5. What to do Next

A red background with a pink stopwatch

Figure 9: Getting Started (Volunteer Scotland, All Rights Reserved)

Volunteers want to feel that your group or organisation is interested in them and that their involvement is vital to the group or organisation. It is at this point, the question raised in Section 3.1, ‘Is this the right time?’, can be addressed with your volunteers. It is important to note that this might be an iterative process depending on the specific role, the individual volunteer and the function of your group or organisation. The course Involving Volunteers emphasised two things to consider:

  • ‘Be interested in me’ – individual circumstances are crucial for volunteers in deciding if they wish to return to their role now, or in future. Placing them at the centre of the conversation leads to better engagement and trust, and also helps volunteer practitioners be a supportive part of that decision-making process.
  • ‘I want to feel welcomed and encouraged’ – coming back to volunteer roles can be a big first step. Being inclusive and responsive will lead to better outcomes for individuals and your group or organisation. It means you can retain valuable contributors and prevent challenging situations arising for those who are not yet ready to return.

To explore this in more detail,see section 3 of Involving Volunteers. Even though the context of COVID-19 changes some things these values inform all-volunteer practice, and in that sense, the broad outlines set out in Involving Volunteers still apply. The next step is to look at the activities recorded in the Action Plan and reflect on what is proportionate for your context as part of developing an Action Plan. In line with the values expressed by the course, the first thing to think about is the volunteers. The Action Plan needs to consider three things:

1. The group or organisations “Duty of Care” to its volunteers, building on the group or organisations values the Action Plan needs to map out how it will ensure that volunteers are kept safe

2. Applying the “precautionary principle” to following Public Health advice in a to ensure that it meets its social responsibility to keep everyone safe

3. Ensure that the group or organisation and its operations conform to appropriate legislative frameworks associated with Health and Safety and Public Health by checking with the appropriate legal and Human Resource frameworks

The Action Plan will help you think through what needs to happen before you restart your volunteer programme if appropriate. Every action plan will be different, but it ought to reflect the values expressed above and be based on the three areas set out in more detail below.