Robin Simpson Chief Executive of Voluntary Arts.
I’ve always worked with volunteers: my first job was with the Royal National Institute for the Blind, helping to manage a team of over 130 volunteer readers to record academic textbooks onto tape for visually impaired students. Since 1996 I have worked in three national organisations supporting the amateur arts sector which has naturally involved working with massive numbers of volunteers across the UK and Ireland. But more importantly I have always volunteered. As an amateur musician (I’m a French horn player, currently a member of the Northampton Symphony Orchestra) I’ve sat on countless committees, organised concerts, fundraised and, yes, moved chairs!
Every amateur arts group needs volunteers to help it run its activities. ‘Our Creative Talent’ – the first national study of the voluntary and amateur arts in England (DCMS/Arts Council England, 2008) found that “there are 49,140 groups across the country with a total of 5.9 million members. An additional 3.5 million people volunteer as extras or helpers – a total of 9.4 million people taking part.” But few of these 3.5 million volunteers would think of themselves as ‘volunteers’. Rebecca White (p8) notes that “for some the word ‘volunteer’ does not appeal”. I don’t think this matters too much unless it prevents organisations recognising people as volunteers and managing them properly. I was pleased to see Roxanne McLean advocating “appointing a volunteer manager within your organisation – either as a dedicated post or as part of a wider role” (p5). It is, of course, possible for volunteer managers to be volunteers themselves but it is vital that the practice of volunteer management is taken seriously.
I was particularly interested to see (in Rebecca White’s article) that the National Trust annual volunteer survey “highlighted that many volunteers felt their skills and experience were underused”. We always tend to be very cautious about imposing on our volunteers by asking them to do more but this suggests that many could be motivated to taken on greater challenges, provided that assessment of their capabilities and capacity is done as part of a thorough process of volunteer management.
We are always very keen to assert that the arts are different but, from my experience, volunteering in the arts is not that different to other kinds of volunteering. I would encourage more arts organisations to use the excellent advice, best-practice information and support available from the mainstream national volunteering agencies and local volunteer centres. Victoria Cook’s checklist of points that organisations should observe (p9) is a good place to start but I would also recommend the Volunteering England website (which Roxanne McLean refers to in her article).
As Jack Worthington says in his online case study, “It’s no exaggeration to say volunteers are the lifeblood of many arts organisations”. I would reiterate Lyn Blackadder’s point (p6) that “volunteering is not free”: successful volunteering requires proper support, management and development. Finally, her list of “what it feels like to be a satisfied volunteer” is a useful reminder that volunteers don’t have to do what they do. Those of us working with volunteers should never neglect the importance of saying thank you – and meaning it.
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