1. Meeting the needs of volunteers,volunteermanagersand
organisations: a new volunteermanagementmodeland life cycles.
Lead Author: Zoe MacGregor, Learning and Practice Development Officer.
Co-author: Gemma Jackson, Research and Information Officer.
Contents
Page
 Introduction 2
 Developing the resources 4
- Defining volunteers’ needs
- Defining the organisations’ needs
 Using the model and life cycles 10
- Application in training
- Application in practice
 Conclusion 14
 References 15
Volunteer Scotland is the only national centre for volunteering in Scotland and
receives funded support from the Scottish Government and others to:
 research, demonstrate and measure the impact made by volunteers.
 work with organisations who can influence volunteering such as funders,
Government, and policy makers.
 support paid staff and volunteers to develop skills through accessing training and
easy to use volunteer development tools.
 offer a one stop digital gateway to everyone in Scotland who wants to post and
advertise or find volunteer opportunities.
 provide an expert Disclosure Service for voluntary organisations.

2. 2
Introduction
Levels of formal volunteering amongst the adult population in Scotland have
remained relatively stable, although a slight downward trend has been observed in
recent years, with the level gradually falling from 31% in 2010 to 28% in 2013
(Scottish Household Survey1).
Due to the positive impact that volunteering can have on individuals, organisations
and the wider community, Volunteer Scotland is committed to increasing volunteer
participation. However, to bring about a positive turnaround in current levels of
volunteering, it is important to try and understand why levels have been stalling in
recent years.
Research has indicated that there is a growing need to re-conceptualise volunteering
(Musick and Wilson, 2008; Davis Smith, 2006). It has traditionally been viewed as
the ‘gifting’ of time to help those less fortunate than ourselves – an act that is
altruistic and philanthropic. This view of volunteering is often termed the ‘dominant
paradigm’ and depicts volunteering as a formalised process which focuses upon
social welfare activity (Rochester et al, 2012). There have been increasing debates
amongst academics and practitioners as to the inclusivity of this perception and the
general lack of knowledge and understanding that surrounds the ‘reality’ of
volunteering, both in terms of the variety of volunteering opportunities that are
available and the diverse organisational settings and people that are involved in
volunteering (Hankinson and Rochester, 2005). In order to widen the volunteer base,
it is acknowledged that change is required – volunteering needs to become a part of
the DNA of society and a societal view needs to created whereby to not volunteer is
seen to be missing out on a life enhancing experience (Fujiwara, 2013; Rochester et
al, 2012; Kearney, 2001).
Lyons et al. (1998) and Stebbins (2004) have introduced two different theoretical
perspectives through which to consider volunteering – the ‘civil society’ paradigm
and the ‘volunteering as serious leisure’ paradigm. The ‘civil society’ paradigm
1
Source: The Scottish Government’s Scottish Household Survey (SHS) 2010-2013
Volunteering has a significant and positive impact on the social wellbeing of
Scotland’s communities by creating and increasing social ties and connections
between people and contributing to many areas of life that create healthy and
prosperous communities in which people enjoy living. (Paylor, 2011).
Volunteering also benefits people’s individual wellbeing by helping to improve
physical and mental health (Konrath et al, 2012; Greenfield and Marks, 2004).

3. 3
covers a wide breadth of volunteering activity (not just social welfare activity) and
takes an approach to volunteering that is less professionalised and more community
focused – people working together to meet shared needs and address common
problems (Rochester et al, 2012).
The ‘volunteering as serious leisure’ perspective focuses on those people whose
motivations for volunteering are more intrinsic than extrinsic...those people who are
more prepared to ask “what’s in it for me?”. People can still be committed and
enthusiastic about a specific cause; they are just more strategic and specific in their
involvement. They tend to see volunteering as a leisure time activity, with their focus
targeted around arts and sport (Rochester et al, 2012).
With the increasingly busy lives that people now lead, people are becoming more
‘selfish’ about how they spend their spare time (Guild et al, 2014; Rochester et al,
2012). Volunteering needs to adapt to take account of this change in people’s
lifestyles. Life stages and events also strongly influence people’s motivations to
volunteer and when and where they chose to do so; “participation is dynamic and its
frequency and intensity changes over time. A person’s life experience impacts on
and triggers different forms of involvement” (Pathways through Participation, 2011).
If there is an increased demand for a range of different types of volunteering
opportunities, such as more episodic (short-term) volunteering then this needs to be
recognised if volunteering is to be inclusive and appealing to the wider population
(Rochester et al, 2012; Handy et al, 2006).
This shift away from viewing volunteering as a singular notion, and more as a hoslitic
and inclusive concept, has implications for the way in which volunteering is viewed
by society. There is an argument that volunteering is in need of a ‘makeover’ to help
promote a more upbeat, modern and ‘real’ representation of volunteering (Hankinson
and Rochester, 2005). However, tackling the image of volunteering will only work if
the actual experience of volunteering ‘matches up’ and this means addressing any
issues that can have a detrimental impact on a persons experience. Issues such as
inadequate organisation and management of volunteers, feelings of being under-
valued and unwelcome or being too relied upon that can all potentially deter people
from continuing to volunteer in the future (Locke et al, 2003). As Gaskin concluded,
“the management of volunteers needs to be well-organised, but flexible” (2003).
Critical to this changing picture of volunteering is the need to hear the volunteer’s
voice. It is crucial that volunteers are engaged and asked what they want and need
to have a positive volunteer experience – volunteer involving organisations (VIOs)
should cater for the volunteer not the other way around. Hine (2012) poses the
question; “has anyone thought about what volunteers really want? Has anyone
asked volunteers this question? Not why they volunteer, but what volunteers think is
important to get the best out of their volunteering.”

4. 4
Volunteer needs have been considered by Gaskin (2003) who wrote, “volunteers
want to feel welcome, secure, accepted, respected, informed, well-used and well-
managed.” Volunteers have also identified that they want to experience a
combination of both a relaxed attitude and good organisation; “you want
[organisations] to be informal but efficient. It’s that blend” (Gaskin, 2003). Volunteers
also want organisations to be ready for them and “want to feel they are needed and
accepted into a friendly and accessible environment” (Pathways through
Participation, 2011). It is also important for volunteers that the whole organisation
values their contribution and that “all personnel levels [are] aware of the role and
needs of volunteers” (Gaskin, 2003). Volunteers also want to know that their
contribution has made a difference and “VIOs would benefit from better tracking and
articulation of the impact of volunteer activity so that people see and feel that their
efforts are worthwhile” (Pathways through Participation, 2011).
Developing the Resources
Defining Volunteers’ Needs
Within Volunteer Scotland, the Volunteering Services team aims to grow effective
volunteer participation by improving volunteer leadership and management practice
within volunteer involving organisations. Over the last 2 years the training offered by
the Volunteering Services team has been redeveloped to better meet customers’
needs. Prior to this, a learning review was conducted in 2012 which highlighted the
need to address the current imbalance that prioritises the needs of volunteer
managers over volunteers. In September 2013 with a refreshed staff team in place,
and an awareness of the wider volunteering context outlined above, re-development
of the products focused on prioritising volunteers’ needs.
The Volunteering Services team were aware of the use of other volunteering life
cycles to describe a volunteer’s experience. Bussell and Forbes (2003) use a
cyclical model to outline their marketing model for volunteering which links consumer
behaviour to volunteer behaviour. The aim is to provide a good volunteering
experience which results in volunteer retention. Beugen’s (1985) ‘Supporting the
volunteer life-cycle’, outlines the stages that a volunteer can go through whilst
volunteering. They start at the exploratory stage; exploring, committing and trying
volunteering, and can progress through the developmental stage; analysing,
improving and blooming. Volunteers might then go on to the mature stage; sharing,
leading and moving. It is recognised that not all volunteers would want to progress
through all stages of Beugen’s life cycle and that some would be happy to stay at the
‘developmental’ stage.

5. 5
•Find it personally rewarding.
•Know I've madea difference
•Feel valuedand partofit.
•Know who to contact.
•Have the right tools.
•Know what's going on.
•My achievements are
recognised.
•Opportunities to progress.
•Opportunities to contribute
to the organisation.
•Opportunities for
qualifications / accreditation
•Have the details I need
for the first day.
•Feel ready to start.
•Enjoy getting started.
•Opportunities to learn
new things.
•Feel valued.
•Know whereto get
information.
•Volunteering nearme that
suits my availability andthat's
flexible.
•Opportunities that fulfilmy
interests and motivation.
•Respond tomy enquiry!
•A simpleapplication process.
Looking
to
volunteer
Getting
started
Doing it
Next
steps
The team started by putting themselves in the shoes of a volunteer by drawing on
their personal volunteering experiences. The discussion led to the volunteer
experience being broken down into four key stages. At this stage, these were;
‘Looking to Volunteer’, ‘Getting started’, ‘Doing it’ and ‘Next steps’. The detail within
each stage defines what volunteers need in order to have a good volunteering
experience. The idea was then discussed with a number of colleagues who were
active volunteers, and they took the details and discussed it with fellow volunteers at
their place of volunteering. The aim was to ensure that the language was from a
potential volunteer’s perspective. Although the use of a life cycle is not unique, we
believe it is unique that the language is from the volunteer’s perspective.
Volunteer life cycle, first version, October 2013.
Since 2013, this life cycle has been in use and over time it has also become a liner
model as shown below.
Volunteer life cycle, final version, June 2015. (next page)

6. 6

7. 7
Most recently, in June 2015 during a conference workshop on the volunteers’
experience the final version of the Volunteer Needs Life Cycle was discussed with a
group of 17 volunteers. They were first asked what makes a good volunteering
experience for them and then asked if the Life Cycle provided a good summary. All
of the participants were happy that the cycle touched on all the aspects they would
expect to experience as a volunteer.
Defining the organisations’ needs.
In 2013, once the volunteers’ needs had been identified we wanted to define what an
organisation would need to have in place in order to ensure volunteers got that good
experience. A workshop was held with all staff at Volunteer Scotland and an
additional layer was added to the volunteer life cycle to capture what an organisation
needs to do in order to offer a volunteer that experience. This additional cycle was
called the organisation life cycle.
Over the next three months the life cycles were shared with a wide variety of
organisations whenever there was an opportunity. We asked if people felt that the
cycles reflect what a volunteer needs in order to have a good experience and what
an organisation needs to have in place in order to provide that experience. In
particular, the 50 organisations that attended Volunteer Scotland’s AGM in January
2014 were invited to add their ideas and thoughts. Organisations that attended
included; The Prince’s Trust, Paths for All, LGBT Youth Scotland, Amateur Boxing
Scotland, Lightburn Elderly Association Project, RSPB Scotland, local Councils,
Volunteer Centres and the Scottish Government. The potential value was
highlighted when several organisations photographed the diagrams!
Following this period of consultation, in the final versions of the life cycles the name
of each stage was changed slightly in order to apply to both the volunteer and
organisation. They became; thinking about volunteering, getting started, making a
difference and building on success. These four stages are referred to as the
‘volunteer management model’ and the two life cycles provide further detail at each
stage.

8. 8
Name change of each stage in the volunteer management model.
Original model Final model
(volunteers only) (volunteer & organisation)
Looking to volunteer  Thinking about volunteering
Getting started  Getting started
Doing it  Making a difference
Next steps  Building on success
The volunteer management model
The organisation life cycle, final version, June 2015. (next page)
Thinking
about
volunteering
Getting
started
Making a
difference
Building on
Success
Volunteer
Management Model

9. 9

10. 10
Using the model and life cycles
Application within training
All of the training courses offered at Volunteer Scotland sit somewhere within the
Volunteer Management model and at the start of each course the model is
introduced to show participants how the course content relates to wider practice.
The volunteer management model and all courses offered.
In addition to the courses shown, ‘Volunteer Management – The Essentials’ is a
three day course that provides an overview of volunteer management for those who
are new to supporting volunteers or individuals that would like to refresh their skills
and knowledge. Due to this it touches on all four stages of the model.
The ‘Managing Events Volunteers’ course is also different as it uses the whole
volunteer management model and considers what organisations need to have in
place at each stage to effectively manage events volunteers.
Wendy is a regular events volunteer and attended the ‘Managing Events Volunteers’
course which is structured around the four stages and reflects on the volunteer
management model;
• Supporting volunteers.
(ongoing/managing
challenging situations)
•Communicating with
volunteers.
•Motivating Volunteers.
(motivation)
• Measuring theImpact
ofvolunteering
•Motivating volunteers
(recognition).
• Attracting volunteers
•Supporting volunteers.
(Induction)
•Developing a volunteer
culture
•Developing a
volunteering strategy
•Planning for
volunteering
Thinking
about
volunteering
Getting
started
Making a
difference
Building on
Success

11. 11
The volunteer management model is also used within the ‘Developing a Volunteer
Culture’ course so participants can consider what needs to be in place at each stage
to help develop a positive culture. After attending the course on developing a
volunteer culture one participant said, “I enjoyed going through the volunteer
management model and talking about the practical steps to achieving a volunteer
culture”.
The full life cycles are used as tools when delivering training. For example, when
discussing how volunteer managers can support their volunteers, participants
identify all the different ways in which volunteers can be supported and then map
these across the life cycle to consider how the support they offer a volunteer will
change at different stages.
Morag Buxel, a volunteer manager who attended ‘Volunteer Management – The
Essentials’ said,
The four quarters are really practical common sense; it’s how I thought
to do things anyway. But I’m finding very few organisations are putting
this into practice. Some have started well with the first quarter but then
fall down elsewhere. For example, they might put a call out for
volunteers but not have thought about what they want them to do. I’ve
used my understanding of the four quarters to influence volunteer
managers and I’ve offered to use my new skills with organisations I’ve
volunteered for before. For example, I’ve suggested they should have
one volunteer to help volunteers on the day and free them up to deal
with the bigger issues that come up. - Wendy, events volunteer.

12. 12
Another participant of the same course Margaret Cowie, Volunteer and Community
Participation Development Officer, Moray Community Health and Social Care
Partnership (MCHSCP) said;
The four quarters looks almost too simple when it is a pie chart - 'not
rocket science' - but then when broken down into the aspects of each
quarter in the timeline format it really has helped my thinking on where my
volunteers are at and how to progress them through the lifecycle so they
don't get stuck in a rut, or never start at all.
The model has helped me reflect on situations with volunteers I have
worked with in the past where their experience could have been better-
looking at the timeline, often steps have been missed out or somebody
has not been encouraged to progress on. One of the key learnings for
me has been about progressing volunteers and not wanting to keep them
'making a difference' forever. Often we talk about 'losing volunteers' and
the lifecycle model has helped me in discussions with project managers
and funders that this is not a negative thing if they have had a positive
and planned ending or moving on.
The other aspect I have focussed on is trying to get the beginning of
volunteering right and make sure that if somebody comes to the
organisation to volunteer, we actually have something they can get
started with pretty soon so that they don't drift off or think nothing is
happening. I've had to push back with this recently in the new project
when I've been told 'we need volunteers now' when the project is too
young to actually have the opportunities set up properly. The
opportunities have to be real, and ready to go before we fill them
otherwise we'll lose people and the reputation of the project will not build
up as a good place to be.
- Morag, volunteer manager.
I have used the model to reflect on our induction process and how we
can find out in more depth what potential volunteers want to get from
their training. We have also looked at how to keep volunteers
motivated who have been with the service for a number of years, more
training and new additional roles. We are also looking to include more
volunteers in the recruitment process and look at our current forms so
they are more involved in that side of things.

13. 13
Application in practice.
The real value in the life cycle is that it highlights aspects that each organisation
needs to consider when managing volunteers but it is flexible enough that they can
decide what is right for the individual volunteer, volunteer roles and their
organisation. As a result of the research, and working with a wide variety of
organisations, we are aware that organisations need to offer a variety of ways of
involving volunteers. When considering different types of volunteering, such as
family volunteering or events volunteering the volunteer management model can be
used to consider what needs to be in place to ensure successful delivery.
For example, when considering the ‘making a difference’ stage of the volunteer
management model, volunteer management will vary depending on the type of
volunteering. The table below shows the flexibility of the volunteer management
model for this stage; giving an example of what a volunteer manager could consider:
Stage: Making a difference Family Volunteering Event Volunteering
Volunteer
life cycle
Find it
rewarding
Understand the
family’s motivations
eg. spending time
together.
Understand the
individual’s motivation
eg. helping raise money
for a cause.
Have the right
tools
Tasks that will be
appropriate for the age
range of the family.
How volunteers are
visible to the public so
they can achieve their
role. Do volunteers have
the materials they need
if promoting your
organisation?
Know I’ve
made a
difference.
Thank the whole family
on the day by letting
them know how what
they’ve done is going
to make a difference.
If you share their story
share it with them too.
Thank volunteers on the
day and follow up with
letting them know what
the event achieved (ie.
money raised and how
this will be spent).
Feel
supported
Be flexible if tasks are
finished more quickly
than expected or not
manageable.
Be aware of how people
are getting on and be
ready to change task
allocation. As volunteers
might have infrequent
contact with your
organisation, it would be
important to address any
difficult situations as they
arise on the day.
Enjoy it! Build in time out for
play so everyone
Ensure the provision of
breaks and food and

14. 14
enjoys the day. some time to enjoy the
event!
Opportunities
to learn new
skills
Make sure there are
opportunities for
intergenerational
learning.
Chat to individual
volunteers to find the
role that’s right for them
for each event,
depending on what skills
they want to learn.
As the above example demonstrates, the life cycles offer volunteer managers a tool
that enables them to consider what they need to put in place for different volunteer
roles. As the quotes above highlight, the life cycles also allow volunteer managers to
consider individual volunteers and understand that not all volunteers will progress
through the life cycle in the same way. Furthermore, organisations are also able to
consider and define what is going to work best for them and the volunteers. For
example, the third stage includes, ‘communicate effectively’ and this will be different
for each organisation. For a small organisation with one office where all volunteer
roles are based, their methods of effective communication will be different to a large
organisation who’s volunteers are often based in the field. So, from the life cycle, the
important thing is that an organisation has considered how to communicate most
effectively for their situation.
These examples highlight the flexibility of the volunteer management model and
show that it is applicable to any volunteer involving organisation. This enables any
volunteer manager to not only develop volunteer management practice but to also
listen to the needs and voice of individual volunteers.
Conclusion
The volunteer management model and life cycles have proven themselves to be
useful tools for considering the needs of volunteers within volunteer management
practice. It is important to continue to listen to the volunteer voice and ensure that
the model remains relevant to what volunteers need for a great experience. We
hope that by continuing to promote this volunteer management model, it will have a
lasting and positive impact on volunteers’ experience; which in turn will enhance the
wellbeing of individuals and the wider community and increase the overall level of
volunteer participation in Scotland.

15. 15
References
Beugen, P. J. (1985) Supporting the volunteer life-cycle. Voluntary Action
Leadership. Fall edition. New York.
Bussell, H. and Forbes, D. (2003) The volunteer life cycle: a marketing model for
volunteering. Voluntary Action 5 (3). p.61 – 79.
Davis Smith, J. (2006) The age of the volunteer? Speech at the Launch of the
Commission on the Future of Volunteering, London, 29 March
Fujiwara, D., Oroyemi, P. and McKinnon, E. (2013) Well-being and civil society:
estimating the value of volunteering using subjective well-being data, Department for
Work and Pensions: Working Paper, [Online] Available:
https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/22122
7/WP112.pdf
Gaskin, K. (2003) A choice blend. What volunteers want from organisation and
management. A report for the Institute for Volunteering Research and the England
Volunteering Forum.
Greenfield, E. A. and Marks, N. F. (2004) Formal volunteering as a protective factor
for older adults’ psychological well-being. The Journals of Gerontology, Series B,
59(5): S258-S264
Guild, M., Harrison, T. and Saxton, J. (2014) The new alchemy – how volunteering
turns donations of time and talent into human gold, nfpSynergy
Handy, F., Brodeur, N. and Cnaan, R. (2006) Summer on the island: episodic
volunteering, Voluntary Action 7(3) pp. 31-46
Hankinson, P. and Rochester, C. (2005) ‘The face and voice of volunteering: a
suitable case for branding?’ International Journal of Nonprofit and Voluntary Sector
Marketing 10pp. 93-105
Hine (2012) What do volunteers want? [online] Available from:
https://management4volunteers.wordpress.com/2012/12/02/what-do-volunteers-
want/
Kearney, J. (2007) The values and basic principles of volunteering: complacency or
caution?, Voluntary Action 3(3) pp. 63-86
Konrath, S., Fuhrel-Forbis, A., Lou, A. And Brown, S. (2012) Motives for volunteering
are associated with mortality risk in older adults. Health Psychology, 31: 87-96

16. 16
Locke, M., Ellis, A. and Davis Smith, J. (2003) Hold on to what you’ve got: the
volunteer retention literature, Voluntary Action 5(3) pp. 81-100
Musick, M. and Wilson, J. (2008) Volunteers: a social profile, Indiana University
press: Bloomington
Pathways through Participation (2011) Volunteering as a participation pathway,
http://pathwaysthroughparticipation.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/Pathways-
Through-Participation-Volunteering-Briefing-final.pdf
Paylor, J. (2011) Volunteering and health: evidence of impact and implications for
policy and practice. Institute for Volunteering Research
Rochester, C., A. Ellis Paine and S. Howlett (2012) Volunteering and Society in the
21st
Century, Palgrave/Macmillan: Basingstoke