How should our organisation train and induct volunteers, and why is this important?
Training your volunteers is important because this induction period:
- provides an understanding of your organisation and the role they will be doing
- helps the volunteer be more confident and comfortable in their role
- allows standards to be set and agreed upon
- allocates time for the volunteer to become familiar with the premises, team, and procedures
- strengthens the relationship between the volunteer and their supervisor, and any other important contacts
The length of the induction period will vary depending on your organisation, the role of the volunteer, and the availability of both the volunteer and their supervisor. Some training can be done on the first day, whilst others will be over a longer period. This is an ongoing process, and more training can be offered to volunteers as they continue their volunteering journey.
Does this training and induction plan need to be updated regularly?
For each volunteer role that you offer, a training and induction plan should be created and tailored to this role. Before a volunteer starts at your organisation, this should be reviewed to ensure it is up to date for when the induction period begins.
How do I create a training and induction plan?
We have created a checklist of things to consider when developing your volunteer induction plan, which you can download and use as a PDF or DOCX.
