Planning
To quote the old adage "If you fail to plan, you plan to fail". The best way to ensure a successful Volunteer program is to plan ahead.
Strategic planning for each program should consider:
Why use Volunteers and not paid staff?
- If your answer is merely to save money, you are setting yourself up for failure.
- A more fitting answer would be the multitudes of different skills available through a volunteer program and the commitment from an unpaid workforce motivated by common visions and goals.
- Remember that paid or not, volunteers will require orientation and supervision. These positions should not be taken lightly as they will require the use of time and resources.
Scope of the program
- Does the program match with your mission and goals (short term and long term)?
- Is the program to be a base component of your organization's services or is it a trial program?
- What is your commitment to the service offered?
- Remember that the more relevant the service is to the community the easier it is to sell the service to participants and volunteers.
Perceived demand for the service
- Approximately how many clients/ participants?
- Will the program be offered to the general public or to a specific target group?
- Is the program going to start as a full time service?
- How many hours per week?
- What times during the day?
Availability of skills needed
- Are the skills needed in great demand within the community or are they easy to staff for?
- Are the skills of a technical nature?
- Are there partnership opportunities?
- Within Clusters?
- Within groups?
- Neighbouring C@P Sites?
- HR C@P Association?
- Local schools/ Organizations?
Size and structure of organization
- Is your organization large?
- Will it be difficult to gather support from the whole organization for this program?
Suggested web sites:
http://charitychannel.com/article_3333.shtml
http://www.volunteer.ca/volunteer/pdf/CodeEng.pdf 
http://charitychannel.com/article_191.shtml
http://charitychannel.com/article_2618.shtml
http://charitychannel.com/article_190.shtml
So, after careful consideration, you have decided to go ahead and provide this program. You are aware of the strengths and challenges you now face in getting this program up and running. It is now time to plan some more. Now you have to plan for the success of the program from the viewpoint of the Volunteer.
Previous : 
