Wandsworth Voluntary Sector Development Agency

enabling voluntary action

1. What is the aim of the Exit policy?

The Volunteer Exit policy has been developed to ensure that all volunteers leaving the organization have a positive exit experience. The policy is designed to ensure that we, WVSDA provide those volunteers with sufficient support whilst exiting the organization.

2. When is it applicable to use the policy?

The policy may be followed during times when the following circumstances occur;

  • When a volunteer has been with the organization for any period of time and their manager determines that they are no longer developing skills or gaining from their volunteering, thus it is in their best interests to move on.
  • When the volunteer is not performing their role to an appropriate level after this has been discussed during support and supervision and all steps to help improve the volunteer’s performance have been taken.
  • When there are no longer appropriate tasks or work that needs to be carried out.

When a staff member feels that one of the above three statements applies to a volunteer then they must contact the Volunteer Coordinator to discuss this and a record of this decision must be filed with the volunteers record.

If the volunteer is directly managed by the Volunteer Coordinator then the Volunteer Coordinator will personally carry out the procedures that follow. When a volunteer is managed by another member of staff then that member of staff will be deamed responsible for following these procedures with the support of the Volunteer Coordinator.

3. How will the Exit Plan be implemented?

In the first instance an initial meeting should be arranged with the volunteer. The purpose of this meeting is to discuss their role, explain why they will be put onto and exit plan and to then explain the stages of that plan.

The stages of the plan are as follows;

i)Initial meeting – Discuss their current role, explain why they are being put onto and exit plan, explain the following stages

ii)In conjunction with the Volunteer, and Volunteer Coordinator decide on an appropriate number of weeks before the volunteer leaves and make this known to the volunteer. This should not be less than two weeks to allow the volunteer time to adjust and to manage any anxiety they might have surrounding this.

iii)The volunteer must be supplied with tasks to undertake during their exit plan period. Should a manager not have sufficient tasks for the volunteer to undertake, then the Volunteer Coordinator shall provide tasks for the volunteer to do.

iv)Complete 3 copies of the Exit Plan Form. (Refer to form for details). One copy will go to the volunteer, one copy shall be filed with the volunteer’s record and one copy will go to the volunteer’s manager.

v)One week before the volunteer leaves they will have an exit meeting. During this meeting the manager will carry out an exit interview (Refer to Interview form for details) The manager will also help search for alternative volunteer opportunities for the volunteer and shall provide details of these opportunities. The manager shall also provide a reference for the volunteer to take away with them. A copy of this reference must also be filed with the volunteer’s record. Finally, a Volunteering Certificate will be provided certifying their volunteering and the time that they have given to the organization.

During all stages of implementing the exit plan the volunteer should remain a full member of the team and is still required to attend team meetings and team events. The volunteer should also be fully supported by their manager and measures should be taken to manage any anxiety that the volunteer may be feeling about leaving the organization. These measures involve keeping the volunteer briefed on how long they have left at the organization, supporting them to find new opportunities and making sure they are comfortable with the process.

4. How to deal with avolunteer disputing their Exit Plan

If a volunteer does not agree to corporate with the Exit Plan or is unsatisfied at the circumstances in which they find themselves then the Volunteer Coordinator should be informed immediately.

The Volunteer Coordinator in conjunction with the Volunteer’s Manager (where appropriate) will conduct a support meeting to discuss the volunteers concerns and issues and where possible will take appropriate measures to resolve these issues.

If the issues cannot be resolved then the volunteer will be asked to decide whether they would like to leave immediately.

If the volunteer feels that they have still not received a satisfactory resolution then a meeting will be held with the Volunteer Development Manager and Volunteer Coordinator who will together take appropriate measure to resolve the issues.

If the issues cannot be resolved then the volunteer will be informed in writing that their volunteering will be terminated with immediate effect but will be provided with a reference and details of other potential volunteering opportunities.

5. Reviewing this policy.

This policy will be reviewed on an annual basis by the Volunteer Coordinator, in consultation with the Volunteer Development Manager and volunteers.

2007