Get the most from your volunteer
Our media volunteers are professional and most will be offering their time in addition to fulfilling a full-time job.
Keeping volunteers motivated and committed can be a challenge. To ensure they provide the support you need and remain productive you will need to maintain clear and regular channels of communication.
Read on to discover our top tips for keeping your volunteers engaged and developing an effective working relationship with them.
Top tips
- Respond quickly. If you leave a volunteer request too long they may start thinking about finding another organisation to support
- Volunteer management is key. Be clear on who is going to manage the relationship with your volunteer and see the work through within your organisation
- Provide a clear brief. Be clear on what you need and the timeline for the work. Discuss it with your volunteer and agree deadlines together
- Be prepared. Make sure you have the correct information, equipment and resources in place so your volunteer can get to work straight away
- Honesty is king. Be upfront with them about what you do and don’t know. They are the experts and here to help, don’t be afraid to ask questions
- Be realistic. Don’t make promises you can’t deliver on. tell your volunteer about your workload and the time and resources you can make available to them
- Remain open. Our media volunteers are highly-skilled and work for some of the biggest media companies in the world. They may come up with creative and imaginative approaches to your situation. Be open to their suggestions and trust their expertise
- Communicate regularly. Keep in touch and update them with progress, challenges and deadlines
- A simple thank you. Make sure you thank your volunteers and show your appreciation. They are giving up their time to help you and everyone likes a little TLC
Media Trust provides a great energy that gave me incredible access to people who want to help, and have the skills we need as a charity
Erin Coburn, Rugby Portobello Trust
Do let us know how you are getting on and do share your tips for how to get more from your volunteers.
We’re here to help you and your volunteer get the most out of the experience.
Our Corporate Partners
We enjoy outstanding support from the media industry. Our partners include:
