Feedback from attendees at the Stepping Up to the Challenge conference hosted by Volunteer Scotland on 29th September 2015.

1. Volunteer Scotland Annual Conference:“Stepping up to the Challenge”
29th September 2015
Summary of Feedback from Breakout Groups
Objective of breakout session: to identify practical suggestions to help Volunteer Scotland and its
partners achieve the strategic objective to:
“Increase effective volunteer participation to improve Scotland’s economic and social wellbeing.”
Structure: the delegates were asked to put forward suggestions under the four main quadrants in
the Demonstration Project’s ‘Theory of Change’: one question per quadrant.
Question 1: Marketing: “What are your suggestions for how we can ask more people to volunteer?”
Question 2: Matching: “How can we make volunteering opportunities fit better with people’s lives
and motivations to volunteer?”
Question 3: Managing: “How do we ensure rewarding experiences for volunteers?”
Question 4: Mission: “What do leaders need to do to increase volunteer participation in Scotland?”
1. Marketing 2. Matching
3. Managing4. Mission
Shared vision & values:
improve; celebrate success;
create a supportive culture
for volunteering
Ask more people: more
and different people are
asked to volunteer
Experience that’s
rewarding: make a bigger
difference for volunteers,
organisations and society
volunteering
Fit with people’s lives:
better matching of
volunteering opportunities
to volunteers’ needs

2. 1. Marketing
WHAT information should we be communicating?
 Highlight the benefits to the volunteer first
 Shift to a message of “volunteering for everyone”
 “Tell stories, change perceptions”
 Wellbeing benefits of volunteering ‘needs to go viral’
 Breaking down stereotypes and broadening perceptions of volunteering
 “Just ask”
 Are we ready to ask?? Get support right first
HOW should we be asking?
Generic methods – wide range of suggestions:
 Word of mouth still deemed to be most important
 Online – Milo2, VAMOS event website, etc.
 Social media – use of video clips/case studies – good for targeting youth
market
 Use of ‘ambassadors’ and celebrities for external marketing
 Volunteering ‘champions’ within employers
 Press, TV, PR, posters, flyers etc.
 Recruitment fairs
 National campaign – a “Call to Action”
Professional marketing approach:
 Simple and clearly understood language
 Accurate description of volunteer role – be precise about what you are asking
for
 Understand your market first e.g. how volunteers engage in their local
communities
 Use of My Volunteer Account to understand volunteers and improve
marketing
Targeting:
 Children/youth - start earlier to engage next generation
 Employers
 Those already volunteering especially at the community level
 People who have been supported by volunteering and converting them to
volunteers
WHO should be asking?
Leadership – the following organisations should be taking the initiative
 Government and national development bodies
 TSIs
 Volunteer Involving Organisations themselves
 Employers who support volunteering
Partnership approach – this was rated particularly highly by delegates:
 A ‘consortium’ approach has higher impact
 This also facilitates sharing skills and resources
 Partnership working at both national and, very importantly, at the
local/community level
 E.g. youth clubs, schools, community groups and volunteers themselves

3. 2. Matching
The ASK – how to present the opportunity?
Development of role and language:
 Use the right language for the role – lots of volunteers don’t see themselves
as ‘volunteers’
 Be very understanding of the needs and capacity of volunteers
 Matching volunteer opportunities to people’s lives/skills – recruit by task not
‘shift’ on rota
 VIOs to consider flexible times, roles and locations to maximise ‘reach’
 Listen to volunteers – co-create opportunities – involve volunteers in
structuring ‘the ask’
Communication of role:
 Keep the message simple
 Be absolutely crystal clear about the role and its responsibilities
 Set clear expectations and manage those expectations – in particular, be
clear about the required time commitments & other key parameters of the role
 Provide the right information from the start
 Articulate the benefits to the volunteer
 Be honest
The PROCESS – how to improve the matching process?
The engagement process:
 Centralised promotion of volunteering opportunities so people can find out
what is suitable for them
 Respond to enquiries quickly
 Use of trial volunteering events/days/’taster’ sessions/bring a friend
 Make it quick and easy to get started so that volunteers have a positive
experience from the beginning
 Training for volunteer managers in the marketing/matching process
Volunteering models:
 ESV model which is a good example of fitting volunteering around busy lives
 Scope to use micro-volunteering model
 Better sharing of ‘how’ to increase volunteering e.g. sharing models of good
practice
The BARRIERS – how to reduce the barriers to volunteering?
 Minimise paperwork and red tape – make it easy and quick to start
 Quick turnaround on PVG checks
 Provide opportunities which are local
 Acknowledge the restrictions VIOs face in meeting volunteers’ needs: budget,
the time someone has, their ability, whether the role is suitable for under 18s,
etc.
 Understanding volunteer needs through analysis of Milo2/Volunteer Scotland
website to help reduce barriers and improve fit.
 Reduce competition between VIOs – increase partnership working and
sharing of volunteers – a ‘win-win’ rather than ‘win-lose’.

4. 3. Managing
ENGAGEMENT
 Respond to applications quickly – keep them informed – a week is a long time
 Use of uniforms, badges and branded kit to give volunteers their own
identity/presence
 Good quality induction of your volunteers is key
 Training for volunteers so they feel ‘invested in’. Not just words but practical
support
 Volunteers should have a ‘go to’ person with responsibility for volunteering
and with whom they can liaise and to for support
 Setting review/exit dates i.e. volunteering is not necessarily ‘open-ended’
 Networking and social events help to integrate volunteers within your
organisation
 The goal is to provide a positive experience from start to finish
 Treat people the way you would want to be treated yourself
 Trust and support volunteers
COMMUNICATION
 Regular communication with volunteers – listening
 The volunteer should feel integral to the organisation
 Let volunteers tell their story
 Respect individuals and their different needs, interests and skills
 The ‘Volunteer Voice’ should be embedded throughout the organisation. A
culture that understands and respects volunteers and what they have to offer.
 We need to know what each individual wants out of their volunteer
experience. Do VIOs always take the time (or have the time!) to find this out
and to get to know their volunteers?
 Linked to this is learning about their skills and utilising them
RECOGNITION
 Do volunteers understand how important they are?
 Personal informal acknowledgement of volunteers’ contribution is the most
important aspect of recognition
 This can be supported by formal ‘awards’ at the organisational, local or
national level (e.g. Saltire Awards)
 Volunteers want recognition that they’re giving their time and skills to
something that they value. They don’t want to be taken for granted.
FEEDBACK
 Listen to your volunteers and ask for honest feedback. Ask them about their
experience; including what didn’t go well and why
 Regular evaluation to understand the benefits to volunteers and the
effectiveness of their volunteering
 Volunteers want to know what impact they are having and how they have
made a difference
 Volunteers should be given the space and encouragement to reflect on the
personal benefits they have gained from volunteering, i.e. health and
wellbeing benefits.

5. 4. Mission
What Leaders need to SAY
 Challenge the status quo: “Scotland – Wake Up!”
 Understand what you are asking:
 Why – being clear on the rationale for using volunteers
 How – the way in which you are best engaging with volunteers
 Who – know your ‘audience’ i.e. volunteers – understanding the different
drivers which motivate volunteers
 Use various mediums to ‘ask’. There is no silver bullet and a multi-layered
marketing/engagement plan is required
 Consider use of language – focus on positive ‘benefits’ to the individual,
rather than ‘impact’ / ‘outcomes’
 It’s about understanding qualitative rather than quantitative data and
understanding. Experience over numbers.
 Capture and communicate the volunteering spirit – ‘live volunteering’
 Define what volunteering is and what it isn’t
 Young people need to get the message that volunteering is important –
engage from primary schools onwards
 Talk about the volunteer voice rather than policy
 Talk about the ‘added value’ rather than the ‘economic value’ of volunteering
 Talk about events/activities as ‘volunteering’
 Keep it simple
What Leaders need to DO
 Consider effective resourcing of volunteering. Leaders need to understand
that volunteering is not free- it has to be valued and funded appropriately
 Involve funders for long-term sustainability
 Volunteer management to be recognised as a true vocation
 Volunteering needs to be mainstream; in mission statements, business plans,
policy goals. Politicians and captains of industry need to lead. A new National
Indicator would help.
 Development of appropriate KPIs with responsibility at a high level
 Leaders need to do it themselves and talk personally about the benefits
 Widen access and increase diversity – be open to new ideas
 Make it a rewarding experience – explain the ‘Why’
 Learning from other good practice/challenging practice.
WHO is responsible for leadership?
 We need leadership at all levels
 Leadership from national bodies such as Volunteer Scotland to ‘get the
message across: policy influence; recognition of volunteering and its
importance, etc. Top down
 Use of celebrity ambassadors to take on a leadership role to promote
volunteering
 Leadership at a local level is also essential – bottom up.
 Volunteer Scotland’s role around leadership needs to be clearer
 The Scottish Government volunteering strategy needs updating
 There needs to be a cultural shift in the mindset of politicians/central
government as to how they view and promote volunteering
 We need to enable political leaders to have a better understanding of
volunteering (too often seen as ‘cheap labour’)
 Remember, volunteers are leaders themselves