Horsham Museum

Name of Organisation

Horsham Museum, West Sussex

Why did you decide to go for Investing in Volunteers?

Horsham Museum has a long tradition of welcoming volunteers and offering different opportunities for volunteer work, and indeed we would not be able to offer the standard of services we do without volunteers. We have more than 50 volunteers and although we had developed in-house procedures for recruiting, inducting, managing and recognising volunteers, we wanted to put this onto a more formal and professional footing by adopting nationally recognised standards. As part of Horsham District Council, we wanted the Investors in Volunteers accreditation to reflect the commitment to public service the Council strives for and so that both prospective and existing volunteers can have confidence that we will take their time and work contribution seriously by offering a structured programme of work.

What benefits have you found from working towards Investing in Volunteers?

The main benefit has been being encouraged to think about and refine our procedures and to get them on a surer footing. This has led to a definite re-evaluation of how we look after our volunteer staff, to meet their needs as well as our own. The main outcome has been the Volunteer Procedures and Policy document, which the Museum has not had before, which has been very much a joint effort between staff and volunteers. This has been embedded within the Museum’s five-year Forward Plan and will therefore be a significant part of Museum policy from now on.

Tell us about your experience of the assessment process in your organisation.

The assessment process was smooth and helped enormously by Anne Marie-Zaritsky, to whom we should like to pay especial tribute. Each stage was explained to us and any concerns on both sides discussed and resolved.

5 Practical tips you would give another organisation working towards Investing in Volunteers

• We found it important to get everyone involved, from managers in the leisure directorate and personnel department to all of the volunteers who wanted to make them feel a part of the process.
• Keep referring to the Standard, which was always our benchmark for the whole process – check and re-check as you progress
• Don’t be afraid to contact your assessor, even if it seems on a trivial point, as they are ever willing to offer support and advice.
• Make sure you can back up your points with evidence, but don’t be afraid to say you need time to get information together, you are not expected to have everything to hand.
• Set yourself a series of realistic and achievable deadlines for each stage of the process, don’t rush!