b'Member News November 2023 25VolunteersOne-team working building a new cultureOn 11 August the Volunteer Support Working Party (VSWP) held a full-dayWhat does the VSWP do? The VSWP works hard to improve how we recruit, train, meeting in London. As the Working Partyssupport and recognise our talented pool of volunteers. Its all first physical gathering since 2019, it feltpart of our efforts to build and embed a culture of one-team rather special.working among volunteers and staff.The VSWPs members represent the following areas:One of the first items on theRecruitment Young Professionals, Professional Registration, Professional August agenda was a workshopDevelopment, Education, Communities and Accreditation.on mandatory policies. A new way of categorising volunteering opportunities VSWP members discussed andbased on personas ratheracknowledged the importance ofthan role descriptions.volunteers reading and signingFeedbackboth the Volunteer Code of Conduct and a set of policiesHow to improve our volunteer linked to legislation, to protectsurvey response rate (2023: volunteers and the IET alike. 13.8%). Suggestions included posing fewer, more targeted questions; making the survey easier and faster to complete; and deploying a phased approach by surveying differentVSWP staff and volunteer memberssub-sets of the volunteer community during the year,VSWP fast factsrather than surveying all volunteers annually. Reports directly to theAll have an equal voiceVolunteer Engagement Volunteer members must Recognition and reward Board already have carried outA two-part volunteer inductionHow to encourage the IETUp to 12 members an IET volunteer role workshop followed. Around volunteer community to50% volunteers and Three meetings each year100 new IET volunteers come on board each month, but fewsubmit Core Values Award50% staffvirtual or face to face nominations. Members alsoAll are voting members Three-year term of officetake us up on our offer of an introductory webinar. VSWPconsidered whether the awards members discussed waysshould be categorised byVSWP members (2022/23) to boost take-up, includingrole and made on an ad hoc streamlining the inductionbasis, rather than annually. Volunteers Staffinformation, making it moreThe August meeting markedChris Winder EngTech TMIET Lizzie Truett engaging and switching fromthe end of Chair ChrisChair 2021-2023Senior Staff Member webinars to on-demand videosWinders three-year term ofEUR ING Jim Smith CEng FIET Lou Parfreyand monthly drop-in sessions. officehe was presentedChair 2023-2025Daniel DefalcoDuring the afternoon,with a bottle of his favouriteJi Li TMIETTom Mayesmembers attended threetipple (port), to thank him forDr John Tan CEng MIETTori Rookeworkshops to discuss howall his efforts. His Vice Chair,Dr Ken Wallace CEng FIETSally Pridmore to enhance the followingJim Smith CEng FIET, has nowVindya Wickramaarachchi MIET Kathryn Bainaspects of IET volunteering: taken on the lead role. Emma FellSecretary'