How can you stay ahead of volunteer risk management trends?

1 Monitor legal and ethical standards

One of the main sources of volunteer risk management trends is the legal and ethical framework that governs your sector, your location, and your activities. You need to be aware of the relevant laws, policies, codes, and guidelines that apply to your volunteer program, and how they may change over time. For example, you may need to comply with privacy, health and safety, anti-discrimination, or criminal background check regulations. You may also need to follow the standards and principles of your professional association, your funding body, or your accreditation body. To monitor these standards, you can subscribe to newsletters, webinars, or blogs from reliable sources, consult with experts or peers, or join a network or forum of volunteer managers.

2 Evaluate your current practices

Another way to stay ahead of volunteer risk management trends is to regularly evaluate your current practices and identify any gaps, weaknesses, or opportunities for improvement. You can use a variety of tools and methods to conduct a volunteer risk assessment, such as surveys, interviews, focus groups, audits, or checklists. You can also compare your practices with the best practices of other organizations or sectors, or with the benchmarks or indicators of quality and performance. By evaluating your current practices, you can measure your progress, recognize your strengths, and address your challenges.

3 Involve your stakeholders

A third way to stay ahead of volunteer risk management trends is to involve your stakeholders in the process. Your stakeholders are the people who have an interest or influence in your volunteer program, such as your volunteers, staff, board, beneficiaries, partners, or donors. By involving them, you can gain valuable insights, feedback, and suggestions on how to manage your volunteer risks. You can also build trust, collaboration, and accountability among your stakeholders, and ensure that your volunteer risk management is aligned with their needs and expectations. You can involve your stakeholders by communicating clearly and frequently, soliciting their input and opinions, or inviting them to participate in decision-making or problem-solving.

4 Adopt a learning culture

A fourth way to stay ahead of volunteer risk management trends is to adopt a learning culture in your organization. A learning culture is one that encourages and supports continuous learning and improvement among all members of the organization. It fosters curiosity, innovation, and experimentation, and embraces mistakes and failures as opportunities for learning. To adopt a learning culture, you can provide and access relevant and diverse learning resources, such as courses, workshops, podcasts, books, or mentors. You can also create and participate in learning spaces, such as communities of practice, peer groups, or online platforms. By adopting a learning culture, you can enhance your knowledge, skills, and confidence in managing your volunteer risks.

5 Anticipate future scenarios

A fifth way to stay ahead of volunteer risk management trends is to anticipate future scenarios and plan accordingly. Future scenarios are possible situations or events that may affect your volunteer program, such as changes in technology, demographics, environment, or society. By anticipating these scenarios, you can prepare for the potential risks and opportunities that they may bring, and adapt your volunteer risk management accordingly. You can use various techniques to anticipate future scenarios, such as scenario planning, foresight, or trend analysis. You can also consult with experts, researchers, or futurists, or explore different sources of information, such as reports, forecasts, or predictions. By anticipating future scenarios, you can be proactive, resilient, and responsive to the changing volunteer risk management landscape.

6 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?