Preparing for the review

When you’re getting ready for a review, give yourself enough time to plan.

Think about how you’ll encourage them to share their thoughts, and what follow-up actions might come from the review.

To help you prepare, here are some questions to ask yourself:

Their achievements and areas to improve:

• What have they done well? What have they achieved?
• What do they bring to the team?
• What do you like about volunteering with them?
• Are they motivated? How can you help boost their motivation?
• How are they getting on with the rest of the team?
• How are they getting on with their main tasks?
• Have they had any difficulties that you’re aware of? If you’re not sure, make sure to ask them in the review.

Their development:

• What opportunities do they have to keep developing their skills?
• What support have you offered them? Are they receiving enough support?
• Have they completed their training? If not, why not?
• Did they achieve their goals? If not, were the goals realistic in the first place?
• What goals would you like to set with them for the next review?
• Would their skills better suit a different role?

Sometimes, you may not know the volunteer very well, or it's not been possible to get the information you need beforehand. For example, you might be new in your role or the volunteer may be long overdue a review.

In this situation, planning time into the conversation to get to know one other, and possibly have more than one meeting, might be the best way forward.

Reviews are two-way conversations, so make sure your agenda is flexible. You might want to spend more time talking about a certain topic than others, and that’s fine. It's helpful to be clear in your mind about your priorities for the conversation. 

This example might help you structure your agenda.

Introduction and setting the scene:

• Start the conversation positively. Smile, relax, and welcome them.
• Re-cap on the purpose of the review, the agenda and timings. Let them know you’re here to chat about their volunteering so you can help them have the best possible experience.

How things have been going over the past year:

• What’s gone well? What have they achieved? How have they contributed? What are their strengths?
• What were their proudest moments? What have they enjoyed the most?
• Have any difficulties occurred? What are their views on the difficulties?

How things are at the moment:

• Do they enjoy volunteering?
• Are they happy in their current role? Consider their time commitment, tasks, and the skills they’re gaining. Would they like a change?
• Do they feel like they’re developing themselves?
• Are they getting on with the rest of the team?
• Do they feel they’ve had enough support and training?
• Have they done their required training? If not, what support do they need to complete it?

Thinking about the future:

• What do they want to get out of their volunteering experience?
• Would they benefit from any changes?
• What other support do they need?

Agreeing the next steps:

• What are their ideas for development? What skills would they like to learn?
• What goals should you set for the next 6–12 months?
• When will you have your next review?

As part of your conversation, create a comfortable space to express your thoughts about their volunteering.

Providing feedback is more than just talking about things that might not be going well. It's also about recognising what they’re good at and showing appreciation for their time and dedication.

Think of specific situations, actions or behaviours you’d like to give feedback on, and explain the impact they’ve had on the rest of the team or the young people.

Here are some examples: ‘I’ve noticed that you’ve been running the icebreakers at Beavers, and they seem to really enjoy them. Well done!’ or ‘You’ve taken the lead on organising the logistics of the past camp, which allowed the rest of the team to focus on the programme. Thank you for that!’

You could write them down beforehand and bring notes to the review.

If a volunteer has never had a review before, explain what reviews are. You could share the reviews webpage with them.

Sharing the agenda with them will help them prepare and reflect on what they’d like to talk about with you.

If the conversation might be challenging, you could use the invite to separate the person from the problem. For example, explain that you'd like to discuss a particular problem with them. Check out the constructive conversation webpages for more tips and guidance.