Hi All

Here is some information for you.  This is sent to Host Organisations once they receive your details.  We also have the same conversations when we have our initial meetings with the organisers so they know how to deal with you correctly.  You will seek that we ask them to communicate with you in good time before the event and to make sure you receive all the relevant information.

FOR EVENT ORGANISERS / HOST ORGANISATIONS
AN MEV REMINDER - HAVE YOU USED OR ARE YOU ABOUT TO USE MEV VOLUNTEERS?  PLEASE READ ON.

For your upcoming event, we have included a quick reminder of activities we ask you to undertake when dealing with MEV volunteers.

For easy access to your volunteers contact information, we will have provided you with a Organiser Login and Password for the MEV website. Please remember check this MEV site regularly.  For as long as your opportunity is live, volunteers will continue to sign up for it.  If you do not check your lists often and you require a specific number of people, you may be losing out.  Volunteers will also contact us to let us know that they have not heard from you which impacts on the teams time.

If you have misplaced your Organiser Login or Password information, please contact the MEV team on 0161 234 1532.

We, at MEV, like our volunteers to be treated well, communicated with in the correct manner and treated with respect  Therefore, once you have accessed your volunteers personal contact details it is important to do the following:

USE OF INFORMATION:   As you are aware, you have signed our Health and Safety / Code of Practice and this requests that volunteers should not be contacted directly for events other than those we initially discuss with you.  We can advertise your opportunities in our newsletter and on our website as and when required.  All you have to do is contact us.  MEV Volunteers are a useful resource and you are required to protect their personal data.  Please do not abuse this right by contacting them directly for additional events as this only leads to complaints and people leaving our service.   (This section is for one off event organisers.  For long term opportunities, different rules apply).

COMMUNICATE:   Please phone, write to or e-mail volunteers as soon as you have received their details stating whether they have / have not gained a volunteer place with you.  In this communication, please make sure that you include all the relevant documentation they need.  This can include: the offer letter, maps, bus routes, rosters, dates, times, shifts, location etc.  Try to provide your information in plain English with clear instructions.  This will save you time in the long run.  Remember: if you don't contact volunteers quickly, you are at risk of losing them to another event. 

PLEASE BACK UP ALL E-MAIL COMMUNICATION WITH A POSTAL COPY TO THE VOLUNTEER'S HOME ADDRESS.

ACCEPT:    Unless volunteers receive written or oral confirmation from you, they will not book your event in their diaries and, should another activity happen at the same time as yours, they will take up that opportunity.  It is important to remember that volunteers give up their time for free and you must communicate with them clearly and quickly.  The way you treat volunteers will determine how many people sign up for this and future events/opportunities you have.  If they are treated well, they will keep coming back to help you!! 

PLEASE BACK UP ALL E-MAIL COMMUNICATION WITH A POSTAL COPY TO THE VOLUNTEER'S HOME ADDRESS.

DECLINE:    If you are oversubscribed for an event/opportunity and have additional volunteers which are not required, please send a letter or make a phone call, stating that, on this occasion, they are not required but you appreciate their offer of help.  This will keep volunteers informed and stop them turning up to an event without your prior knowledge.  Perhaps you could think of having a reserve list, should people drop out at the last minute.

PLEASE BACK UP ALL E-MAIL COMMUNICATION WITH A POSTAL COPY TO THE VOLUNTEER'S HOME ADDRESS.

UPDATE:    Keep volunteers up to date at all times.  If your event is in the months ahead, don't take it for granted that people will just turn up on the day.  A regular phone call or a simple letter / newsletter informing them of your current situation can make all the difference as this let's them know you still need their help.  

PLEASE BACK UP ALL E-MAIL COMMUNICATION WITH A POSTAL COPY TO THE VOLUNTEER'S HOME ADDRESS.

RECOGNISE:    Most importantly, once you have completed your event, send a quick "Thank You" letter outlining your appreciation for their effort.   Alternatively, you could produce a personalised certificate to show their involvement.  You may also be asked by the volunteer to sign their event record which verifies the number of hours they have volunteered at your event.  (An example of the Event Record can be found in the organiser pack we sent you or can be downloaded from the USEFUL DOCUMENTS section of the MEV website www.mev.org.uk.

PERSONAL EXPENSES:    If you have stated that you will provide expenses (for travel, food, etc), please make sure that these are provided to the volunteers either on the day of the event or as soon as possible afterwards.  A percentage of our volunteers are unemployed and have paid out of pocket expenses to attend your event.  Please make sure they receive these quickly.

If you fail to undertake these tasks above, we, at MEV, hear about it from our volunteers and, since we are here to make recruiting volunteers an easy process for you, we would ask you to follow these simple steps.  By doing this, you help improve the volunteers experience and help reduce the number of calls and letters we receive about poor communication from event organisers.

Please help the team by completing our Feedback Form to ensure we make the programme better for you and our volunteers.

In the meantime, if you require any assistance, please contact Mark, Chris or Kristian from the MEV Team on 0161 234 1530 / 31 / 32 or e-mail info@mev.org.uk