• Plan to recruit and train volunteers before you need them. These may be members of partnership agencies, consultants, researchers, agency board members, local government members, or community residents.
• Plan what you can achieve with the number of volunteers available. Match your volunteer's capacities to the task they will be given. For example, those who are confident public speakers could be sent to speak to public meetings or local government representatives. Those with secretarial skills could be allocated to typing information sheets and/or creating databases to record feedback and information received. Those with media skills could work on developing promotional materials. In an open house situation, volunteers can be shown the facility or site and key issues explained so that they can effectively usher community groups around the site.
• Organise training for your volunteers, which should be simple and should continue throughout the campaign or event, as new information or issues are discovered. Training may include: public speaking practice and feedback; meeting facilitation; media liaison; writing reports; entering data.
• Appoint a coordinator for volunteers. This person will be responsible for liaising with volunteers to ensure they are clear what is expected of them, when and where. This person would be the central information point for further queries, or for letting organisers know if a volunteer cannot do what they have undertaken to do.
• Provide a budget for volunteer work which includes costs of background briefing papers, handouts, transport, accommodation, phone calls made from home, and other out-of-pocket costs incurred by volunteers.