Volunteer Management

Volunteer one-page profiles

Technique

Using one-page profiles as part of the volunteer recruitment process has a number of benefits for the recruiting organisation and potential volunteers. For organisations and volunteer managers, a one-page profile can:

  • Provide a sense of who the volunteer is as an individual, their strengths and the things that matter to them.
  • Introduce the concept of person-centred approaches to potential volunteers early on in their relationship with the organisation. If the volunteer ends up supporting an individual they have already had the opportunity to become familiar with the concept of a one-page profile and how they are used.
  • Provide an alternate way of ‘getting to know’ a potential volunteer. The one-page profile can then be used as a means of introducing volunteers to individuals they are working with, paid staff and other volunteers.
  • Serve as a living document for a volunteer; in time it can be updated as they settle into their position and gain a better understanding of how they want to be supported within their role.
  • Be used within areas of supervision and support. Can assist in streamlining the processes and paperwork you have for volunteers and paid employees whilst embedding a person-centred approach within the organisation.

Information to provide to volunteer candidates

A one-page profile is a document that gives people information about who you are. It is a way of sharing your strengths, what others like and admire about you, the things that are important to you and how to work with and support you.

One-page profiles have three headings;

  1. What people like and admire about me

This is a positive introduction to you covering skills, strengths and things that others appreciate about you.

  1. What’s important to me

This covers the things that matter to you as a potential volunteer and life in general.

  1. How to support me best

This section is for you to capture how you like others to communicate and work with you and potentially how you would like you volunteer manager to support you in your role.

One-page profiles support organisations to implement person-centred approaches across the whole organisation.

  • A person-centred approach involves placing individuals at the centre of all decision-making.
  • A person-centred organisation understands that to do this well, volunteers need to feel valued and empowered; using person-centred approaches within the organisation and with all people facilitates this process.
  • One-page profiles will be used to ensure that every volunteer is seen as an individual and reinforces that we are all unique individuals, human and approachable.
  • One-page profiles are used with volunteers in various ways, including:
  • To ensure you are being supported in a way that you want and to assist you to think about what is important to you in the future.
  • To support members of a team get to know one another as people and how best to work together.
  • To improve the match between volunteers and individuals supported by the organisation.

Tips

  • When developing your own one-page profile, identify what people like and admire about you and create a list of your positive attributes, strengths and talents.
  • Think about the things you are good at. You can ask other people that know you well for their opinion.
  • Think about what others have thanked or recognised you for in the past or commented that you are good at. These things might include the strengths that your referee would list.
  • This is not a list of accomplishments but a summary of your positive attributes.
  • Remember what’s important to you. Capture the things that matter to you in both your life and at work.
  • Add enough detail that others can get an understanding about what you value most and are passionate about.
  • Be specific, provide the detail necessary so that others can read it and know exactly what you mean.
  • The information you provide is meant to be more than just a list of things that you like.
  • Think about how you like others to work with you. What is helpful? What isn’t?
  • If your manager needs to give you feedback, think about what approach is the most constructive for you?
  • What can other people do to make your day positive and productive?
  • Think about how you like others to communicate information to you.
  • If things are chaotic what can others do to assist you get back on track?
  • What do you value about working with colleagues?
  • Being specific is important. Instead of writing ‘be honest with me’, think about and capture in greater detail what others need to know.

Template

Download the 'one-page profile' template using the button above.

TIPS for the organisation

  • Be clear about the purpose and process of developing one-page profiles with potential volunteers.  Not everyone will immediately see the benefits if you don’t outline what they are, why you are asking them to develop a profile and how they will be used in the recruitment process and beyond.
  • Provide tips on how to develop a one-page profile in the same way you do for individuals supported by your service. If you provide a template with instructions and support to assist in completing the one-page profile you are more likely to get quality information.
  • Whether you have individual or group interviews, volunteer candidates can be coached to develop a draft one-page profile as part of this process.
  • Provide information and examples to candidates if you want them to develop a draft profile before coming along to an interview. Providing a copy of your own one-page profile is a way of leading by example.
  • When recruiting for a position working directly with individuals, the shortlisted candidates’ one-page profiles can be presented alongside the capability requirements, position description and selection criteria for the role. This will assist the individual in their decision on which shortlisted candidates to interview or meet.
  • When developing one-page profiles with employees the ‘what’s important to’ section of the one-page profile can be used to get a sense of people’s motivation for working in the disability sector, volunteering, etc. You can use the motivational tool to assist you to support the person to gather this information.
  • Ask for a couple of things that are important to employees outside of work, no matter what role they are applying for. Information about their strengths and interests can assist you in matching employees with individuals supported by your service.

Additional resources:

  • Tool and tips – using the ‘motivational tool’ to identify methods of recruitment and supporting volunteers

Definitions:

The term individual(s) refers to an individual with a disability and their family and/or circle of support.

The term staff/employees(s) refer to paid members of the organisations workforce. Employment relationships with the organisation may be permanent, casual, full-time, part-time, etc.

The term volunteer(s) refers to an unpaid individual willingly giving their time to provide a service or support

Intellectual property rights are jointly owned by National Disability Services Ltd and Helen Sanderson Associates respectively. Concepts and intellectual property used with permission from The Learning Community for Person Centred Practices. ©This publication is copyright. All rights reserved.