Volunteer Programme Management: Recruitment, Engagement and Impact – Dubai, 31 May – 4 Jun 2027

Programme overview

Technical depth: Practitioner · Practical mode: Case study

Introduction

Volunteers extend what non-profits, public services, events and corporate programmes can deliver, but only when they are placed, prepared and supported with the same care as paid staff. Many organisations recruit enthusiastically, then lose volunteers within months through unclear roles, weak induction and little recognition, while safeguarding and safety risks go unmanaged. This course from Core Concept equips managers to run volunteer programmes with recognised methods, from role design and recruitment to retention, risk control and measuring value. Participants work through multi-sector cases and leave with a Volunteer Programme Plan for their organisation.

Course Objectives

• Assess the organisation's readiness for volunteer involvement and review the performance of existing volunteer programmes
• Apply the CCVA competencies, the volunteer management cycle and motivation research to programme design
• Design volunteer roles, recruitment, screening, induction and recognition processes that attract and retain volunteers
• Control volunteer health, safety, safeguarding and data risks through policies and procedures
• Measure volunteer contribution, satisfaction and economic value and report it to leadership
• Produce a Volunteer Programme Plan ready for approval

Target Audience

• Volunteer programme managers responsible for recruiting, deploying and retaining volunteers
• Managers of non-profit and community organisations that rely on volunteer delivery
• Corporate volunteering and employee engagement managers running staff volunteering schemes
• Event and emergency response managers mobilising large volunteer teams
• HR managers setting policies for volunteers alongside paid staff
• Public service programme managers delivering services through volunteers

Course Outline

Day 1: Volunteering Context and Programme Readiness

• Forms of Volunteering: Formal, Informal, Skills-Based, Episodic and Virtual
• Volunteering Trends from the State of the World's Volunteerism Report
• IAVE Universal Declaration on Volunteering and Volunteer Rights
• Organisational Readiness Assessment for Volunteer Involvement
• Volunteer Programme Current-State Review and Stakeholder Map

Day 2: Volunteer Management Frameworks

• CCVA Body of Knowledge: Seven Core Competencies of Volunteer Administration
• Volunteer Management Cycle from Planning to Evaluation
• Volunteer Functions Inventory: Six Motivations to Volunteer
• Volunteer Programme Theory of Change and Logic Model
• Volunteer Policy Framework: Agreements, Expenses and Boundaries with Paid Staff

Day 3: Recruiting, Onboarding and Supporting Volunteers

• Volunteer Role Descriptions and Task Analysis
• Targeted Recruitment Plan and Volunteer Personas
• Screening, Interviewing and Placement Matching Matrix
• Induction Programme and Role Training Plan
• Supervision Model, Recognition Calendar and Retention Plan

Day 4: Risk, Safeguarding and Measurement

• Volunteer Risk Assessment Aligned to ISO 45001
• Safeguarding Controls Based on the Keeping Children Safe Standards
• Volunteer Records and Volunteer Management Software
• Volunteer Value Calculation with the ILO Replacement Cost Method
• Volunteer Satisfaction Surveys and Retention Analytics

Day 5: Case Work and the Volunteer Programme Plan

• Emergency Response Case Study: Scaling Episodic Volunteer Teams
• Corporate Volunteering Case Study: Partnership Design and Evaluation
• Volunteer Programme Plan Drafting
• Volunteer KPI Dashboard Build
• Peer Review Panel and Plan Defence

Skills You Will Gain

• Volunteer Role Design
• Volunteer Recruitment Marketing
• Volunteer Screening and Placement
• Volunteer Motivation and Retention
• Safeguarding Management
• Volunteer Risk Management
• Volunteer Value Measurement
• Volunteer Policy Development

Why Attend This Course

• Return to work with a Volunteer Programme Plan covering roles, recruitment, support, risk and measurement, tested through peer review
• Reduce early volunteer drop-out by matching people to roles that fit their motivations and availability
• Show leadership and funders the contribution and economic value of volunteers with recognised calculation methods
• Compare volunteer practice with managers from charities, public services, events and corporate programmes in other countries

Conclusion

A volunteer programme succeeds when people who give their time find a clear role, proper preparation and a reason to stay. This course moves from programme readiness and the principal volunteer management frameworks, through role design, recruitment, induction and recognition, to the safety, safeguarding and measurement practices that protect volunteers and demonstrate their value. The final day brings these methods together in a Volunteer Programme Plan that participants take back to their organisation, giving them a structured basis for growing and sustaining volunteer involvement.