Volunteer Aberdeen promotes the Investing in Volunteers Award which is the ‘industry standard’ for volunteer engagement within the UK.
One of the most important issues that voluntary sector groups are currently facing is the concept of quality standards.
One of the main reasons for this is that some funding bodies are now requiring organisations to show evidence that they are working within a certain quality framework, including demonstrating best practice in the management of their volunteers.
The profile of volunteering and the support from Government is also currently very high. The Compact’s Volunteering Code of Good Practice emphasises the importance ‘…of high standards and effective management of volunteers, and that fulfilling this responsibility requires allocation of organisational resources’.
The Code also lists the main elements of good practice in volunteer management, which is reflected in the 9 Indicators which make up the Investing in Volunteers Standard, which in turn are based on four areas of volunteer management:
- planning for volunteer involvement;
- recruiting volunteers;
- selecting and matching volunteers; and
- supporting and retaining volunteers
Some other quality frameworks include volunteer management, but none of them cover the management of volunteers in such comprehensive detail. Investing in Volunteers is the best tool to help organisations involving volunteers achieve this good practice, as well as receive recognition for it.
The time taken to achieve the Investing In Volunteers standard will vary from organisation to organisation depending on its size, complexity, current level of volunteer management processes embedded and so forth.
It is normally recommended that the process is completed within 12 months
For more Information on the Award, please contact the Volunteer Centre or visit the Investing in Volunteers website.