1.2 What you will learn

We understand that not everyone who supports volunteers is a paid member of staff, and that not all volunteer practice happens in big organisations. This course has been developed to support the functions related to creating a positive volunteer experience regardless of where the volunteering takes place.

By the end of the course you will:

• be clear about how volunteering fits into your context and the opportunities it provides
• be able to develop an appropriate way of getting to know volunteers and for volunteers to get to know you
• understand the importance of supporting volunteers and communicating the difference their contribution makes
• be able to identify the volunteers’ voice in order to learn from volunteers’ experiences and ensure that they have a positive volunteering journey.

Underlying this course is a set of values developed from Volunteer Scotland’s own experience and extensive engagement with volunteers and those supporting volunteers and volunteer activity. These values are focused around a community ethos, inclusiveness and providing solutions. They are outlined in the Volunteer Scotland Annual Report 2018 [Tip: hold Ctrl and click a link to open it in a new tab. (Hide tip)] .