Recruitment_by Euradiponet_to be inserted in the Framework

Recruitment – by Euradiponet

Recruitment framework

Preamble

The project aims to develop a  Framework about the recruitment, the retention and the recognition of volunteers in the field of  health and social care.

This framework wants to provide methods and techniques  that  show results superior to those achieved up to now with other means , and that can be  used as a benchmark.

At the end of the project, we are able  to present some good practices thanks to a lot of  comparisons among the theoretical researches and the practical strategies adopted by the partner associations involved in the project.

Besides we  collected and analysed  some good  practices carried out  by 21 active associations in  social care and health.

How to attract and recruit volunteers

We can identify two different main phases in the recruitment process.

The first phase.- The organization should spread all the possible information about the association in the community to alert people to what the  organization is doing and how they can help.

How/where:

• by word of mouth (if the volunteers enjoy their work, they will tell their friends);
• on occasion of  special events organized by  associations;
• by local press,  local radio and TV;
• by posters fastened in the local volunteer centers and  public offices;
• by the internet (especially for young people);
• in volunteer association offices;
• in work places and schools.

The second phase.-Find out what motivates people to be a volunteer.

 

Volunteers Selection  should be done on a base of good balance between volunteer  expectations and their possible roles.  is about ensuring a good match between the volunteer and the role description.

Types of selection procedure include:

·         Interviews with some members of staff and some volunteers

·         Informal chatting

·         Application form

Formal or informal interviews are necessary to

estimate and take into consideration the potential volunteer skills, attitudes and motivations, as well as giving him clear information about the organisation, the role and what is expected from volunteers.

The more the degree of responsibility a volunteer will have, the more detailed and in-depth the selection process should be.

Successful organisations recognise this and go the extra mile to ensure that they match the volunteer to the role, taking account of their needs and interests, not just what the organisation needs.

During the recruitment the management should  bear in mind what do volunteers want and need:

• the opportunities of roles;

• a welcoming and efficient recruitment process;

• induction;

• training that meets the needs of the role & the volunteer;

• a well-organised but flexible workplace;

• to be valued;

•  to learn new skills or make use of skills they already have;

• to develop confidence or self-worth;

• to meet new people and have fun;

• insurance cover for volunteers.

Case Study by Euradiponet

Case study by Euradiponet

Matching volunteers’ and organizations’ expectations.

Intervention Strategies

Target group of volunteering are mostly the weak segments of the population: the disabled,   children, elderly people and economically disadvantaged families.

 The activities of volunteering are directed towards the development of social and health care.

All categories of workers are represented in volunteering, but students and retired people are most because of having much more flexible time at their disposal. 

Women are the ones more involved in volunteering.

Recruitment takes place mainly in work places and in volunteer association offices.  Most associations organize special events for recruiting but very few volunteers give their availability in these occasions.

Local press and meetings are used  for recruiting but it’s to be underlined that the internet and e-mailing is still very little used in recruitment. Occasions in which volunteer associations introduce themselves to the community are:

a)      Woman day (8^th March),

b)      Labor day (1^st May),

c)      Spring day,

d)      Game and sport events,

e)      Local festival 

f)       Youth musical concerts.

In these occasions leaflets are delivered in the stands of the associations.

In the leaflets there is a section in which are listed duties and rights of potential volunteers.

Often the same volunteers are the those who advertise their associations, especially the ones who matured a strong sense of belonging.

Volunteer’s qualifications are always checked and taken into consideration: for about fifty per cent of volunteers an initial training is provided and the other fifty per cent of volunteers have already specific competences ready to be used. A tutoring period for new volunteers is planned. All associations provide for a phase of selection and a phase of initial training in order to match the interests of the volunteer and the demands of the associations. In addition to the training and a mentoring program,  interviews, specific skills tests, submission of a curriculum vitae mentioning the professional qualifications are taken into account. In few cases associations haven’t got formal procedures to check skills from volunteers, but an exploration of the interests of the volunteers always happens though  informal talks with the referents of the associations.    .

No payment is given for volunteering activities, but repayment of expenses and acknowledgements are given.

Insurance cover for volunteers is provided in  Italy in all cases.

An application form is provided for recruitment in almost all cases.

A web site is used by the organizations in the recruitment phase, mainly to present in which of their areas volunteers are needed and in addition to that for spreading information about the association and attracting the attention from potential volunteers.

The subjects involved in the phase of recruitment in the associations are mainly the same volunteers, the managers, and to a lesser extend specialized staff as psychologists and experts in human resources.

The main instruments used for selecting the staff are the personal talks, formal and informal, and to a lesser degree, the curriculum vitae and specific recruitment forms

Italian associations claim that the process about recruitment is easy to access and in most cases they try to have a feedback from volunteers related to the recruitment process.

Motivation, very often,  is more important than professional skills but it is necessary to point out that for association involved in health care specific competences are requested.

It is pointed out that volunteer associations give  great importance to the phase of recruitment.

Although for some it is more structured and for others less formal, all organizations recognize the importance of taking care of this delicate phase.