This dissertation by Jana Berkhan, a former student of Anglia Ruskin University in Cambridge, may be useful if you are reviewing your volunteer involvement or planning a recruitment campaign.
Kindly contributed by and copyright to Jana Berkhan
Please note: please bear in mind that this study was written by an individual in a specific context as part of their studies, so the contents should be used as a guide rather than adopted wholesale. For further information, please visit our 'top tips on using the Good Practice Bank'.
Jana's study is arranged in two sections. The first part is a literature review of research and good practice guidance on running volunteer programmes. The second part includes a survey and analysis about volunteer-involving organisations in Cambridge.
Jana's survey looks at looks at how organisations describe their motivations for involving volunteers. It also breaks down the common types of role which volunteers do, and why organisations feel this work is valuable. The survey also looks at recruitment practices such as the use of role/task descriptions, interviewing and selecting vols and training.
Although the survey is focused on a small number of organisations in Cambridge, the study includes some conclusions which would probably be useful for organisations around the country. Jana notes that, "The main problems of volunteer recruitment appear to be a tendency towards overformalisation and an insufficient focus on target groups".
