2. The Volunteer Sourcing Process

The HR Process is shown on the below Process Flow Diagram and includes:

  • Identifying the company needs (number of volunteers, their roles and when they are needed)
  • Listing of Volunteer Opportunities.
  • Filtering of Volunteer Applications (pre-qualification questionnaire).
  • Interviewing of shortlisted Volunteer Applicants.
  • The signing of the Volunteer Agreement.
  • Onboarding of the Volunteer.
  • Training of the Volunteer.
  • Performance Monitoring of the Volunteer including surveys
  • Succession planning.
  • Offboarding of the Volunteer.

SkilledUp Life Volunteer Sourcing Process Cycle

Identifying the Company Needs #

HR Volunteer or the HR Strategist Volunteer needs to be fully familiar with the HR Process and is the key co-ordinator between the Company and the SkilledUp Life.

HR Toolkit - Organisational Needs Capture
Organisational Volunteer Needs Capture

Through regular communications with the Company, the HR function should plan the Volunteer requirements, i.e. number of volunteers needed, their roles and start dates, for the next 3 months, as a minimum.

Listing of Volunteer Opportunities #

For the listing of Volunteer Opportunities, we suggest you use the following template, which is proven over time to be highly effective. The role should be explained through the following headings:

  • About the Company. Explain why Volunteers should be excited to help grow your technology company.
  • About the Opportunity. Excite the Volunteer of the opportunity created by your company.
  • Your Needs. What are the specific needs your insist that the Volunteer must have.
  • Activities. What are the regular actitvities that the Volunteer must perform during the 3 months.
  • Acquired Work Experience. As a result of helping your company grow, what Experience would the Volunteer gain?
  • Acquired Skills. What Skills would the Volunteer acquire whilst helping your company grow.
  • Endorsements. The endorsements you are happy to provide upon successfull completion of the 3 months.
  • Disclaimer. Clear display that Volunteers cannot earn or gain benefits whilst volunteering. No promises of future employment or paid work shall be made.
HR Volunteer Kit - Opportunity Template
Volunteer Opportunity Template

Filtering of Volunteer Applications #

Once Volunteers have applied for a listed Opportunity, it is vital to obtain responses to a standard set of pre-qualification questionnaires as part of your due diligence and shortlisting process.

HR Toolkit - Pre-Qualification Questionnaire
Pre-Qualification Questionnaire

The above should help you create your own set of Questionnaire specific to your organisational circumstances.

Interviewing of Shortlisted Volunteer Applicants #

We always encourage you to interview Volunteer Applicants once you have received satisfactory responses to your Pre-Qualification Questionnaire. It’s important to prepare for the Interview and the below document provides guidelines for successfully managing the interview process.

HR Toolkit - Interview Guidelines
Interview Guidelines

The preparation and signing of the Volunteer Agreement #

You should not start an engagement with a Volunteer without signing a Volunteer Agreement. We use PandaDoc for signing.

HR Toolkit - Volunteer Agreement
Volunteer Agreement and Guidelines

After both parties have signed the Agreement, log in to your SkilledUp Life Dashboard and approve the applicant.

Onboarding of the Volunteer #

Once the Volunteer Agreement is signed, you need to onboard the Volunteer. Onboarding may involve:

  • Creation of a company email account.
  • Adding the Volunteer to applicable software tools.
  • Introducing or making available company procedures and other relevant documentation.
  • Produce role description document which clearly outlines the tasks the Volunteer will complete.
  • Inform how to submit daily reports.
  • Details of any meetings plannned.
  • Introduce to other relevant team members.

Volunteer Training #

Immediately after onboarding the Volunteer, any training required needs to be organised. Training may include:

  • Introduction to systems, processes and tools.
  • How certain things are done.
  • How to execute the tasks.

Volunteer Performance Monitoring #

We recommend all Volunteers submit daily updates. It’s important to make sure this is happening and any problems are captured before they become major issues. We also suggest conducting three surveys:

  • At the start to capture Volunteer aspirations.
  • Half way through to capture any issues.
  • At the end of the Volunteer term to assess the success of it.

Volunteer Succession Planning #

We recommend a Volunteer Term of 3 months. Before the term ends, it’s advisable to have a replacement onboarded, trained and shadowing the Volunteer so when the term ends, the transition takes place smoothly without any gaps to the overall performance.

Volunteer Offboarding #

Volunteer offboarding entails:

  • Gradual handover of the tasks to the replacement Volunteer.
  • Issuing a letter of recommendation.
  • Leaving testimonials on Linkedin.

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1 Comment

  1. Avatar
    January 26, 2023
    |
    Epistimis LLC

    Thanks for the detailed steps!

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