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Here are some tips to help you find the right applicants
for your volunteer needs, how to choose the right person
for the job, and tips to make the most of the volunteer's
efforts.
Making the Right Request
Be Clear in the Volunteer Request.
Be as specific as possible in the description of your volunteer opportunity.
If any particular skills are completely necessary, state
them up front. If there are any special expectations of a
volunteer, be sure to state these clearly also. (Is the
volunteer expected to work unusual hours? Should they
bring their own computer?)
Be Sure that Using a Volunteer for the Project Makes Sense.
Training a volunteer will take time and effort. Be sure
that the task that you'd like to accomplish does not
require more training time than it would take to actually
complete the project. (Why train someone for a week just
to have them work on a project that can be completed in
three days?) Grouping similar tasks together and bringing
on one volunteer for a longer period of time is one way
to avoid this problem. Some projects, especially those
computer-related, are less prone to this issue as they
require little or no training for the volunteer to be
effective.
Choosing the Right Volunteer
Don't Accept the First Applicant.
Wait a few days or a few weeks to field all the possible
volunteers for a particular opportunity. While you should
try to contact interested volunteers as soon as possible
after you receive an inquiry from them, you should not
immediately accept the first volunteer. If you get many
inquiries, it's good practice to at least send an email
to the interested volunteers to let them know that you've
received their inquiry and will get back to them shortly.
(This can be done with a generic form letter).
Interview Your Applicants.
Find out more about potential volunteers by asking some
questions about them. Why are they interested in working
for your organisation? Do they have prior experience
volunteering? What interests them about Tibetan culture?
By getting just a little feedback, choosing a volunteer
will be much easier. If the volunteer is currently in
India or nearby, conducting an interview in person is
always the best way to get insight to how they will fit
in with your existing staff.
Making the Volunteer a Member of Your Team
Provide Orientation for Your Volunteer.
Create a welcome packet of information for your volunteer
that provides them basic information about the rules of the
office, the names of the people in the office and their
responsibilities, contact phone numbers of people inside
and outside the organisation, and other information that
would be helpful to orientate the volunteer.
Define Responsibilities Clearly.
Be very clear with volunteers what their responsibilities
are and try to make them feel like they are an integral
part of projects and part of the team. Be clear to the
rest of the staff what the volunteer's responsibilities
are so there is no confusion or conflicting roles.
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