Voluntary organisations are established by a group of people who have agreed to come together voluntarily for a particular purpose, often in response to a perceived need, or to bring about change. This group of people often become the first voluntary management committee of the organisation. They will certainly have a good understanding of the reasons why the organisation exists but even at this early stage committee members may benefit from information about areas that are new to them. For example, members may know virtually nothing about how to raise money to support the work they want to do.

Organisations like SCVO provide lots of information about all aspects of running a voluntary organisation but the first port of call should always be the local Council of Voluntary Service (CVS). Contact details for CVS can be obtained from SCVO. Committee members will also help one another based on their different knowledge and experience.

Once voluntary management committee members are comfortable that they understand what is involved in running the organisation and how they might achieve their aims the organisation will be much more likely to achieve those aims effectively.

Inevitably the membership of a voluntary management committee does not remain the same. People have to leave, people want to join, organisations change in size, shape and sometimes even purpose. New people will join the voluntary management committee. It is important to remember that even if they are committed to a cause they may have no idea how the organisation actually operates in practice and it is very important that they do know. If they do not they cannot contribute fully to running the organisation. Sometimes involving new members can be difficult for a close group of people. It can cause real problems if a small group of founding or long serving members prevent new members playing a full role by, for example, making key decisions outside formal meetings or refusing to share responsibility for favourite tasks or roles. This may be because they feel that no-one could feel as passionately about the organisation as they do. In order to help overcome any difficulty, a committee should recognise early on that new members are inevitable and plan how they will provide an induction programme for them that will allow everyone to settle into new roles.

Induction simply means providing a short session or programme and some information materials designed to bring any newcomer up to speed with what the organisation is all about. It would normally include:

• The original purposes of the organisation and any major changes
• When it was founded and its history
• The constitution of the organisation
• The governing structure of the organisation
• The legal form/structure of the organisation
• Annual Reports and Accounts
• All policy documents
• Names and contact details of staff and other members of the voluntary management committee

It can often be useful to invite an individual who has expressed an interest in joining the committee – or someone whom the members hope will join the committee – to a committee meeting and some activities or events that the organisation is involved with so that both parties can get a clear idea of what is involved and whether becoming a committee member is the best step for that person.

It is important to remember that the context in which a voluntary organisation operates does not stand still. It is up to the committee to make sure it keeps up to speed with the various areas of regulation etc that affect its work. SCVO, CVS and other intermediary bodies can help here. It is advisable to obtain formal training where necessary both about areas to do with running an organisation (e.g. employment law, bookkeeping) and to do with specific areas of work (e.g. child protection, environmental treaties). It is important to budget for training.