Judith Ohana, LinkAGE Program Coordinator, LinkAGE Program, the Mater Hospital

What does your job entail?

Recruiting, training, screening, supporting and managing around 60 volunteers who provide companionship to elderly residents in aged care facilities in the Sydney metropolitan area, through weekly visits.

Why and how did you become a volunteer manager?

It was the seachange without the move to the beach! I had worked for around 25 years as a consultant psychologist in the health/rehabilitation field and felt it was time for a change. As I had also been active in community groups, I had come to appreciate how wonderful volunteers were. So when I saw a position advertised for a Volunteer Coordinator in the aged care area, I thought "Bingo!"

Please share some of the rewarding experiences you have had working with volunteers?

Where to begin?

I am constantly delighted at our regular meetings by the stories that the LinkAGE volunteers share about their experiences as a friend to an elderly, often socially isolated person living in residential care. Many of the stories are humourous and heartwarming. Then there are the calls and emails I receive from volunteers when a resident passes away. There is, of course, always a feeling of sadness for the volunteer, but also very often, they express a wonderful sense of privilege to have known that person, and shared their life stories and friendship over many months or years.

Above all, I felt rewarded by the loyalty and commitment shown by the volunteers when the LinkAGE Program was threatened with closure earlier this year. The organisation that had founded and run the LinkAGE Program for seven years unexpectedly announced that it had decided to move in another direction. The shock and disappointment, and the dedication of the volunteers, inspired me to go out and seek philanthropic funding and an alternative home for the program, so that their wonderful work with the elderly could continue. Almost all of the active LinkAGE volunteers, 60 in all, opted to follow the program and me to the Mater Hospital in April. The move has turned out to be a blessing, as the Mater's special ethos of care and compassion fits so well with what LinkAGE is all about.

Do you have any examples of innovative programs and ideas for working with your volunteers?

I am constantly trying to think of new ways of acknowledging the extraordinary but unheralded work LinkAGE volunteers do. One excellent initiative introduced by the previous parent organisation was quarterly support meetings for the volunteers to provide ongoing training and an opportunity for sharing experiences. I was able to further develop this concept by inviting interesting guest speakers and using my psychologist skills at these meetings for teambuilding and emotional support. I am pleased to say that attendance numbers have grown significantly.

Do you network with other volunteer managers? If yes, how and what have you gained from that?

Not as much as I'd like to, given lack of time (it is a part-time position) and opportunity (there are few other similar independently run programs). A few years ago, I did find it useful to attend meetings of the Community Visitor Scheme volunteer managers, but this opportunity did not continue. I have found it helpful to talk to volunteer managers in other fields, especially when attending training courses at The Centre for Volunteering.

Do you utilise the services of The Centre for Volunteering?

Yes, I have used the School of Volunteer Management for training/professional development (e.g. workshops on National Standards for not-for-profit organisations, new Privacy legislation, Duty of Care and related Steve McCurley seminar). I have found these courses useful to update my knowledge on current VM issues, as well as to meet and chat with other volunteer managers.

I have also used The Centre's services to assist with recruiting the very special people we need for LinkAGE. I have listed the position on the jobs database, and The Centre for Volunteering websites, including the Fido service. I have always had a very good response and about half of the recent intake of new volunteers came through The Centre for Volunteering channels.

Have you done any specific volunteer management training?

Yes, I have attended a number of SVM workshops (see above) and workplace courses e.g. media awareness. I also read extensively, both published books and on the web e.g. OzVPM website.

I have also found my previous psychology studies and experience to be very relevant to volunteer management, which is after all largely about understanding and dealing with people.