Volunteer management
Volunteer managers empower communities by maximising volunteer strengths. Explore our resources and join us to enhance your volunteer management skills.
Last updated 13 May 2026
Overview
Volunteer managers are the unsung heroes shaping our community. By harnessing the strengths of volunteers, they overcome manpower and resource challenges and serve more individuals. Explore our toolkits, guides, and initiatives designed to fortify your volunteer management capabilities.
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Organisational development
Skills-based Volunteerism Toolkit for Organisational Development
Supporting organisations in building volunteer management capabilities with resources that include a toolkit and templates for users.
Publication (opens in new tab) | Toolkit (opens in new tab) | Templates (opens in new tab) | Infographic (opens in new tab) | Brochure (opens in new tab)
Transforming the volunteer experience in the social service sector
Explore insights and recommendations on how social service agencies can develop data-backed volunteer management strategies for better volunteer attraction and retention.
Publication (opens in new tab) | Brochure (opens in new tab)
Volunteer Continuity Planning (VCP) Guide
Guiding SSAs with resources to develop a personalised volunteer continuity plan for their agency and plan for continuity during service disruptions.
Publication (opens in new tab) | Workbook (opens in new tab) | Infographic (opens in new tab)
Volunteer Continuity Planning session
Session 1 – Pt. 1 (opens in new tab) | Session 1 – Pt. 2 (opens in new tab) | Session 1 – Pt. 3 (opens in new tab)
Session 2 – Pt. 1 (opens in new tab) | Session 2 – Pt. 2 (opens in new tab) | Session 2 – Pt. 3 (opens in new tab)
Volunteer Development Guide
A comprehensive approach to volunteer development with resources equipped to enhance learning, development and templates.
Publication (opens in new tab) | Guide (opens in new tab) | Templates (opens in new tab) | Infographic (opens in new tab)
Volunteer Management Maturity Matrix (VMM Matrix)
Explore resources to ascertain strengths and gaps in your volunteer management practices with our guides and digital self-assessment tool.
Info kit (opens in new tab) | Tool (opens in new tab) | Webinar (opens in new tab) | News (opens in new tab)
Volunteer Management Toolkit 3.0
Updated in 2025 and co-curated with the sector, the refreshed toolkit features new chapters on risk management and demographic-based engagement insights while providing SSAs with practical guides to manage their volunteer management framework.
Volunteer Role Redesign (VRR) Guide
A structured approach for SSAs to create or adapt volunteer roles to better fit agency needs and enhance engagement. Explore our comprehensive resources below.
Guide (opens in new tab) | Templates (opens in new tab) | Infographic (opens in new tab) | Brochure (opens in new tab)
Volunteer Role Redesign engagement session
Webinar Pt. 1 (opens in new tab) | Webinar Pt. 2 (opens in new tab) | Webinar Pt. 3 (opens in new tab) | Webinar Pt. 4 (opens in new tab)
Corporate volunteerism
Corporate Volunteerism Guide
A comprehensive guide for corporates to develop and implement impactful service-based volunteering programmes within their organisation.
Project V Pilot Insights Report
The report highlights key factors contributing to successful volunteering partnerships between corporates and SSAs.
Publication [PDF, 6.39MB] (opens in new tab)
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Volunteer management capability development
101 Ideas to Enhance Volunteers' Experience
Discover invaluable data-driven ways to improve the experiences of your volunteers.
Publication (opens in new tab) | Research (opens in new tab)
Learning & Development Roadmap (LDR) for Volunteer Managers
Receive guidance on how to perform effectively and optimise volunteer resources using our learning and development roadmap.
Research & impact measurement
Driving Change Through Dedicated Volunteer Managers
Explore achievements and success stories from the 2-year Enhanced Volunteer Manager Funding Scheme (EVMFS).
Publication (opens in new tab) | Infographic (opens in new tab)
Driving Social Impact Through Volunteers
Follow 16 SSAs on their journey to improving their organisational capabilities in volunteer management.
Measuring Volunteers' Satisfaction
Volunteer satisfaction is key to developing strong recruitment, engagement and retention strategies. Reference this list of sample survey questions to help craft your organisation's volunteer feedback surveys.
NCSS Social Service Sector Survey on Volunteer Management
A data-driven approach to support social service agencies in building stronger volunteer management capabilities. Learn more about our approach.
Volunteer Impact Measurement Kit
Empowering SSAs to assess and showcase the value of volunteering for volunteers, service users, agencies and corporate partners. The toolkit contains a framework that enables agencies to strengthen corporate partnerships, in-depth resource libraries and templates.
Publication (opens in new tab) | Handbook (opens in new tab) | Core outcomes (opens in new tab) | Library (opens in new tab) | Templates (opens in new tab)
Volunteer Management Impact Report - Our Journey Together
In the volunteer management Impact Report, we reflect on the collaborative efforts between NCSS and our social service agencies in driving progress and development across key areas within the sector
FY2022: Publication (opens in new tab) | Video (opens in new tab)
FY2021: Publication (opens in new tab) | Infographic (opens in new tab)
Volunteer Management Insights Infographic
NCSS gathered valuable insights on volunteer management from the 2021 Social Service Sector Survey and created this infographic to guide volunteer management practices on sector trends and givers' perspectives.