Effective Volunteer Risk Management Strategies

1. Volunteer Risk Management March 2011

2. What’s the Plan 2

3. Manage Upfront Organizational Philosophy Objectives Goals Procedures Policies Regulate, direct and control actions and conduct Tell users how to & who will implement 3

4. Follow these steps… The risk management process is a series of five steps: Establish the context Acknowledge and identify risks Evaluate and prioritize risks Implement risk management Techniques 5. Monitor and update the program 4

5. Define or Re Evaluate Your Volunteer Program Look within these four functional areas Organizational Management Human Resource Management Accountability Leadership & Advocacy 5

6. Get a team together and ask thoughtful questions: What could go wrong and where? What will we do to prevent these things from happening? What will we do if something goes wrong? How will we pay for it? 6

7. From the Outside In Your reputation in the community is… AND It’s your opportunity to shine! 7

8. Some Recurring Themes 8

9. Volunteer Core Values Citizenship and Philanthropy Respect Responsibility Caring Justice and Fairness Values – set of core beliefs and attitudes that guide actions. 9

10. Ethical Principles supporting Core Values • Citizenship and Philanthropy • Philosophy of Volunteerism and Social Responsibility • Respect • Self-determination, Mutuality, Human Dignity, Privacy • Responsibility • Staff Relationships, Professional Responsibility, Diligence, Doing One’s Best, Perseverance, Continuous Improvement, Self-Disclosure and Self-Restraint • Caring • Compassion and Generosity • Justice and Fairness • Procedural Fairness, Impartiality and Equity Principle – a fundamental truth based on history 10

11. Plan’s in place – all is well or is it? An ethical dilemma is any situation in which guiding moral principles cannot determine which course of action is right or wrong 11

12. How do I go about solving….. What are the facts and who are the stakeholders? What is the problem for each stakeholder? What action(s) can you take on behalf of each stakeholders concerns? Make a decision choosing the option that balances reducing harm and producing the greatest long-term good. 12

13. Approaches …. Virtue – What is ethical is what develops moral virtues in ourselves and our communities Utilitarian – Of any two actions, the most ethical one will produce the greatest balance of benefits over harm Common Good – What is ethical is what advances the common good Fairness – treat people the same unless there are more relevant difference between them 13

14. It’s Your Turn Break Into Teams Review an Ethical Dilemma Come to a conclusion – using approaches Report back to group 14

15. It’s Personal You are the link & your impact is huge You provide a purpose You make the experience meaningful 15

16. References Volunteer Administration Professional Practice Editor: Keith Seel Publisher LexisNexis Canada Inc. 2010 The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People Stephen R. Covey Publisher Free Press 2004 Various Volunteer Websites 16