MATCH EXPECTATIONS
IF YOU DECIDE TO WORK WITH A VOLUNTEER PLEASE READ OUR GUIDE BELOW 📖
REPLY TO THE INTRODUCTION EMAIL TO ARRANGE A CHAT 📧
Team Matchable has introduced you to a new volunteer, yay! Follow up as soon as you can to suggest a time to chat about the project in more detail. The sooner the better, as our volunteers are keen and want to get stuck into projects soon so if we don’t hear back from you within a week we’ll suggest other projects to the volunteer. If you are busy please just pop us an email to let us know and we can communicate with the volunteer.
BE CLEAR ON HOW YOU WILL WORK TOGETHER 👩🏽💻
It’s important for you and your volunteer to be on the same page if you decide to work together. Agreeing on a project goal and timings can be helpful to ensure this. We know things change, but having a rough idea of how you will work on the project together is useful for both parties.
SET EXPECTATIONS 📅
To expand on the above point, it’s good for volunteers to know how much of your time they may have and for you to know how much of their time you will have. Some projects require very little and volunteers can get on with things on their own. Others require a little more contact time. If this is the case then please communicate with your volunteer how regularly you might be in contact. If you are incredibly busy and won’t be super responsive let them know so that they don’t fret if they don’t hear from you for a while! It’s also worth bearing in mind that volunteers usually have a set number of allocated days they can use for a project so you may have to work with this.
CHECK-IN WITH THEM 💬
We recommend regular check-ins with your volunteer. This can be a video call, an old-school phone call, or even a simple email! Volunteers really appreciate it when they are given feedback, as it helps them to help you! Again, if you’re really busy and won’t have time for this, just give them a heads up so they are prepared. And don’t forget to keep Lindsay cc-ed into all of your emails with Matchable volunteers so that she knows when to check in and provide support (lindsay@wearematchable.com).
GIVE CLOSURE ✅
Project completed? Don’t leave your volunteer with no closure 💔 It’s helpful to wrap things up, acknowledging what the project has achieved. If you want to say thanks or give any feedback, this is your chance!
LET US KNOW YOU ARE DONE 👋🏻
Please do let Lindsay know when your project has been completed! We like to put together case studies on successful Matches to celebrate the impact made with our community. We’ve found this is a great way to inspire volunteers to get involved, and it’s also a good way for people to learn more about your organisation and what you do, as we share case studies on our socials!