Student-Led Volunteer Project Handbook
Introduction
Before You Get Started
Your Staff Support
Your role and responsibilities
Take some time to plan
FXU Volunteering & RAD Manager
Time commitment
What do you want to get out of the project?
FXU Activities Director & Deputy CEO
Evaluation
FXU President Community & Welfare
Congratulations
Project structure
Funding
FXU Sports Manager FXU Societies Manager
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Your Activity
Resources
Funding
Appointed person in charge
Budget & Finance
FXU Student-Led Events & Project Funding
Registering volunteers
Expenses
Events/Trips Pack Team briefing
Campus event bookings
Accidents
Minibus bookings
Make sure volunteers are enjoying it!
Access to training
What to do in an emergency
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Project account
FXU Green Fund External funding & sponsorship
Stationary, printing & postage Craft & activity equipment
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Recruiting Volunteers
Managing Your Project
Fundraising
Ways to recruit students
Organising activities
Banking your money
Registering students
Liaising with an organisation & FXU
RAD
Selection of students
Meet the project team
Induction & training
Activity on campus
Charity Law
Retaining volunteers Risk Assessments Disclosure & Barring Service Data Protection
11 Recognition & Awards V Team Volunteer Schemes
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Handover
Forms
Project Leader & Team Recruitment
Risk Assessment
Evaluation
Accident Report
FXU Awards
Handover
Paying in & Reimbursement
NUS Student Volunteering Awards
Celebrate
Trip & Events Pack Fundraising info pack Fundraising permits links
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CONGRATULATIONS! You’ve been successful in your application to become a Project Leader for one of our FXU Student-Led Volunteer projects. By leading a volunteer project you’ll take on responsibility for a specific set of objectives relating to your project as well as a group of FXU volunteers. This handbook will help you to run a successful project and to get the most exciting experience that you can out of it. Above all we hope that you’ll learn a lot and have fun while doing it!
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Your Role & Responsibilities Being a Project Leader is a position of responsibility. We will provide you with support, but the success of your particular project will be down to you and your project team. Your responsibilities include: • Organising activities for the project • Recruiting, motivating, managing and retaining volunteers • Acting as a positive role model to other students • Behaving responsibly and as a positive representative of FXU and the universities • Organising induction/training for volunteers as required • Arranging socials outside of the volunteering activity • Reporting regularly to the FXU Volunteering & RAD Manager on the project • Attending regular project team meetings • Ensuring the safety & welfare of FXU Volunteers while on the project • Writing updates and providing photos for the FXU website & social media • To make sure that everyone has fun!
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Don’t worry if this sounds quite daunting. We are here to give you training and support all the way through. We want to help you succeed – and imagine how great it is going to look on your CV when you’ve managed to do all this!
Time Commitment Fulfilling the role of Project Leader involves more time than just attending the volunteering activity. There will be other tasks; such as meetings, recruiting students and completing paperwork. This will take up some time but is just as important!
Arrivals/Freshers’ Period
c. 10 hours per week
To contact the organisation, plan activities, preparing promotional material etc
Beginning of the project
c. 5 hours per week
Preparation, communication, meetings, training etc.
Continuous
c. 2-3 hours per week
Continuous
Up to you!
Involvement with leading or attending the volunteering activity
Occasional
As required
Additional fundraising events, socials, 5 minute volunteering
Ongoing communication, preparation, evaluation
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Project Structure Your project will only be successful if you recruit volunteers for it and ensure that those volunteers are motivated and happy during the project. Plus, you want to have fun doing your project as well don’t you? As a Project Leader you have leadership responsibility for the project but you don’t have to do everything yourself. Recruiting other volunteers with specific skills who may be able to undertake certain tasks will make the whole project more successful. You do not have to attend every volunteering activity yourself but there needs to be a named contact in charge when you are not there – an Activity Coordinator. Your job is to ensure that the Activity Coordinator is fully aware of everything they need to do for the activity, and is capable of doing it. The Activity Coordinator takes responsibility for the activity and acts as a point of contact for the organisation and supervises volunteers for that activity.
Project Leader
Activity Coordinators
Plans and organises the project, prepares Activity Coordinators
Lead and plan specific activities and look after students on that activity
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Volunteers Sign up and take part in specific activities
Before You Get Started Take Some Time to Plan It’s very easy to just launch into the activities of your project without spending sufficient time planning how you want the project to run throughout the year. Make sure that you take a step back at the beginning to think about your project, what you aim to achieve, how you will go about doing that and what you will gain as a result.
A big part of being a leader is also helping others achieve what they want to out of their involvement. Helping this happen can also be an achievement for you, so just take some time to reflect on how you might want to help others achieve their goals. You will meet regularly with the FXU Volunteering & RAD Manager and part of this meeting will review whether you are meeting your personal objectives from the project. Our aim is to support you achieve your objectives.
What do You Want to Get Out of the Project? The organisation that you are working with will get a committed group of volunteers regularly turning up to do some good work, but have you thought about what you want to get from your time as a Project Leader? It might be that you are looking to gain some practical experience, learn new skills, add to your CV, make new contacts or just to do something good. Whatever your motivation, it is important to us that you gain from the experience. So think about your own objectives and how you would like to develop through the process.
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Evaluation
AIMS: Aims are the changes that you are trying to make
Evaluation isn’t just something that you do at the end of the project, it is essential to evaluate the project throughout. So you need to spend some time setting some aims & objectives (a few of these will already have been written into the project brief).
(to increase… / to improve…)
OBJECTIVES: Your objectives are the activities that you will be doing to achieve your aims. EVALUATE: You can then guage the success and impact of your project.
Some of the methods you could think about using are: • Handing out a questionnaire after each activity
Funding
• Taking photos/video before, during and after the activity
It might seem too early to think about how you will fund specific activities, but some funding may require a lengthy application process.
• Keeping track of the number of volunteers with a register, noting changes and difference made etc.
Remember, the more money you have for your project, the more activities you will be able to run. So think ahead about what you would like to do and what funding you can apply for.
• Doing a more detailed survey at the end of the project via Survey Monkey • Holding meetings or focus groups with students and organisations involved
We can help you evaluate your project if you are struggling!
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Your Staff Support Kristy Wallace FXU Volunteering & RAD Manager 01326 253631 volunteeringandrad@fxu.org.uk Hanna Brixton FXU Activities Director & Deputy CEO 01326 253659 hanna.brixton@fxu.org.uk
Your FXU President Community & Welfare 01326 253638 presidentwelfare@fxu.org.uk
You may also find useful: Hayley Curtis FXU Sports Manager 01326 255966 activities@fxu.org.uk
Rose Hitchens-Todd FXU Societies Manager 01326 255710 activities@fxu.org.uk
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Recruiting Volunteers The most obvious place to start is amongst your friends, talk to people you know about the project and they might like to get involved. FXU has an ambition to get more students involved from more diverse backgrounds in all our activities and FXU can help with this by promoting your project. There will be an expectation from FXU that you try to reach as many students as possible with information about your project – and that includes students at other campuses, and even part time and distance learning students. We’ve got some tools that you can use to help you recruit your volunteers, so just ask for some help when planning this wider work. Our campuses include: Penryn Campus, Falmouth Campus and Truro Medical School. We’re sure that you can think of other far more innovative ways to promote your project. Please remember that you are representing FXU and the universities so behave in a responsible manner when promoting your project.
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Ways to Recruit Students Set up your project on the FXU website
Volunteer Fayre Held alongside the Freshers Fayre, this is an event where we invite external organisations onto campus. Interested students can then come along and find out more.
This will enable you to advertise each volunteering activity to a dedicated group of students who are registered on the site. Social Media
You will be given a stand at the fayre to promote your project.
Set up a Facebook page and Twitter feed for your project.
Some years we have also held mini volunteer fayres in the new year as part of re-freshers (Give It A Go Week).
Student Media Write an article for a Student Magazine (Falmouth Anchor/ Flex).
The Compass and Lower Stannary
Get a student magazine to cover an event/activity that you are running.
You can book these spaces to undertake 5 Minute promotional volunteering activities throughout the Autumn and Spring terms.
FXU Volunteering Facebook Page We will post any opportunities or information about your project to help you gain more coverage.
Course & School Rep System Use the reps for your course or school to help you raise awareness of your project, particularly if it might be of relevance to a course.
Freshers’ Fayre You should attend the event to recruit new students to the project. You will need to co-ordinate a stand and promotional material
FXU Newsletter A weekly news email goes out to all students registered on the database. You can include promotion for your project or for a specific activity. 12
Registering Students Clubs & Societies All students who would like to apply for your project must register and set up a profile on the FXU V Team Volunteering website.
Are there any clubs or societies to whom your project might particularly appeal? Clubs and societies get extra points towards their accreditation if they volunteer so they might be a great source of potential volunteers.
Any other promotion you use and social media must direct students to register on this webpage. This will enable FXU to recognise the hard work of all volunteers and to include them in any awards or other recognition schemes.
Also consider linking up with clubs and societies if you are running a particular activity for your project that they may be able to help with. (For example if High Tea Society provided baked goods for a concert for the Penryn Memory Cafe, maybe a musical society could provide performers.)
www.fxu.org.uk/vteam/profile
Word of Mouth Talk about the project whenever you can, you might be amazed at who would like to join it. Posters Put up posters or other publicity where it might be relevant around the campuses.
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Selection of Students Some projects hold restrictions on numbers or require their volunteers to pass a recruitment process. Where you have a lot of students sign up to volunteer, you will need to think about how you will determine who will or won’t volunteer with you. Will you let anyone who applies volunteer? Or will you have a selection process, if so what will this entail – interview etc. In general, FXU would not want anyone who declares an interest in volunteering to end up not having any opportunity, so try to make any unsuccessful students aware of other way they can get involved – or just create some more volunteer opportunities!
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Will you need to consider getting references from students? If so how will you go about this? It is really important to get in touch promptly with students who apply to volunteer with you.
All volunteers like to feel valued and if you can do this right from the start your students are more likely to stay with the project. Even an email or message back to thank them for their interest and to say that you’ll be in touch with more information soon is better than just leaving them wondering what is happening. If you are working with an organisation, they may have their own volunteer recruitment process that you will need to follow.
Induction & Training Consider if you need to run an induction session or workshop for new volunteers, or can the volunteers start straight away with an activity out on the project. If you do run an induction session this could be a group activity or a oneto-one meeting, it depends on the needs of your project. New volunteers should always be given training on any specific tasks. It might be possible to do this while on the activity but if not then this should be done before hand.
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Managing Your Project KEEP IT FUN! Sometimes we can forget that volunteering is supposed to be fun! Make sure that your volunteers are enjoying themselves and the activity that they are engaged in. Foster friendships amongst your group and don’t forget to organise a social here and there. Get together after an activity or arrange a different evening to meet up. ORGANISING ACTIVITIES It is your responsibility to organise activities for the project in conjunction with the organisation you are working with. If you are taking over a project the first one or two of these have probably already been arranged for you, but you will need to liaise with the organisation to plan more as specified in the brief for your project. LIAISING WITH AN ORGANISATION You will be a representative of FXU and the universities and will be expected to behave in an appropriate manner. If your project is linked with an organisation, you must maintain regular contact, reply to any requests promptly and ensure that their expectations are being met.
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KEEPING IN TOUCH WITH FXU
MEETING WITH THE PROJECT TEAM
You will be expected to meet with the FXU Volunteering & RAD Manager once a month during the academic year. This will provide feedback on the project and an opportunity for FXU to support your development.
Project meetings should be held regularly between the Project Leaders and anyone else relevant to discuss the project. It is up to you to delegate tasks between the team and to other volunteers as appropriate.
We’re always looking for good news stories so please let us know if you’ve got anything to shout about or have any events that you would like us to share.
ACTIVITY ON CAMPUS If you wish to host an activity on campus please let the FXU Volunteering & RAD Manager know in advance and they will assist you with booking the space required for your activity.
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MOTIVATING AND RETAINING VOLUNTEERS
Provide development opportunities for your volunteers. They may like to see the progress that they have made through the year or to work their way up through the project to take on more responsibility.
As Project Leader, an important part of your role is to motivate your volunteers. Show some enthusiasm and lead from the front, find out why different students got involved in the first place and think about how you can sustain these motivations.
Delegate responsibilities that other volunteers can take on. This gives the volunteer a chance to learn and develop new skills but also lessens your workload.
As we said, this should be fun! Keep the activity enjoyable and make it engaging and your volunteers should want to keep coming back.
Meetings and socials will help to provide an opportunity for students to get to know each other and you better, along with a chance to give feedback and contribute ideas to the project.
All volunteers like to be recognised and even a simple ‘thank you’ can go a long way. Email all volunteers to say thanks at the end of each activity and keep them up to date with progress of the project overall. Send regular updates and pictures to keep volunteers informed.
One-to-one sessions with your Activity Coordinators will ensure that they feel valued and have the opportunity to address any training needs that they have. Remember, the more engaged the volunteer and the happier they are, the more likely they are to return.
Ensure that you communicate regularly with volunteers and reply to enquiries within a day or two. Request feedback from volunteers. This could be informal feedback in the form of a chat on the day or a more detailed survey at the end of the project. It is important to gain feedback so that you can assess the project, respond to suggestions and keep your volunteers happy. 18
RISK ASSESSMENTS
DATA PROTECTION
Every activity will require a risk assessment. It may be possible to use a generic one where the same activity is repeated at the same venue regularly. FXU will support you with this and provide training where needed. Risk assessments must be sent to the FXU Volunteering & RAD Manager at least one week prior to the activity date.
Project Leaders will be entrusted with personal information about students, members of the public and other organisations. You must follow good practice with their data. It might sound dull but data protection is a legal obligation. Data includes email, text, paper records, picture, video, voicemail, answerphone messages and social media.
A risk assessment looks at what would cause harm to people so that you can weigh up whether you have taken the adequate precautions to prevent harm. It will help you to plan, deliver and review your activities and protect you and your volunteers. You are not expected to eliminate all risk, but to protect people as far as its ‘reasonably practicable’.
All written data should be brought to FXU where it will be stored securely, any information that you need, such as health forms, can be taken out for your activity and then brought back afterwards. Personal information about individuals must remain confidential and should not be passed on to any third party. Remember to keep your own details confidential, you can use an FXU phone to contact volunteers and retain your own privacy.
DISCLOSURE & BARRING SERVICE If you are working with children or vulnerable adults you and your volunteers may require a DBS check. FXU can advise on this and assist you with your check. For volunteers, the DBS service is free, but we do normally have to pay a £10 administration fee per check. This can be paid by the volunteer or subsidised by your project fund. If you are working with an organisation, check to see if this is something they might cover.
If you’re in doubt about any information speak to the FXU Volunteering & RAD Manager. For a full data protection policy visit www.fxu.org.uk/about/policies
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Fundraising Charity Law
Banking Your Money
FXU is a registered charity (number 1145405) which means your project holds charitable status. It is illegal for one charity to give a donation to another. Therefore, you must be careful when spending project money, and think about what/who it will be benefiting.
Money collected for charity through student activity must be banked through FXU RAD to abide by union policy and charity law. If you are fundraising online, you must make FXU RAD aware of the sum raised so it can be added to the student fundraising total, and so we can makes sure that you get the recognition that you deserve!
If you are planning a fundraising event, book in to talk to the FXU Volunteering & RAD Manager, who will be able to advise you on logistics. 20
FXU RAD (Raise And Donate) FXU RAD is a student-led group just like you, and their primary aim is promote and support student fundraising. You can use RAD and it’s 700+ members to promote your activities through various social media networks. They also put on a variety of events throughout the year which your project and its members can get involved with. Follow FXU RAD on Facebook to keep up to date with upcoming projects and opportunities Email the RAD crew directly at fxurad@fxu.org.uk You can also pop into the FXU Office at Penryn or Falmouth Campus or contact the Volunteering & RAD Manager at volunteeringandrad@fxu.org.uk 21
Your Activity Appointed Person in Charge On the day you must have a nominated person in charge; this might be you or one of your appointed Activity Coordinators. Volunteers need to know who will brief them and who to go to if they have any problems.
Registering Volunteers On the day you should have a list of all students taking part in the activity along with their contact details if they fail to turn up. You should also ensure that volunteers have filled in a health questionnaire with their emergency contact details on. A register from event must be submitted to FXU after your activity.
Events/Trip Pack Only authorised activities are covered by the FXU insurance policy. For an activity/event to be authorised, FXU must receive a completed Events Pack for any additional activities or one off events which is not covered by regular volunteer risk assessment. The pack needs to be submitted 2-4 weeks (depending on nature of activity/ event/trip) prior to the date. In this time FXU can check and make arrangement with the insurance company and gain permits and permissions if necessary. To download the Events or Trip Pack see: www.fxu.org.uk/sport_soc/resourcesformsandpolicies/
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Team Briefing
What to do in an Emergency
At the venue you will need to give a briefing to all volunteers on the activity to be undertaken along with any specific health and safety advice. It may be that the organisation does this, particularly if you are working with the council.
Where an accident is severe we need to get the volunteer to hospital immediately. When on university premises call 01326 255875 or for security emergencies or for out of hours call 01326 255900.
Accidents
For First Aid emergencies call: Penryn Campus 01326 254444 (ext 4444) open 24 hours. Falmouth Campus 01326 253699 (3699) open 9am-5pm - out of hours 07837931514. If a serious accident has occurred, they will call an ambulance for you.
Sometimes things go wrong and an accident occurs. Ideally you will have a first aider (or one from the organisation) present at every activity. FXU provides regular first aid courses if you would like to get trained up. If an accident occurs, you will need to fill out an accident report from which can be obtained from FXU.
If you are off site, call 999 for an ambulance or other emergency service as needed. You will also need to notify an FXU staff member via the FXU out of hours number 01326 255900.
Near misses must also be reported so that we can review the risk assessment accordingly.
In case of the minibus breaking down, call the breakdown assistance number in the minibus handbook and quote the registrations number. The pack will be situated in the spares box in the back of the bus or in the glove compartment.
Make Sure Volunteers are Enjoying it! Talk to volunteers throughout the activity and ensure that they’re having fun.
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Resources BUDGET & FINANCE
EXPENSES
Your project will have access to a pot of funding which can be used to subsidise transport, purchase marketing or activity essentials. You should also look for external funding and sponsorship or do some fundraising yourself to make the project sustainable.
All spending for project activity should be agreed by the FXU Volunteering & RAD Manager in advance. We do not like you to be out of pocket so we will try to make payments for you where possible. To claim expenses you must present a receipt or proof of payment and fill in a Reimbursement Form. To sustain your project, we suggest asking for small donations from volunteers.
PROJECT ACCOUNT You will have an FXU account allocated to your project. You can pay any additional funds into this account and draw money from it for expenses. ‘Payment In’ and ‘Reimbursement’ forms can be collected from the FXU office or found online:
Some charities do contribute towards volunteer expenses. Ask your charity to see if they can offer your group support. CAMPUS EVENT BOOKINGS
www.fxu.org.uk/volunteering_rag/ resourcesformspolicies/
We can book rooms on both the Falmouth and Penryn Campuses for you to hold any activity related to your project. You can also book outside space on campus, which require at least 10 days advance notice. For a campaign, we ask for 4 weeks notice so we are able to pass it by the relevant people.
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MINIBUS BOOKINGS
STATIONARY, PRINTING & POSTAGE
You can book the FXU minibuses to take student groups on your project. Your booking should be made as far in advance as possible. We cannot guarantee booking at busy times.
We can supply stationary and print publicity material for your project (within reason) and post anything needed. Email volunteeringandrad@fxu.org.uk or come up to FXU to speak to us.
Your minibus driver must be over 21 and have held a driving licence for two years or more. They must pass the FXU Midas minibus test, which can be paid for from the project budget. Please enquire in the office for fuel subsidy costs, as these will change each year.
CRAFT & ACTIVITY EQUIPMENT We have various resources that you may be able to use for your project. These range from litter pickers to gazebos. Let us know what your activity requires and we may be able to help supply it.
ACCESS TO TRAINING FXU Offers a range of training opportunities. All opportunities will be posted on the website. For more information, or if you are looking for a particular course please email: volunteeringandrad@fxu.org.uk
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Funding
FXU Student-Led Events & Project Funding
You will be given a grant at the start of each year from FXU. You must write a yearly budget and stick to it. This fund mainly allows for transport, but if there are other things such as equipment you need to purchase then you can submit a request to FXU for consideration.
Students can request up to ÂŁ2,000 towards supporting an event or project which is open to all students. This may be a one off event or project that takes place over a period of time on campus or in the community. A larger award may be considered for an exceptional application. www.fxu.org.uk/pageassets/sport_ soc/resourcesformsandpolicies/ Student-Led-Event-and-ProjectFunding.pdf
FXU Green Fund Up to ÂŁ2,000 to support a new or existing sustainability event or project which is open to all students. This may be a one off event or project that takes place over a period of time on campus or in the community. Projects and/ events should tackle energy conservation, waste reduction or sustainability. www.fxu.org.uk/pageassets/sport_ soc/resourcesformsandpolicies/ Green-Fund-Application-Form(1). pdf
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External Funding & Sponsorship
O2 THINK BIG
There are many businesses and organisations that will consider an application for a grant towards a charity project. You may find that approaching business direct works well but here are a few other ideas to consider.
For more information and to apply see: www.o2thinkbig.co.uk/
A grant of up to £300 for 13 – 25 year olds to help improve their communities.
V-INSPIRED - CASHPOINT Up to £500 for 14 – 25 year olds to help run a volunteering project.
HELPING HANDS – WILKINSON
For more information go to: vinspired.com/cashpoint
Wilkinson’s stores have a ‘Helping Hands’ budget to help local communities do great things, so whether you’re looking for a pot of paint, a raffle prize or something more, it’s worth approaching them. Give as much notice as possible as the staff meet once per month to review applications.
NOTE: There may be a specific fund suitable for your project. If you can’t find what your looking for here, please email volunteeringandrad@fxu.org.uk for more information.
You can download an application form & get more information here: corporate.wilko.com/stories/ supporting.php
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V Team Volunteer Scheme The V Team allows you to set up a volunteer profile where you can log your hours, register skills gained and search for ideal opportunity. You and your volunteers can work towards a: • Bronze Award (25 hours) • Silver Award (100 hours) • Gold Award (200 hours) We can also set your project up and register your organisation, allowing you to post your activities and recruit new volunteers. www.fxu.org.uk/volunteering_rag/ volunteering/
FXU Awards
Recognition & Awards
FXU holds an annual Awards night in May at which the success of our students are celebrated. There are various awards in the volunteer category which you can nominate volunteers and even your project for.
We want to recognise the contribution of every one of our student volunteers, whether they’ve just volunteered that one time or have been a regular on a project.
NUS Student Volunteering Awards
Let us know all the great things that you are doing with your project during the year so we can make sure we recognise your hard work!
This award highlights the very best student volunteers. 28
Handover You will be involved in the process to recruit your new project leaders. This may mean shortlisting from application forms or hosting an online election within your group. However you decide to recruit, you will need to take a lead on it as you know your project best. If you’re intending to remain in post please let us know by the end of February. If not you may want to try to encourage suitable students to apply for the roles during your time volunteering with them.
As your project draws to an end it will be time to evaluate its success, recruit new project leaders and to celebrate!
Project Leader & Team Recruitment You will need to start looking for potential new leaders quite early on, in the spring term, and maybe start giving them more responsibility to prepare them for the role. 29
Evaluation It is time to do a final evaluation of the project. You’ll need to collate any data gathered during the year and to do a final survey to all volunteers involved. It’s really important that you evaluate the project, if you don’t you won’t know whether you’ve made a difference, and all this valuable data may support future fundings of projects.
Handover Your handover should be as detailed as possible, including information about what went well, what could have been done better, key contacts, recommendations and include any statistical information that you have gathered. The final part of your handover will be introducing your new team to the FXU Volunteering & RAD Manager who will support them for the coming year.
Celebrate You may want to organise a social event, or something bigger to celebrate the success of the project. This is a great way to say a final thank you to your volunteers and to get some final publicity for it. It might be a good opportunity for a final team photo too! 30
Forms FXU has a range of online forms to help with the day-to-day running of your project. • Risk Assessment • Accident Report • Paying in & Reimbursement • Trip & Events Pack • Fundraising info pack • Fundraising permits links Follow this link to find out more or to print off a copy: www.fxu.org.uk/volunteering_rag/ resourcesformspolicies/ Once completed, please return to the FXU Volunteering & RAD Manager in the FXU Office.
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Falmouth & Exeter Students’ Union Penryn Campus Penryn Cornwall TR10 9FE Registered Charity Number 1145405
01326 253631 activities@fxu.org.uk www.fxu.org.uk