National Standards for Organisations Involving Volunteers

1. National Standards for Organisations Involving Volunteers Penny York

2. National Standards for Organisations Involving Volunteers • Purpose? • How they came about? • Who are they for?

3. What is a Standard? • Standards Australia: • “A standard is a published document which sets out specifications and procedures designed to ensure that a material, product or service is fit for its purpose and consistently performs the way it was meant to perform”

4. What is a Standard? • Commonly understood • Agreed way of doing things • Checklist to compare what we have done or made • Perform to expected level

5. Popular commercial standards • Quality management systems AS/NZS ISO 9000 • Risk Management AS/NZS 4260 • Corporate Governance AS8000-4 • National timber framing code AS 1684 • Electrical installations, wiring rules AS/NZS 3000

6. Standards for volunteer organisations • Suggestive not prescriptive • Generic. What – not how. • Guide or checklist • Eight headings

7. National Standards for Organisations Involving Volunteers • Improve the way we manage and support the 4.6 million volunteers across 600,000 not for profit organisations contributing $14.6B unpaid work GDP contribution $43B in 2007(twice the average growth) • GDP + unpaid work ≈ retail industry GDP • 1/3 due to volunteer labour

8. Industry Contribution • Feb 10 Report - contribution of the NFP sector • Enhance community and publics confidence in the sector • Focus on improving the measurement of the sectors contribution • NFPs work within a complex, bureaucratic burdensome inconsistent framework of legislation and requirements

9. Government response • NFPs important role in economy and society • Government responsibility to the industry: simplify legislation, reporting requirements, remove barriers for operation • What are the NFPs responsibilities ??

10. Volunteers 81% would ‘personally appreciate’ having their volunteer work recognised in the form of opportunities to develop their skills 42% do not have a clear, written job description for their role 28% aware of confusion, uncertainly or conflict between their roles and ‘paid’ employees Organisations 97% rate volunteer recruitment as an issue of importance 23% identified as having implemented the National Standards for Involving Volunteers in NFP organisations National Survey 2006

11. The National Standards • 1. Policies and procedures • 2. Management responsibilities • 3. Recruitment, selection and orientation • 4. Work and the workplace • 5. Training and development • 6. Service delivery • 7. Documentation and records • 8. Continuous improvement • * Statement of intent and criteria

12. 1. Policies and Procedures • An organisation that involves volunteers shall define and document its policies and procedures for volunteer involvement and ensure that these are understood, implemented and maintained at all levels of the organisation where volunteers are involved. • Intent: A policy and procedural framework to provide direction and structure to managing volunteers

13. 2. Management Responsibility • An organisation that involves volunteers shall ensure that volunteers are managed within a defined system and by capable personnel with the authority and resources to achieve the organisation's policy goals • Intent: Establish management system and structure to support volunteers and NFP managementincluding lines of authority, risk, resources and community responsibility.

14. 3. Recruitment, selection and orientation • An organisation that involves volunteers shall plan and have clearly documented volunteer recruitment, selection and orientation policies and procedures that are consistent with non-discriminatory practices and guidelines. • Intent: Ensure the process is planned, non discriminatory, controlled and meets organisation and volunteer needs

15. 4. Work and the workplace • An organisation that involves volunteers shall clearly specify and control the work of volunteers and ensure that their place of work is conducive to preserving their health, safety and general well-being. • Intent: Volunteer roles are documented, controlled, monitored supported, reviewed, are satisfying, include communication and OH&S

16. 5. Training and development • An organisation that involves volunteers shall ensure that volunteers obtain the knowledge, skills, feedback on work, and the recognition needed to effectively carry out their responsibilities. • Intent: Needs based training for job performance, organisation development including feedback and recognition

17. 6. Service delivery • An organisation that involves volunteers shall ensure that appropriate processes and procedures are established and followed for the effective planning, control and review of all activities relation to the delivery of services by volunteers. • Intent: Ensure the org knows what it takes to deliver service so they are predictable, known and understood by volunteers

18. 7. Documentation and records • An organisation that involves volunteers shall establish a system an have defined procedures to control all documentation and personnel records that relate to the management of volunteers. • Intent: Ensure processes are monitored, improvements captured, gains maintained in systematic controlled secure way

19. 8. Continuous improvement • An organisation that involves volunteers shall plan and continually review its volunteer management system to ensure that opportunities to improve the quality of the system are identified and actively pursued. • Intent: Systems to ensure systematic and continuous improvement process

20. Where to start? • Mindset – frame your business with volunteers top of mind • Opportunity to look at your organisation • What helps your organisation do what it does? … what isn’t working? … what are we forgetting? … what are our obligations • Project

21. Critical success factors • Commitment • Project team • Action plan • Senior management support • Resources • Structure of support

22. Nine step implementation plan • Set up the project for success • Identify the likely benefits and challenges of implementing the national standards • Gain support and commitment of senior management • Qualify results – quantify if you can.

23. Identify the benefits andchallenges Gain managementcommitment Establish a project team Develop your project plan Promote andcommunicate your project Conduct a ‘gapassessment’ Determine yourmanagement system Document your system Implement your policies & procedures Maintain your system Implementation overview

24. Interesting industry stats • More volunteers – 4.6 M • Volunteers contribute less hours – 74 hrs in 1995, 56 hrs in 2006 • Numbers of 18-24 year old volunteers in 2006 was 32% (up from 17% in 1995) • $7.2 billion philanthropic income • $25.5 billion funding from government • $38 billion self generated income • Paid NFPs employees earn on average 25% less • Paid NFP: 41% full time, 34% part time, 24% casual