About GoldStar 
Involving volunteers in decision making
In some volunteering organisations more formal measures of inclusion will be appropriate, and can be a key aspect of volunteer recognition. This may include representation on the board of trustees, or indeed membership of the board. At another level it could be to give volunteers the responsibility for the design and or/ operation.
Below are a few examples of how other organisations have accoplished this: |
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Gateshead access panel involve volunteers at all levels of the organisation. |
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| The Junction takes a bottom up approach to policy development | |
| Student Community Action Newcastle have a management committee made up of students elected by the AGM | |
| Volunteer Centre Westminster’s volunteers help determine how services are delivered. | |
| Age Concern Gateshead created a survey to involve volunteers | |
Gateshead Access Panel
Volunteers at Gateshead Access Panel (GAP) are fully integrated members of the team. Gap realises that the achievement of its goals is best served by the active participation of disabled people and people with limiting log-term illnesses.
Volunteers at GAP are viewed as valuable resource and have the right to be treated as “co-workers.” The volunteers are encouraged to get involved at all levels in the organisation and within all appropriate programmes and activities. Various mechanisms are in place for volunteers to chare ideas and the project has developed a fully inclusive environment for volunteer involvement in all aspects of decision-making.
Key decision making structures include
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A board of trustees made up of disabled people or people with limiting long term illnesses, and who are involved on a voluntary basis. Member of the trustee board an become direct service volunteers within GAP;
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GAP volunteers are encouraged to take a full part in worker meetings;
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A volunteer representative, delegated from the regular volunteer meetings, attends the Board of Trustee meetings;
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Meetings between the volunteers and the volunteer co-ordinator to determine any decisions or issues relating to the volunteers;
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Volunteers are able to become members of the organisation and have voting rights.
The Junction
The Junction takes a “bottom up” approach to policy development so that volunteers and clients have an input. An example of this is the recognition of the need to have a policy on the subject of sexual health. There is also a sub-committee whose function is to carry out a rolling review of policies on an annual cycle.
Accredited training the Junction provides to all volunteers has been developed with their involvement and through their feedback. External training is also provided. Feedback from volunteers about external training also helps to develop future external training packages.
Volunteers are invited to attend all team meetings including volunteer-only meetings and are encouraged to help develop and shape the way services are delivered to young people. Volunteers influence the future work of the organisation through Annual Review and Vision Days, which are attended by all the Management Committee, staff and volunteers. Feedback from volunteers suggests that it is this inclusion and recognition that motivates them to make a long-term commitment to the project.
Student Communication Action Newcastle
One of the principal features of Student Communication Action Newcastle (SCAN) is that it is a youth-led charity. The use of young people on the management committee is regarded as particularly important. SCAN sees this as a great opportunity for young people to develop skills and work within a team to affect changes.
In practice this works as follows:
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Committee members are elected – the young person volunteer management committee is elected at the AGM;
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The management committees has full powers – the main duties and responsibilities include, strategic planning and decision making and agreeing the budget and finances and they are the “charity trustees” of the charity.
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Advisory group – SCAN has the benefit of a board of trustees drawn from the statutory, voluntary and business sectors to act as an advisory group to the management committee;
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Authorised signatories – bank accounts are operated by more than one person, at least two out of three authorised signatories;
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Training – members of the committee need to be fully trained so that they understand the full range if their duties and responsibilities and have details of key documents such as the constitution and policies;
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Regular meetings – the committee meet regularly to discuss how SCAN should move forward, and formulate strategies to implement any changes needed.
Volunteer Centre Westminster
Volunteer Centre Westminster runs a volunteer Drop in Centre. Over the course of a week there are 20-25 volunteers working at the Centre, of which 15 are located in the drop in Centre reception area. The reception area is entirely staffed by volunteers who help determine how services are delivered, through involvement in advisory groups and other forums.
Helpdesk volunteers are based in the reception area/drop in shop of the Centre. Generally the role is to assist people find suitable volunteering opportunities. In addition, such volunteers deal with a wide range of telephone and e mail enquiries and ensure that the reception and helpdesk operations run smoothly.
Helpdesk volunteers are a vital part of the Volunteer Centre Team. They are part of the ‘front line’ of the Centre and are the first point of contact for people telephoning and visiting the Centre.
Volunteer Centre Westminster actively seeks to involve volunteers in the running of the Centre and any decisions made which may affect them. The Centre recognises volunteers have valuable ideas and suggestions. The Centre has a number of Team Days a year when staff, volunteers and trustees get together to discuss the work of the centre and to have fun.
The Centre also runs a number of advisory groups within the Centre, some of which are listed below:
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Diversity Group
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Organisations and Opportunities Working Group
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Environment Group
Age Concern Gateshead
Age Concern Gateshead created a Volunteer Survey (with prizes), seeking volunteer’s views on different issues, including improvements to volunteer support, suggestions for the Christmas party venue and service gaps. The survey involved the entire volunteer team of about 190 volunteers and a good response was achieved (60%+). The feedback was overwhelmingly positive and provided project managers with a boost as volunteers clearly valued their involvement in the organisation. Age Concern felt that the survey was an important means of taking on board the views of volunteers and also demonstrating their value to the organisation by dealing constructively with the survey outcomes. Following on from the survey Age Concern Gateshead has put together focus groups made up of volunteers. These groups give the volunteers a voice in the running of the charity.
Anne Marshall, the Chief Officer at Age Concern Gateshead commented:
“Volunteering is crucial. The Management Committee always acknowledge that volunteers are just a complete part of the organisation.”
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