About GoldStar 
An important part of the GoldStar Exemplar Programme is to highlight and share good practices that already exists in recruiting and retaining volunteers, mentors and befrienders from socially excluded groups. In this section, you’ll find list of good practices. These can range from simple ideas to whole codes of practice.
Just click on any subject heading and be inspired.
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If you are seeking to attract volunteers you may want to adopt targeting campaigns tailored to your local community. Below are the main factors relating to targeting: |
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| Clarity of purpose |  |
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| Understanding the target population | |
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| Developing appropriate Methodologies | |
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| Ensuring campaign material is accessible | |
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| Recruitment | |
Toolkit |
Encouraging people from socially excluded groups to undertake work activites can be a difficult challenge. Some of the approaches that appear to work particulary well include: |
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| Providing appropriate information to prospective volunteers | |
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| Supporting volunteers at the recruitment stage | |
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| Recruiting service users | |
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| Ensuring selection procedures are effective | |
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| Matching Volunteers | |
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In volunteering organisations it is good practice to match volunteers to appropriate roles, which take account of volunteer’s capabilities, skills, interests, aspirations and other development needs. It will enable volunteers to get maximum benefit from being a volunteer and the organisation to gain improved quality of service provided and contribute to volunteer retention rates. |
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| Understanding the needs and motivations of volunteers | |
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| Ensuring a wide range of volunteering opportunites | |
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| Felixble approach | |
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| Progression pathways | |
Toolkit |
For some individuals volunteering may be the only realistic route on the path to paid employment, and so it is important to assess each volunteers support needs. There are certain factors that are critical to the success of this good practice as outlined below: |
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| Developing clear progression pathways | |
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| Visualising progress | |
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| Formal structures and links with other organisations | |
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| Training and Induction | |
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| Training of volunteers from socially excluded backgrounds is particularly important in enabling them to do their volunteering work satisfactorily. Critical success factors in relation to training and induction are summarised below: | ||
Understanding the individual needs and barriers of the target volunteering population |
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Tailoring training to individual needs |
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| Support and Supervision | |
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Giving adequate and appropriate support and supervision to volunteers who are drawn from socially excluded communities is a vital part of ensuring a productive and enjoyable volunteering experience. This support and supervision needs to be applied consistently throughout the period the volunteer is with the organisation. |
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| Assessing support needs | |
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| Peer and mentor support | |
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| Monitoring volunteer progression | |
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| Effective communication with volunteers | |
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| Flexible support arrangements | |
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| Involvement and Recognition | |
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Volunteering organisations whose aim is to recruit volunteers from socially excluded groups need to have measures in place to involve the volunteers in their work and also to ensure that their efforts do not go unrecognised. |
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| Involving Volunteers in decision making | |
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| Recognising the efforts of volunteers | |
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| Clarity about relationships | |
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| Effective management | |
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It is critical to the success of volunteering organisations that they can demonstrate that they have formally assessed and considered their operational issues and that these are set out in a clear set of policies and procedures accessible to all groups of volunteers. |
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Clear policies and procedures |
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Measuring performance in terms of impact and outcomes |
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Appropriate management information and records of volunteers |
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Effective working relationship with clients |
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| Disseminating Good Practice to other organisations |
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