First contact with a volunteer

If a volunteer thinks that they might be able to help with your project they will request your contact details. When that happens you'll get an e-mail from us containing the volunteer's contact information.

You should hear from the volunteer shortly after that. If you do we recommend that you set-up an initial meeting to discuss whether you can work together.

There are a number of reasons why you might not hear from a volunteer although they've requested your details:

• The volunteer may have e-mailed you and the e-mail has been lost in your spam filter.
• The volunteer may have tried to call but not got through - are your phone lines often busy, if they left a message will it have been passed on to the right person?
• The volunteer might be nervous about making contact.

Feel free to make the initial contact yourself. Drop them an e-mail or give them a call. Explain that you still need a volunteer to help and ask if they're interested.

Your first meeting

In most cases this will be a face-to-face meeting but it could simply be a phone call.

During that meeting you will want to check out a number of issues. You will want to make sure:

• that you and the volunteer are going to be comfortable working with each other. You will want to make sure that they have the skills and experience that you need. You should also tell the volunteer more about your organisation and the people that they would be working with.
• that you understand how much time the volunteer is able to commit to the project. Does that fit with the timescales that you have and will you be able to provide input when the volunteer needs it?
• that any issues of liability and insurance are covered, both by you and the volunteer. What happens if they fall down a dodgy stair in your office or their work ends up losing all the your data?
• that you both understand the scope and requirements of the project. If you were expecting the volunteer to build you a database you'll be disappointed if they simply produce a requirements spec. And check that the technology they plan to use is acceptable and available to you - the project could be very costly if you have to purchase hardware or software licenses.

You should also discuss any logistical issues at this point. The volunteer needs to know if you're only available a few hours a week or if the office is closed on Thursdays and you need to know when you can contact him or her. You should also agree whether you're going to pay the volunteer's travel expenses so that everyone knows where they stand.

Getting this stuff right at the outset is worth the time spent and makes sure that you can then concentrate working with your volunteer to deliver a great project.

Remember that iT4Commuities supports you and your volunteer from project definition to completion of the project. If you have a problem, contact us.