Informal reviews (catch-ups) can be held at any time during an appointment.
| Appointment Reviews | |||
| A/R form | Informal review | Formal review | New leader |
| Minor concerns | Greater concerns | New GSL | Large teams |
| Experienced leader | Leaving a role | Useful tips |
Informal reviews are a chance to catch-up with the volunteer one-to-one, to talk about how they are getting on in their role; build relationships; thank the volunteer; plan for the future; as well as tackle any issues early on. Informal reviews should not be used for programme or event planning updates – these should be discussed outside of the review structure.
Ideally, informal reviews (catch-ups) would be scheduled during the volunteer’s first six months in role and then at least annually, to build on the broader conversations you have during the year. It can be helpful to diarise these to ensure they happen. Occasionally, you may want to address issues that have arisen and require an informal chat in the first instance.
How, where, when?
Finding ten minutes at the end of a Meeting is a great opportunity to have a chat, or arranging a coffee or drink at the pub. Alternatively, a telephone conversation at a time convenient to both parties can work for those short on time. It is important to take the opportunity to have a one-to-one with the volunteer away from other team members so that they can be honest about how they are finding the role, the section and Group, and not feel rushed.
In addition to using one-to-one informal reviews (catch-ups) to help manage and support volunteers and their workload, it is helpful to have a number of methods for continually communicating with your team. These could be:
- attending ad hoc section meetings;
- setting up communication channels, eg: email and social media;
- termly leader meetings;
- end of term/year socials;
- attending planning meetings and events/camps.