People and Volunteers

Your people are your organisation’s greatest strength. Whether paid kaimahi/staff or volunteers, having good systems, inclusive practices, and clear expectations helps everyone thrive.
These resources support recruitment, wellbeing, employment relationships, and volunteer management across community and not-for-profit organisations.

 

What is People and Volunteer Management?

People and volunteer management covers how you attract, support, and retain the people who make your mahi possible.

It includes:

• recruiting and selecting staff and volunteers
• creating safe, healthy, and inclusive workplaces
• understanding employment and volunteer obligations
• supporting wellbeing, motivation, and development
• managing transitions such as induction and exit

 

Why is Good People Management Important?

Strong people and volunteer management helps organisations:

• attract and keep the right people
• meet legal and ethical responsibilities
• create positive, inclusive workplace cultures
• support wellbeing and prevent burnout
• deliver better outcomes for communities
• build trust, reduce risk, and strengthen impact

 

For volunteer-involving organisations, clear guidance and support are especially important, as volunteers are giving their time, skills, and energy freely.

 

Tips for Managing Staff and Volunteers

• Be clear from the start about roles, expectations, and support.
• Invest time in good recruitment, induction, and ongoing communication.
• Prioritise health, safety, and wellbeing for everyone involved.
• Use templates and trusted guidance rather than starting from scratch.
• Review and refresh your people practices regularly as your organisation grows.

 

Recruitment, Selection and Induction

Resources to help you attract the right people and set them up well.

 

Advertising Jobs

• You can advertise roles on Seek and Trade Me for wide reach, but to target 10,000 jobseekers who are keen to work in the for-purpose space, Do Good Jobs is a NZ-based jobs board specifically for paid and volunteer roles in charities, NGOs, and social enterprises. Via our Business Heroes Directory, you can get a 10% discount here.

• SociaLink Pānui/Newsletter – We are happy to advertise your paid local vacancies in our bi-weekly pānui/newsletter.

• Volunteering Services – Our team can help you advertise for volunteers using the Seek Volunteer platform and we do extra promotion of a selection of these roles in our monthly newsletter that goes out to almost 3000 volunteer-minded recipients. More info here.

 

Recruitment Templates and tools

• Selection Form Template > Download editable Word doc – SociaLink

• Employee Exit Interview Template – Employment Hero

• Recruitment, Selection and Induction Video – short video explaining the process and why it matters – Kristie Weatherburn

 

Diversity and Inclusion Resources

• Te Uru Tāngata (Centre for Workplace Inclusion, formerly Diversity Works NZ) – the national body supporting organisations to create fair, connected workplaces. Here is their Resource Library.

• Employment for disabled people – information on removing barriers – Employment NZ

 

Health, Safety and Wellbeing

Keeping people safe and well is a shared responsibility. It includes physical safety and mental wellbeing.

 

Health and Safety

• Managing health and safety: Getting started – understand your rights and responsibilities under the Health and Safety at Work Act 2015 – WorkSafe Mahi Haumaru Aotearoa

• Health and Safety obligations for clubs, societies, and charitable trusts – how the H&S Act applies in the community sector – Law Link

• Health & Safety for volunteers – how the Health and Safety at Work Act applies to volunteers – WorkSafe Mahi Haumaru Aotearoa

> NOTE: Info about creating health and safety policies can be found here

 

Wellbeing

• The Benefits Of Investing In Workplace Health And Well-being – why investing in physical and mental wellbeing is good for people and good business – Davenports Law

• Work-life balance videos – a collection of TED Talks and related videos

• Talks to help you manage stress – videos with practical ideas for de-stressing and resilience.

 

Employment Relations and Remuneration

Guidance for organisations employing staff.

• Employment rights – authoritative guidance on starting employment, pay, leave, workplace policies, resolving issues, and ending employment – Employment New Zealand

• 5 things that motivate your employees more than money – insights into non-financial motivation – Hays

 

Support with Managing People and Leadership

• SociaLink often runs training workshops on human resources management skills – see here for our Training + Events Calendar and/or sign up here to keep informed of upcoming training both at SociaLink and other training providers.

• SociaLink runs a For-Purpose Sector Leadership Mentoring Programme each year designed to strengthen leadership abilities by pairing experienced leaders to provide support for new or developing leaders within the community sector. Applications close each year in early March, and the programme runs April to October with monthly meetings. See more here.

 

• Hub for leaders – Support and resources for community leaders, including hearing from community leaders, support, reading & resources  – Centre for Social Impact

 

Volunteer Management

Support for organisations that involve volunteers in any capacity.

 

Good Practice and Legal Guidelines

• Best Practice Guidelines – national guidance covering what volunteers need, what good practice looks like, and actions organisations can take for screening, onboarding and retention  – Tūao Aotearoa Volunteering New Zealand

> NOTE: Also available in video format here.

• Health & Safety for Volunteers – find out more about how the Health and Safety Work Act 2015 applies to volunteers and officers who are volunteers – WorkSafe Mahi Haumaru Aotearoa

• Who is a volunteer and why employment law does not apply – Employment NZ

 

Support with Managing Volunteers

• Volunteering Services, a division of SociaLink, champions, grows, and sustains volunteering across Tauranga and the Bay of Plenty. They regularly run training and networking events to support local volunteer managers and have a monthly newsletter for Volunteer Involving Organisations – sign up here to keep informed.

> Visit the Volunteering Services website to learn more about the support available for your organisation and those managing your volunteers

• Tūao Aotearoa Volunteering New Zealand – national leadership, research, and resources for the volunteer sector, including the State of Volunteering in Aotearoa NZ reports.

 

Articles and Ongoing Reading

Stay up to date with people management thinking and trends.

 

• Human Resources Management – the latest updates, news and articles on HR topics – Human Resources New Zealand (HRNZ) 

• HR News  – online news, opinion, and analysis on employment and people issues – Human Resource Director (HRD)

 

> NOTE: CommunityNet Aotearoa is a mine of information about a wide range of topics to help charities and not-for-profits.

 

• Articles on People – CommunityNet Aotearoa
• Articles on Leadership – CommunityNet Aotearoa