How do you ensure your volunteers' safety and well-being?

1 Assess the risks

Before you recruit, train, or deploy volunteers, you need to conduct a thorough risk assessment of the activities, locations, and situations they will be involved in. This means identifying and evaluating the potential hazards, such as physical injuries, emotional stress, cultural conflicts, or security threats, and determining the likelihood and severity of each one. Based on your risk assessment, you need to develop and implement appropriate policies, procedures, and measures to prevent, reduce, or respond to the risks. For example, you may need to provide personal protective equipment, insurance coverage, emergency contacts, or evacuation plans for your volunteers.

3 Support and supervise the volunteers

During their service, you need to provide your volunteers with ongoing support and supervision to ensure their safety and well-being. This means checking in regularly with your volunteers, either in person, by phone, or online, and providing them with feedback, guidance, and encouragement. You should also monitor their performance, progress, and satisfaction, and address any issues or concerns that may arise. You should also create opportunities for your volunteers to connect and collaborate with each other, as well as with other staff and stakeholders. This can help foster a sense of belonging, teamwork, and mutual support among your volunteers.

4 Recognize and reward the volunteers

After their service, you need to recognize and reward your volunteers for their contributions and achievements. This means expressing your appreciation and gratitude, either verbally, in writing, or through certificates, awards, or tokens of recognition. You should also celebrate and share the successes and impacts of your volunteers, both internally and externally, and highlight the stories and testimonials of your volunteers. You should also provide your volunteers with opportunities for learning and development, such as feedback sessions, evaluations, debriefings, or trainings. This can help your volunteers reflect on their experiences, identify their strengths and areas for improvement, and enhance their skills and knowledge.

5 Solicit and act on feedback

Finally, you need to solicit and act on feedback from your volunteers to ensure their safety and well-being. This means asking your volunteers for their opinions, suggestions, and complaints, either formally or informally, and listening to their perspectives and experiences. You can use various methods to collect feedback from your volunteers, such as surveys, interviews, focus groups, or suggestion boxes. You should also analyze and report on the feedback you receive, and use it to improve your volunteer management practices, policies, and procedures. This can help you demonstrate your respect and responsiveness to your volunteers, and increase their trust and loyalty to your organization.