Nature volunteer management guide

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Nature volunteer management guide is guidelines for people who are looking forward or already do volunteer management in nature conservation events (in nature parks, protected areas, nature reserves, etc.) for a group of people. Guidelines goals are to make volunteer work management as qualitative as possible, offer a support to organizations, who thinks how to organize such event while getting maximum benefit for all people and nature.

Recruitment for volunteers

Before recruiting

When organizing nature conservation events, there are steps to be taken before proceeding with the process. These steps are:

• Making sure that systems are in place to ensure the volunteers have a positive experience.:
• The organization needs to provide access to information about the organizations goals, ethos, the culture, and the volunteer opportunities.
• Include easily accessible contact information of the organization, for the volunteers.

Methods of volunteer recruitment

Several different volunteer recruitment options exist for organizations to choose from. Some of these include:

• using volunteer websites
• organizing or speaking at nature-related events
• press and radio ads
• online - on your own website and social media
• leaflets and other printed media

A recent study by the University of Essex shows that the mental health of volunteers for environmental agencies improved significantly. This is and can be used to motivate someone to become a volunteer for various nature-related projects.

Give and Receive

When recruiting volunteers, an organization needs to keep in mind that the volunteers may be of any age, race, sex, religion, and nationality. The organization also needs to adjust the activities so they fit each individual volunteers' capabilities, and skill set. An organization needs to keep in mind that the volunteer should be satisfied with the work that they are doing and on the other side, the volunteer must make sure that they are doing their work in accordance with the company's values, as volunteering is a two way process.

Safety

An organization must take into account national regulations and laws when recruiting volunteers. They must also consider the safety and health conditions. This involves, a rescue plan if an accident occurs in an inaccessible place. The organization must always have the first aid kit with them and know where the nearest hospital is located. They must also make sure there is at least one person in the group which knows how to perform first aid in time of need. Depending on the country's law system, the organization may have to provide health insurance for the volunteers.

Safety also includes knowing if any of the participants have health issues, allergies or any other vital information for the safety of the volunteers. For this purpose, organizations may send out event participation forms online, calling, or meeting the volunteers face to face.

Legal framework

Organizations must always coordinate with the landowner before starting any work. The landowner has to be informed of the jobs that will be done on the land, whether the land belongs to private owners or the state. The agreement can be reached verbally or in written form.

Group Dynamics

Groups that may do volunteering include:

• work collectives
• classmates
• Groups formed for specific events

Organizations should consider the different groups they have for each specific event, and tailor the work for each group. Bruce Tuckman (1965) proposed the four-stage model called Tuckman's stages of group development it can help in understanding group dynamics and the processes that happen when around 20 people come together. The stages are:

• Forming (pretending to get on or get along with others)
• Storming (letting down the politeness barrier and trying to get down to the issues even if tempers flare up)
• Norming (getting used to each other and developing trust and productivity)
• Performing (working in a group to a common goal on a highly efficient and cooperative basis)

Groups need time to get through the stages (stages are not always clearly visible) and the organizers can be the ones who help to get through this process quicker.

Tools

Nature conservation work can include different kind of jobs– reed collecting, bush/juniper cutting, forest burning, and others. The organization is the one that must provide all the necessary equipment to do the jobs effectively and create a safe work environment.

The organization can get the tools in the following ways:

• Buy the necessary tools
• Get the tools from their own stock
• Use tools that the volunteers may already have

Food and accommodation

When food is necessary during a longer event, it can be supplied either by the organization itself, or brought by the volunteers. If the organization is the one to provide the food for their volunteers, they must make sure that the volunteers do not ave any allergies to any of the ingredients, or any special diets. If any of these conditions exist, the organization must keep them in mind and cater to these individuals as well.

If accommodation is provided, it can have different comfort levels, depending on the place the event is happening. The volunteers have to be informed beforehand about the conditions they will be staying at, and what they must take with them (sleeping bags, mattresses, etc.)

Communication

Organizations must communicate to their volunteers before, during, and after the events. Communication to the volunteers may be done through one of the following: speaking, writing, or using some other medium. There are four different ways how to communicate

• vocally (using voice)
• written (using printed or digital media such as books, magazines, websites or emails)
• visually (using logos, maps, charts or graphs)
• non-verbally (using body language, gestures and the tone and pitch of voice)

Before

There is certain information that has to be provided to the volunteers prior to the event:

• the organization must let the volunteers know about the status of their organization as soon as possible (not later than a month before the event)
• The organization must provide the volunteer with the contact person for the specific event
• The organization must send out an informative letter which includs:
  • date and time of the meeting point
  • what kind of work is going to be done and what is the purpose of it
  • information about food and accommodation
  • things the volunteers must take with them (for example, proper work clothing, rubber boots or boots good for working in wet conditions, prepare also for the possibility of rain with rain clothes, sleeping bag and a pillowcase, swimming suit, towel, personal hygiene supplies, water bottle)
  • if there are any tools needed or if everything will be provided
• if it is necessary to get to the venue of the event by themselves

A week before the event, the organization must check with the volunteers if nothing has changed.

After

To ensure a positive experience, the organization must contact the volunteers also after the work has been done. The organization holds a moral obligation to thank the volunteers, and share the statistics of the work that the volunteers have done with them. The organization should also keep in touch with the volunteers for any future opportunities.

References

This article "Nature volunteer management guide" is from Wikipedia. The list of its authors can be seen in its historical and/or the page Edithistory:Nature volunteer management guide. Articles copied from Draft Namespace on Wikipedia could be seen on the Draft Namespace of Wikipedia and not main one.

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