Volunteer Best Practice Guidelines

A tool to support volunteer engagement.

Volunteers | tūao give their unpaid time and skills to communities and causes they believe in. This volunteering action needs to be nurtured and enabled. These Guidelines are based on an understanding of what volunteers need and offer easy steps for you to meet their needs.

Seven practice areas have been identified, based on the volunteering journey:

  • Engage and recruit volunteers
  • Welcome and onboard volunteers
  • Volunteer support, leadership and management
  • Train and grow volunteers
  • Feedback and recognition
  • Celebrate volunteer impact
  • Exit volunteers

Each area has key principles, what good volunteer practice looks like and actions you can take for each of these practice areas. Read the principles and the practice areas. Identify the area you need support on now, and reflect on “what good looks like”, work your way through the tools and resources. Be sure to share with your team!

The guidelines were developed by Volunteering New Zealand | Tūao Aotearoa in collaboration with the community sector. They draw on the experience and wisdom of volunteers and sector leaders across Aotearoa New Zealand. Over 400 people contributed to the creation of these guidelines.

There's plenty more to read, what are you interested in?