Volunteering for refugees: Best practices for ethical volunteering program and management

Introduction

Local, international and community volunteers, coordinators and managers often do not have the time or resources to upskill, network and develop their organisations. Organisations rarely have the capacity to manage and train volunteers, combat burnout or produce strategies and policies which are integral to the promotion of social inclusion and sustain services. This project seeks to provide practitioners and volunteers with the resources they need to develop their operations and promote social inclusion.

Who was involved in making this resource:

The following organisations helped to produce the tool kit:

Stand By Me Lesvos (SBML) is a non-profit organisation set up by founders of Second Chance school of Mytilene. SBML strives to help vulnerable groups of people in Lesvos live with dignity, whilst fighting social racism and exclusion. They design educational, counselling and occupational activities for refugees and asylum seekers and foster self-help through the active involvement of refugees and asylum seekers in designing and organising such activities. SBML promotes social inclusion, integration and community development in order to establish a positive coexistence of all people on the island. Michalisl Aivaliotis has managed SBML for the last three years. He has contributed to the shape of SBML’s projects and has encouraged foreign volunteers with SBML to share their cultural and national knowledge and develop a sense of identity with the team. Katerina Kazakou, Anastasia Aivaliotou, Panos Touzenis and Eleni Papadopoulou have all played a role in the creation of this toolkit. 

Wadi is a German-Iraqi NGO which has been operating in Northern Iraq since 1993. Wadi’s main goals are to promote citizenship and self-ownership through projects which focus on gender equality and female empowerment. In cooperation with local NGOs in Northern Iraq, Wadi initiated a large-scale anti-FGM programme in 2004. Since 2014, Wadi has supported the integration of ‘new citizens’, or refugees, in Iraq and has provided emergency aid to displaced Ezidi families. Wadi has a team of 42 staff and 15 volunteers in Iraq, with 2 staff members operating in Germany. Isis Elgibali, Hannah Wettig and Arvid Vormann have all contributed to the production of this toolkit. 

Northern Lights Aid (NLA) is a Norwegian registered NGO based in Kavala, Greece, founded three years ago. NLA supports people residing in Kavala’s camp as well as Kavala’s local vulnerable population in both an emergency relief and integration support context. The NLA team is composed of 15 local, international and community volunteers. NLA puts great effort into upskilling predominantly young and inexperienced volunteers by inviting them to share ideas and develop projects. NLA’s coordination team has developed strategies to be able to sustain operations and welcome a diverse range of people to the team in an unstable and ever changing environment. NLA has shared its research and experience in the topic of volunteering with others. Alexandra Zosso and Rachel Bromwell have made contributions to this toolkit.

Indigo Volunteers (IV) is a charity that supports 48 grassroots organisations across the European Migratory route by connecting them to volunteers on a skill-match basis, sign-posting them to key documents and training, and facilitating psychosocial support. By matching volunteers to the right projects, IV helps organisations focus on their objectives and streamline their operations. IV promotes responsible volunteering by providing contextual information to volunteers before their placements and educating them about the complexities of volunteering and saviourism. Megan Cruickshank and Sophie Rihm have promoted IV’s ethos during the production of this toolkit and have contributed to its overall creation. 

Intended audience

This thoroughly researched and collaboratively produced toolkit will provide practitioners and volunteers the resources they need to adapt methodologies in order to upskill, streamline their operations and promote social inclusion. With this, migrants, who often are at risk of being isolated and cut out of society, will receive help from people with high skills and international competencies within efficiently coordinated programs.

The Toolkit:

		Local volunteers	International volunteers	Community volunteers
Initial interest	Shared	Pair with recruitment partners  Advertise for the project and the service provided in relevant media and events Give information about the nature of the commitment (volunteering – internship etc.) (link to examples of websites) Give information about the potential outcomes of the commitment  Inform about the goal, structure and finance of the organization in the local community Explain the concept of volunteering and engage discussions about stigmas against volunteers Create flexible volunteering positions that are compatible with other commitments
	Specific	Create awareness campaigns or events about the “cause” that the local community can attend Consider and understand local context, needs and pace Being approachable and communicate in the local language Develop and translate physical and printable advertisement/information material Building partnerships and network in the local community Working with the local community is a two way street, see if your organisation can also assist with local issues Assess potential beneficiaries for the services provided in the local community Map local actors that can become partners and volunteers source (ex.church, schools, universities) Map local actors working towards the same goals Involve the local community/businesses in the creation of a “volunteer friendly” guide Having a local or locally based person of contact/reference Communicate to the local community that their input, experience and skills are highly valued Collaborate with local partners that have the capacity to issue certification	Create awareness campaign or events about the “cause” in suitable/various locations to reach out to potential volunteers (Europe must act campaigns) Assess potential services that could also be offered to the local community	Being approachable and communicate in the appropriate languages Engage by listening to concerns and issues Develop and translate physical and printable advertisement/information material Building partnerships and network in the refugee community Call for and map skills, and potential/interest in the refugee community To avoid negative stigmas associated with volunteering,identify and use appropriate vocabulary and concepts that are appropriate to the targeted group Advertise for the benefits associated with helping/participating in a project for self development or/and material assistance Communicate to the refugee community that their input, experience and skills are highly valued (some may have had negative experiences with other organisations) Compile information about the countries of origin of the refugee community the organization is trying to approach to better understand and prepare for potential challenges
Application process/contact phase	Shared	Identify the material need of the volunteers Application form and contact form (Example form courtesy of Indigo Volunteers) Recruitment process  Give practical information and welcome pack (what to pack, travel information etc) (Indigo Welcome Pack) Meet face to face or online to identify skills, potential and suitability of volunteers  Manage volunteer expectations and explain rights and duties of volunteers taking in consideration different groups Provide contextual information (Aegean Boat Report, Choose Love, Northern Lights Aid contact document.) Present safeguarding and other relevant policies (contact volnuteer@indigovolunteers.org for examples) Provide (online) relevant training at this stage (see table below) (Indigo training page & Youtube channel)
	Specific	DBS check  Direct to relevant training at this stage (Kaya)	DBS check	Deliver a training for conflict resolution within the community (Kaya conflict resolution training)
(early) Introduction/Training phase (Sophie)	Shared	Conduct project induction (Contact volunteer@indigovolunteers.org  induction template), assign clear responsibilities and manage expectations regarding schedules, roles and activities Assign a key contact person and/ or mediator and make sure you have ways to tackle language issues to ensure volunteer understanding (Tarjimly)  Ask volunteers to sign relevant documents and code of conduct (Contact volunteer@indigovolunteers.org for templates) Explain and engage volunteers in discussions around daily activities and reflections regarding relevant policies of the organization Add volunteers to relevant communication channels of the organization Identify resources for volunteer wellbeing and offer organization support (Coach Activism or contact volunteer@indigovolunteers.org for further resources) Inform volunteers about projects daily procedures and how to help with the recruitment process of new volunteers by sharing their experience
	Specific		Provide practical information about activities available locally  Provide opportunities for discovering the local community	Identify resources for volunteer wellbeing and offer organizational support (contact Refugee Trauma Initiative about well-being sessions) Provide practical information about activities available locally and services offered by other organizations
Volunteering phase	Shared	Offer or make accessible continuous training about the context/situation (Indigo training page & Youtube channel) and other relevant topics (i.e. self care, ethics of volunteering) Offer time and potential Manage motivation and energy  Be receptive to advice Take responsibility for your own self care Offer opportunities for personal and professional improvement (HR updates) Offer opportunities for discussion and improve the understanding of the situation  Offer access to inside information about the organization Give a feeling of ownership to volunteers through specific activities such as fundraising Schedule time off  Provide opportunities for team building outside working hours Provide opportunities for discovering the local community Provide opportunities for volunteers and coordinator to provide regular feedback and reassess role and motivation.  Train volunteers to become ambassadors for the project, cause and the community One to one personal development meeting between coordinator and volunteer  (PDP template) Encourage and offer opportunities for volunteers to represent the organization during public events
	Specific			Offer relevant material incentive
Departure phase	Shared	Offer formal certification from recognised actors **  (research examples specific to your area) Collect volunteer feedback on volunteering Give volunteer feedback on their time volunteering Follow up on the volunteer role handover Record and document the volunteer contributions to the organisation projects and structure  Provide opportunities for volunteers to extend their commitment after their time in the field by working remotely Invite volunteers to participate in the organization management and decision making through specific patterns (friends of the organization, active network, membership etc.)  (NL members example) Collect volunteers testimonials Collect media material collected by volunteers during their time in the field Provide certificate of volunteering or other necessary documents  Offer to be used as a reference for future job opportunities
	Semi-shared
	Specific			Connect with relevant organizations in the next destination for services and volunteering opportunities
Post-volunteering/feedback phase	Shared	Keep yourself informed about the organizations projects and activities ( for example a newsletter) Contribute to the fundraising and recruitment effort Advocate for the cause and the organisation  Offer skills and knowledge that can be used for volunteering remotely
	Semi-shared	Offer former volunteers incentive to return to the field
	Specific

Helpful Short Guide for  the Setup  and  development of an organization:

Here are the different steps identified by the NGOs who created this toolkit based on real life experience to create and develop a volunteer organisation:  

• Identify the need, problem, situation you want to tackle
• Identify internal expectations and management style of your organization
• Research about volunteering, its history and its different forms, stereotypes and implications
• Clarify the meaning of volunteer for your organization
• Identify the type of volunteer you want and need to work with
• Research the appropriate legal framework to create your organization and to work with volunteers
• Obtain or create a safeguarding document 
• Identify your capacity and create needed partnerships to face volunteer emotional needs 
• Recruit and train relevant staff regarding field activities and volunteer management 
• Assess and create decision making systems (board, members etc.)
• Create system to store and collect documentation and media related to your organization 
• Create information and training documents appropriate to the different volunteer groups (language, level of commitment, role etc.)