Complaint Handling by Charities and Not-for-Profits

Introduction

Volunteering Australia has released a comprehensive guide aimed at enhancing complaint management within charities and not-for-profit organisations. This guide underscores the significance of adeptly managing complaints, detailing a model policy and procedure that organisations can implement. It champions key principles such as fairness, accessibility, and efficiency, ensuring complaints are resolved in a respectful, timely, and impartial manner.

Benefits for Volunteer Involving Organisations and Volunteer Management Practitioners

For volunteer organisations, this document is invaluable. It not only outlines a step-by-step approach to handling complaints - from receipt to resolution - but also stresses the importance of integrating these practices into the organisation's culture. This approach fosters an environment of continuous improvement, accountability, and confidentiality, ultimately leading to better volunteer management and satisfaction.

The guide empowers staff with the knowledge and tools to effectively manage complaints, encouraging a proactive stance on recording, analysing, and monitoring complaints to identify and address systemic issues. Moreover, it offers options for external review, ensuring fairness and objectivity throughout the complaint handling process.

Application

Volunteering Australia's document is a crucial resource for volunteer organisations, providing a clear framework for improving complaint handling procedures, enhancing volunteer management, and reinforcing the organisation's commitment to fairness and transparency.