by Keith Anderson, AVA Head of Development

As we say thank you to all volunteers this week I want to mention a particular group of volunteers whose volunteering might not always be that obvious, but without them no voluntary group could exist. These are the people who take on the roles of directors or trustees, as office bearers or committee members, the volunteer managers who do so much, almost always behind the scenes, so that people can volunteer.

Volunteering doesn’t just happen, it needs to be arranged, it needs to be managed and volunteers need to be supported and looked after; and it’s the directors, the trustees and the committee members who make this happen. Even the smallest of community groups with the simplest of structures needs someone to do the organising, to make the arrangements and make sure that everything happens the way it needs to.

Managing the activities of any voluntary group is similar to the requirements of managing in any business setting; certain skills are needed, experience is helpful and knowledge and awareness are essential. The more complex the purpose of a voluntary group, the more complex the management needs of that group will be; the Board or Management Committee will have to have the necessary skills, knowledge and experience to efficiently lead and manage the group and it’s volunteers so that all activities take place safely, in line with agreed processes and procedures, volunteers are trained and supported in their roles and the benefits of the group’s activities are achieved. 

There is no doubt that the volunteer directors, trustees and committee members do an important job and with this in mind this Volunteers Week, AVA would like to invite volunteers in these roles to register their interest in joining a support network that will have a focus on the roles and responsibilities of the ‘volunteer managers’.  If you are interested please drop Keith Anderson an e-mail - keith.anderson@avashire,org,uk.