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A Position Statement published by Skills - Third Sector on 31 May 2011.

Skills – Third Sector champions the skills of volunteer management. From our research and experience we know that the nature of volunteering means that people who manage volunteers require specialist skills – skills that are distinct from those needed to manage paid staff. By skills we mean the knowledge, understanding and experience that someone needs to do their job well.

Volunteering has a long tradition in the UK and this is set to increase under Big Society proposals to get more volunteers involved in shaping and running public services. Volunteering is “an activity that involves spending time, unpaid, doing something that aims to benefit the environment or individuals or groups other than close relatives.”

Over 40% of the UK population formally volunteers each year, and 25% of the population does so each month, which adds up to 24.7m volunteers a year. This equates to 1.2 million full-time paid employees and contributes approximately £21.5 billion to the economy. Volunteer management is essential to make sure that volunteers make the best contribution and get the most out of the experience.

A volunteer’s relationship with an organisation may not be defined by legal structures and contracts, and there can be significant differences in the motivations, commitment and availability between staff and volunteers. In addition, volunteering can sometimes be ad-hoc. A volunteer can walk away from the organisation at any point.

Managing volunteers is a skilled job that is different from managing paid staff. While the role has more in common with other management roles at a senior or strategic level, at the day to day level there are a number of important differences. People who work with volunteers on a practical level, need to understand and know how to:

• Recruit, motivate and retain volunteers – needs an understanding that people volunteer for many different reasons and knowing how to maintain volunteers’ enthusiasm and commitment is a real skill.
• Design task descriptions for volunteers - needs knowledge of how to design and disseminate task roles so that volunteers and staff are clear about how that role fits in with the work of paid staff and other volunteers.
• Manage the relationships between volunteers and paid staff – needs an understanding of the differing needs, interests and responsibilities of both volunteers and paid staff and the ability to manage these complex relationships.
• Induct, support and supervise volunteers – needs knowledge of how to give volunteers regular feedback and how to balance any concerns about their performance with maintaining their commitment and without compromising the quality of the work of the organisation.
• Apply the legal and other regulatory requirements – needs knowledge of how these differ from those that apply to paid staff. 

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Source: Skills - Third Sector