Planning your organisational approach – the ‘what’ and ‘why’

The features of planning your organisational approach to volunteering include:

Understand your context using evidence-based assessment

What action you can take

• Create a map of who is doing what and where that fits within your understanding of volunteering
• Produce a gap analysis and highlight any potential duplication
• Use available self-assessment of participation activities, tailored for volunteering approaches
• Harness your organisations consultation techniques to understand user and stakeholder needs

Arguing the case for planning

Adequate lead in time is needed. Project proposals are often unrealistic in the hope of attracting resources (Doers and Shapers DMU, 2009)

Build on existing needs and organisational strategies and plans

What action you can take

• Take information on your population e.g. ageing workforce, community cohesion issues, rural/urban issues etc to focus your efforts.
• Frame ideas in organisational policy/strategy to give your plans credibility when discussing with senior colleagues
• Understand the political landscape and its influences on success of ideas
• Link to themed inspections e.g. OFSTED recommendations

Arguing the case for planning

“A lot of my time has been spent on embedding it in the local area and neighbourhood plans…behind the scenes work making sure I got the Council to agree to totally support the project” (Project leader quoted in Doers and Shapers, DMU, 2009)

Create a shared understanding with your target audiences – both volunteers and key stakeholders

What action you can take

• Work on breaking down barriers to create shared understanding at the outset
• Create an outline terms of reference for those involved so everyone understands their roles
• Identify who the key stakeholders are – think outside the list of likely suspects
• Create guidelines for shared communication – it will present a stronger message about your approach to volunteering.
• Identify your network of champions (including political) at every level of seniority and engage them as early as possible

Arguing the case for planning

It takes time to gain the support and buy-in of senior managers…..Marketing the initiative will require further time to engage partner and young people and clarify expectations (Doers and Shapers, DMU, 2009)

[local authorities found it] somewhat easier to contact young people in known or a static cohort….than target groups that were more widely spread in the wider population…The need to have an accurate profile of such groups, their incidence and where they are likely to be is an important first step. (Doers and Shapers, DMU, 2009)

Be clear about the scope of your approach to volunteering

What action you can take

• Identifying and agreeing the scope for the volunteering approach
• Be clear on whether you are targeting specific demographic groups, localities etc
• Anticipate and overcome lack of awareness and understanding of those you would like to involve
• Agree ‘local’ definition of volunteering – it might differ to the dictionary definition
• Create action plans collaboratively with partners, so individual objectives are discussed and shared objectives agreed.
• Consider using service level agreements, it will help you plan and manage delivery

Arguing the case for planning

[When overcoming barriers] many workers saw it as crucial to keep expectations realistic. (Doers and Shapers, DMU, 2009)

Identify what each partner and stakeholder brings to the table and harness this from an early stage

What action you can take

• Look at your partners aims and targets and identify how you can work together
• Identify which partners can bring something to the work – don’t try to involve all partners – too many can be a distraction from your core purpose
• Make contact early with stakeholders and continue your dialogue with them throughout the planning stage
• Establish a steering group; however informal, it structures your process and thinking
• Keep abreast of key changes in partners that might affect their future involvement
• Develop both officer and member relationships; beginning where it is most appropriate.
• Consider busy schedules and plan ahead when organising meetings
• Be prepared to provide training/briefings to develop partners knowledge and understanding

Arguing the case for planning

[One authority] commissioned a voluntary organisation to recruit young volunteers, liaise with local authority departments and support the young people…this intermediary role was helpful. (Doers and Shapers, DMU, 2009)

Councillors gave that buy in. They had input in shaping it and in the tendering process….they were shaping it in the meeting (Local authority officer quoted in Doers and Shapers, DMU, 2009)

Think seriously about resources early on

What action you can take

• Use the planning stage to scope out what can be done and when – it will take longer than you anticipate
• Getting stakeholder buy-in will be more resource intensive than imagined and requires dedicated effort
• Invest time in getting processes and structures right up front; it will pay dividends
• Assess what will be required - don’t assume that this can be bolted onto someone’s current role.
• Consider outsourcing some of the activity; to address skill and capacity gaps

Arguing the case for planning

[Overcoming barriers through] encouragement of young people to make decisions relevant to themselves, sufficient information to make such decisions, the support of elected members and their training, having dedicated participation workers, and partnership working (Doers and Shapers, DMU, 2009)

Funding for practical support should be built into budgets from the start. This is critical to enabling the most disadvantaged to overcome the blockages to their participation (Doers and Shapers, DMU, 2009)

Be systematic in your planning

What action you can take

• Use a steering group to keep things on track
• Agree objectives and targets with a timescale
• Collect evidence of achievements, even from the planning stage
• Gather baseline date and identify relevant benchmarks to assess success
• Use service level agreements with partners and providers to keep you on track
• Translate relevant policies into defined activities for your volunteering approach

Arguing the case for planning

Rigorous planning and preparation were the success factors most frequently mentioned (Doers and Shapers, DMU, 2009)

Consider sustainability – now!

What action you can take

• Be realistic about what might be achieved, but be aspirational
• Think beyond your current plan to longer term outcomes
• Think about who will determine the success of your approach in the long term and involve them in discussions about sustainability
• Link in with policies and wider internal and external agendas – scan the horizon for future developments

Arguing the case for planning

It is critical that authorities embarking on youth engagement and volunteering schemes take on board what is involved in proper support to the young people. Support does not happen automatically or by good fortune: it involves the provision of resources and skilled workers, operating over sustained periods (Doers and Shapers, DMU, 2009)

There are real dangers in ‘quick win’ superficial involvement initiatives which can prove counter-productive (Doers and Shapers, DMU, 2009)

Find out about planning in action – learning from the projects >>