Exchange visit CRT/WRN on Nautical safety and ICT on waterways

On 06-03-2014 CRT visited WRN for a exchange visit about the Blue Wave. The blue wave is a system which allows boaters to go through a number of locks and bridges without having to wait. All bridges and locks were remotely operated. The idea is to pass the bridges and locks by a large number of recreational boats or for professional skippers to pass these obstacles without having to wait. The Blue Wave was a pilot of the province of North-Holland and was very successful.

Transfer Visit WRN and CRT – 4 S eptember 2014 volunteers

CRT had brought colleagues during the partner meeting in Amsterdam for a transfer visit. They were taken on a volunteers trip during the HISWA Boat show event. They were shown how we are setting up our volunteers system. After this meeting we were invited to come to the UK and see how the volunteer system of CRT works.

Transfer and knowledge exchange visit CRT/WRN

Visiting partner’s number, name: Waterways Netherlands (WRN)

Hosting partner’s number, name: Canal and River Trust (CRT)

Date and place of the visit: 21 – 22 May 2015, Birmingham and Gloucester

The visit was hosted by Canal and River Trust.

Gloucester

In a meeting a presentation was held about the volunteering system of CRT with the staff that worked with the volunteers on different level. Also a volunteer was present who later became a staff member. The presentation is attached.

The meeting was organised during the Gloucester Tall ship event. During this event a lot of volunteers are active and we were taken on a fieldtrip, which showed what they had done and do on different levels.

Volunteers do maintenance, operate locks and bridges, give tours and presentations, go boating with visitors, etc. But volunteers also help in the office, train new volunteers and a lot more. It has shown us a lot is possible and it can easily be implemented if you turn it into a growth model.

The Volunteer journey – following the process from start to finish

(Supporting information for CRT presentation May 2015)

Clarity, transparency, effective systems & processes and good communication are key to working with volunteers.

Planning: in preparation for working with volunteers

Recruit a volunteer coordinator the audience – what are the demographics of the local community the volunteering opportunity – what are you offering / what are your needs / what are the needs of the

potential volunteers / will it appeal to the local audience time commitments what are the benefits to the volunteer / what are the benefits to the organisation what equipment / resources do they need to carry out the tasks what training needs to be undertaken who will manage the volunteers what systems and processes need to be in place – volunteer data base / expenses system / how you

record the volunteer hours e.g. a rota – paper or online version protecting your volunteers – have you got insurance how will you advertise your volunteering opportunities – website /FB/twitter/posters /fliers/ adverts in

the paper/ local magazines/ recruitment events /word of mouth (volunteers spreading the word) create role profiles in a user friendly format that are consistent across the organisation equality and diversity - provision for people with disabilities

Recruiting: the process, induction, training

create a flow chart outlining the recruitment process - could includeinitial contact by email or phone call / registration form / informal interview / take up of references / induction / taster session / buddying up with experienced volunteer / training

Managing: supporting the volunteer in an informal way

identify who will line manage the volunteers on an operational level and who the volunteer will report to / who will they go to for pastoral care

have a clear structure for dealing with difficult situations and a process for dealing with performance issues that is appropriate for volunteers

provide training for staff that manage volunteers so that they are competent in dealing with difficult situations, understand the systems and processes in place and can support the volunteers in all their needs

provide ongoing training for volunteers communication – keeping volunteers in the loop – newsletters/ blogs/ social media volunteer room / lockers / provision of tea / coffee & biscuits opportunity for feedback – how will the volunteer feedback issues and concerns

Growing: developing the volunteer cohort and retaining volunteers

identifying new opportunities identifying new audiences communication – offering staff-led feedback forums for volunteers to get together and discuss issues as

a group replying to volunteer emails / queries within a certain time limit social events – bringing volunteers together for a summer barbecue or Christmas lunch / going on a visit

to a volunteer-led venue reward and recognition – saying thank you to your volunteers by marking special milestones such as

number of hours gifted / number of years volunteered involving volunteers in strategy development / governance (trustees) involving experienced volunteers in the recruitment of new volunteers

Simple things like acknowledging a volunteer when they arrive and saying thank you when they leave make a huge difference to the volunteer experience.

EVALUATION sheet Waterways Netherlands:

1. The organisation and content was satisfactory?

Yes No

Yes, very satisfactory, it was beyond expectations.

2. The speakers/experts were well prepared and informed?

Yes No

The speakers were well prepared and very well informed.

3. In general the issues were well addressed and discussions led to satisfactory solutions?

Yes No

Please detail your answer: Yes the speakers were very experienced in the field of volunteering. Employees who work in different ways with volunteers were present and even a volunteer, who is now an employee of CRT, was present.

4. Please list what lessons did your organization expected (before the visit) to learn:

- Lesson 1: a good volunteers strategy

- Lesson 2: a clear description of the volunteering goals

- Lesson 3: a clear description of the target groups

- Lesson 4: Examples of volunteer stories

5. Do you think that the expectations of your organization (listed in point 4.) were met?

Yes No

Please detail your answer: Yes, the British are very experienced in volunteering. Especially CRT has a very positive way of working with volunteers. This is something we could copy to the Dutch situation. They take volunteering very seriously and work really hard to make it successful.

6. Please list the lessons your organization has actually learned from the exchange visit:

- Lesson 1: If you want to work with volunteers you need to have a good strategy and policy before you start. You need to take this very seriously.

- Lesson 2: Not only you have goals if you work with volunteers but your volunteers (should) have goals too.

- Lesson 3: You have different kind of tasks for volunteers and sometimes volunteers are not suitable for the job they prefer. You need to be able to act on that.

- Lesson 4: Volunteering needs to be implemented in your organisation. Every employee needs to know the value of volunteers and they need to work closely together.

7. Comments: You need to look at volunteers as employees. They need to be guided, educated and evaluated like staff. But need to be appreciated like volunteers.

The goals are very well thought-out and it is all presented in a very positive way.

REPORT:

1. Please list the potentially transferable practices your organization has identified:

- Practice 1: The volunteers strategy and policy

- Practice 2: the volunteers goals by making a handbook and publisher material in a positive way

- Practice 3: how to recruite volunteers

- ...

2. Please describe the above listed practices according to the following points:

Practice 1: Volunteers strategy and policyWe have used the volunteers strategy and policy as a blueprint. Now that we have had this transfer visit we learned that a lot more can be done with it. What we also need to do is to reflect and look at the lessons learned. We have now started with working with our new volunteers but we also need to look after them, reward them and thank them. We should adjust the policy if needed.

Practice 2: Volunteers handbookThe volunteers handbook of CRT is very different from the ones we have in the Netherlands. It describes the chances volunteers are given to develop themselves, how much they contribute to the organisation and to their local communities. It is written from a volunteers point of view rather than the organisation which states what to do and what not to do. I gives the idea they are a part of something important and this is a way of developing yourself in a way which is not possible in their regular job. This ‘feel good’ mood is what we have copied.

Practice 3: Recruiting volunteersBy accepting the fact that any help is welcome and not just a task needs to be done, people can contribute in a much more flexible way. People care for their local community. The safe boating

focusses, when informing boaters on local safety junctions by informing them at their yacht clubs, etc. Interesting for us in the future is looking at groups volunteering like families on a day out and corporate days with colleagues.

What will you do? (How will you implement/transfer the lessons learnt?):We have implemented the basic documents like the strategy, policy and the handbook. We have evaluated all those with our volunteers working group. Based on this we have made publisher material like leaflets and gadgets and provided the volunteers with basic powerpoint presentations which can be adjusted to the local situation. In the future we will develop more volunteers tasks besides the Safe Boating programme and recruite more volunteers.

Does the implementation of the lessons learned fits into the strategic plans of your organization? (also in terms of finance/legal aspects)It fits into the strategic plans of our organisation. In the Numericanal project we focus on the safe boating aspect but in the near future we will continue working with CRT to expand our volunteering

Could you already identify possible demonstrated results and possible success factors? We now have a volunteers network and even though this is the second season we are working with such a large group of volunteers, it is going better than expected. The volunteers are very enthusiastic.

Now we have learned from CRT we need to evaluate what has been achieved in this season and learn what needs to be improved.

Could you already identify possible difficulties foreseen?No, no difficulties we can not overcome. But if we do, we know whom to consult about it!