studies which illustrate how different organisations have sought to develop good practice in involving both unpaid and paid worker:
Mind Cymru
Dulais Valley Partnership
Marie Curie
Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board

Recruitment

Recruiting young volunteers

Preparing for Young Volunteers Checklist

Recruiting volunteers: a manual of good practice (WCVA 2006).  Drawing on the experience of organisations in Wales during a three-year lottery funded project, this manual is a useful tool for planning volunteer recruitment and as a framework for professional development.

Turning experience into employment
To help volunteers of all ages to do this, we worked with WCIA to develop a simple presentation and infographic that could be used to help volunteers understand what they have gained from volunteering and turn it into language that could be used on a CV, in a personal statement or in an interview.

This resource is now available here as an infographic and presentation.

The resource can be used by volunteers themselves or used as a tool by someone that supports volunteers in most settings.

Volunteering and welfare benefits
DWP / Volunteering Wales Guide to Volunteering main aim is to help inform people claiming state benefits about the advantages of becoming a volunteer. It will help by providing practical information on volunteering, including, DWP Guidance and useful websites.  
Best practice guide on establishing joint working arrangements with third parties for involving volunteers

Guidance from Barnardo's as a tool for organisations who place volunteers in settings where Third Parties have responsibility for their day to day activity. It is a way of ensuring good practice in the management of volunteers, and is closely based on the Investing  in Volunteers Standard.

Equality and diversity
Thinking about equality and diversity - Adam May 2005
Promoting Equality and Diversity in Volunteering

Professional development for volunteer managers
National occupational standards for volunteer management - these standards can be used as a basis for reviewing and planning professional development

The Complete Volunteer Manager - A web based guide to everything you need to know about volunteer management. English only.

How to ... Develop a Volunteering Initiative was developed as a tool to give voluntary organisations basic good practice guidance with developing policies and procedures when recruiting volunteers.  The toolkit is also used as a training tool for the Introduction to Volunteer Management 1 day workshop which PAVS Volunteering Pembrokeshire delivers 3 times a year to between 8 and 10 volunteer managers. The resource has a practical function, providing basic information in one publication to help initiatives get off the ground quickly. Available in English only.

Micro-volunteering
Giving a little time (NCVO  2013)
A practical guide to exploring and developing the potential of micro-volunteering for your organisation
The value of giving a little time  (NCVO 2013)
Understanding the potential of micro-volunteering

Social Media
The best resources for successful social media engagement in 2018
Five tips to manage a social media crisis
A guide to safeguarding young volunteers on social media

Video resources
Three short videos feature three organisations which have achieved the Investing in Volunteers standard, showing some of the benefits of undertaking IiV. Discussion notes are available for each one.

Wrexham Museum 
The museum has adapted its culture and organisation to involve volunteers more fully in its work.
Discussion notes

Headway Cardiff
By introducing more systematic supervision sessions with volunteers Headway has improved  two ways communication with volunteers.
Discussion notes

West Wales Befriending Links
Undertaking Investing in Volunteers has helped West Wales befriending Links to take a fresh look at the whole volunteer 'journey' from beginning to end of the process.
Discussion notes