Supporting volunteers

In order for skilled volunteering to be successful, for both the volunteer(s) and the recipient organisation, it is essential to provide good support.

When I first took on the role of Pro Bono O.R. Project Manager I put a lot of processes and systems in place to ensure this. From project guidelines, project proposal forms, case study templates and feedback forms there is plenty of information for both the volunteers and organisations to refer to. Additionally I ensure I check in with the volunteers and organisations on a regular basis to see how the projects are going.  Keeping an open channel of communication is key.

I was really pleased to receive this feedback from a volunteer who has just completed a project with Elfrida Rathbone Camden:

 'I found all of the templates provided by The OR Society really helpful, right from the project proposal in the initial stages and the feedback forms at the end. I also found it extremely helpful that Felicity would check in on our progress from time to time, as it would often serve as a good reminder if we had not worked on it for a while.'

Supporting volunteers and keeping them engaged and appreciated is something I am very keen to do and would welcome any ideas on what others do to do this.

Further information on the Pro Bono O.R. scheme can be found here: http://ow.ly/QdMy7