Leading and Managing in Tas’ Volunteer Sector

A report has been released by the University of Tasmania and the peak body for volunteering, Volunteer Tasmania.

Based on a study conducted by the University of Tasmania’s Volunteer Leadership Research group, the report looks at the role of volunteer coordinators across the state, and the challenges they face.

Conclusion and recommendations

The findings of this study suggest that many volunteer coordinators in Tasmania are leading and managing very well. The way respondents spoke about their volunteers and the people and communities they serve,
was genuine and heartfelt.

There was a pronounced focus on people and relationships, and clear appreciation for the efforts of volunteers. There was also evidence that volunteer coordinators do not identify as leaders (even though they exhibit many positive leadership attributes), that they are under resourced in their provision of human resourcing, and that additional accreditation and training opportunities in regard to leading and managing volunteers would be of value.

The findings of this study, coupled with leadership and management research, point to two key recommendations.

RECOMMENDATION 1:

Invest in providing and developing good leadership and management in the volunteer sector, through initiatives such as:

• 1.1 Leadership and management training for volunteer coordinators
• 1.2 Appropriately resourcing the human resource functions of volunteer coordinators
• 1.3 Investing in succession planning to ensure a pipeline of leaders and to cultivate a culture of leadership, beyond straight management
• 1.4 Providing specialist training in managing volunteer mental health and wellbeing

RECOMMENDATION 2:

Conduct further research to examine the challenges, strengths, and opportunities of volunteer leadership and management from volunteers’ perspectives. Such research would:

• 2.1 Provide evidence of how Tasmanian volunteers currently experience leadership and management
• 2.2 Identify how volunteers would like to be led and managed
• 2.3 Inform efforts to design and deliver specialised training for volunteer coordinators

Read the full report – Leading and Managing in Tasmania’s Volunteer Sector