Cheery smiles

The Olympic Games will be remembered for the gamesmakers’ cheery smiles, their knowledge and a willingness to help − the same basic principles that we have used at the Ironbridge Gorge Museum to manage a team of 450 regular volunteers. We work hard to make sure that our volunteers get something valuable out of their time at the museum, and in return we and our visitors get the very best from them. My role is to make sure the volunteers are happy and in turn that our staff are happy working with them. The ten museums on the site, including a complete Victorian town, use volunteers in different areas: demonstrating crafts, educational workshops, guided tours, research, litter-picking, help with car parking and sewing on buttons.

We believe the most important thing about being a volunteer is fun and enjoyment. If a volunteer is enjoying themselves, then they will be the best ambassador for us and will give us their all. In return we will nurture them and give them whatever training they need.

Everything to do with volunteers takes a great deal of preparation and planning. I need to know how long things will take, what tools or training are needed, assess risks and work out how they are going to get from step 1 to step 6. I need to know who is looking after the volunteers and precisely what they are doing. But with some planning, a volunteer role, group project or placement can get an organisation to exactly the place it wants to be.

One area we have developed is ‘corporate volunteering’ where a company’s employees spend time team-building on a real project. People from outside organisations have an ability to think completely differently and the way they work and interact with our staff gives everyone a great boost. While they build relationships with a charity, we are helped to approach projects from a different perspective which has often saved us a great deal of time and anguish.
Managing volunteers can be tricky at times too. Some days things go wrong − of course they do and that is okay − but an unhappy volunteer is a situation we need to deal with quickly. The only action to take is to talk it out: get everyone’s view and strive for a positive outcome. It is sometimes hard to put yourself in the middle, but as the person whose job it is to support the volunteers it is really important. Having a strong relationship with both paid staff and the volunteers is vital as they need to trust you and feel that they can be open and honest.

When volunteers leave to get a paid job, it is a bitter-sweet experience for us, a bit like a child leaving home, but we know they could not have done it without us. The fun they have had here still makes them great ambassadors for us, hopefully for the rest of their lives.