Resources

Designed by Volunteering New Zealand to support managing volunteers within volunteer-involving organisations.

WorkSafe New Zealand's guidance for organisations with volunteers. 

A resource compiled at the Volunteer Centre Network Aotearoa's 2018 Hui. Tips on developing role descriptions, involving youth and older volunteers, volunteer induction, appreciation and recognition and volunteer feedback.

This fact sheet outlines what policies and processes your organisations will ideally have in place - to protect your organisation, and your team.

This template is to assist you to in writing a volunteer role description. It contains a range of considerations, which may or may not be applicable in different situations.

Developing your Volunteer Programme. This highly recommended resource contains practical tips, tools and resources to help organisations develop their volunteer programmes.

Finding the right volunteers for your organisation involves ensuring that you are getting an effective message, and the right message, to the right audience.

When recruiting volunteers, there are a range of checks you can undertake to ensure you are getting the right person for the role, the right person for your organisation, and the right person to work with your clients.

When recruiting volunteers, reference checks are an important part of the process. These checks allow you to build a picture of the prospective volunteer and help to ensure that you are getting a good fit for your team.

The purpose of vetting is to minimise the likelihood of the more vulnerable members of society (children, older people and those with special needs) being put at risk by individuals who may have displayed behaviour that could be detrimental to others' safety and wellbeing.

A sample of a volunteer agreement that can be adapted for your organisation.

Volunteer teams benefit by being diverse and involving a wide range of volunteers, and this may include those with a disability or impairment. Whether you are considering involving a volunteer with an intellectual disability, sight or hearing impairment, someone recovering from an illness, or with a mobility issue etc, this resource contains some helpful considerations.

Volunteer Wellington encourages community organisations to reimburse the actual expenses (e.g. travel expenses) of their volunteers - but be sure you have a policy in place and that you know the IRD rules regarding reimbursement.

The Human Rights Act uses an expanded definition of ‘employment’ that includes volunteers. This means that organisations that involve volunteers must make sure that their selection of volunteers is based on areas such as skills, experience and qualifications, rather than issues such as race, gender or disability.

Volunteer performance has an effect on the overall performance of your organisation. The longer issues are ignored the more ingrained they may become, and the greater the negative effect will be on your volunteers, organisation and clients. The sooner you deal with issues, the better for everyone.

There are many reasons that your organisation may need to exit a volunteer. Perhaps they are no longer able to perform the role, cannot safely complete the required tasks, or are not aligned with the values or vision of the organisation. Exiting a volunteer is sometimes necessary, but not always an easy process.

A sample of a volunteer exit survey that can be adapted for your organisation.

An account of the volunteer contribution to Wellington’s response to the 1918 influenza pandemic