Participation: Shaping engagement together
Volunteers contribute their time, experience, knowledge, ideas and contacts. When organisations take these perspectives on board, the result is more than just support in day-to-day operations: volunteering is shaped together.
Participation means keeping volunteers informed, seeking their feedback and involving them in areas where decisions or developments affect their involvement. This strengthens trust, motivation and loyalty to the organisation.
Why participation is important
Committed members often experience an organisation’s work from a unique perspective. They see what works well in day-to-day life, where obstacles arise and which ideas can help. Those who take these experiences on board are better placed to further develop services, tasks and processes. Effective participation ensures that ideas do not remain abstract, but are put into practice in day-to-day operations.
More and more volunteers want not just to be involved, but to play an active role in shaping things. Organisations that make this possible benefit from it at every level.
It is not simply a matter of participation, but of a culture of shared shaping: with responsibility, transparency, appreciation and a sense of identification with the task at hand.
From taking part to helping shape things
Participation takes place at various levels and can vary in scope. Some volunteers simply want to be well informed. Others wish to take on responsibility or develop their own projects.
- Information
Committed members receive regular, relevant information about developments, decisions and changes within the organisation. - Consultation
Committed members can provide feedback, contribute ideas and make suggestions. These are listened to and considered. - Decisions
Committed members are directly involved in specific processes and share responsibility. - Co-determination
Committed members actively help shape decisions and influence content, processes or priorities. - Self-organisation
Committed members take independent responsibility for a project, a group or an area of responsibility.
The outcomes from these levels are openly discussed and incorporated into processes so that joint decisions can continue to develop. It is important that organisations offer a range of options.
Implementing participation effectively
For participation to succeed, it needs a clear framework. Those involved should know where they can put forward ideas, what happens to their feedback and which decisions can be shaped collectively.
The following points highlight what organisations can bear in mind.
Committed members can also take the initiative to actively encourage participation. If you have any ideas, questions or suggestions for improvement, you can get in touch with a contact person.
Don’t be afraid to share your ideas. In this way, you’ll help to further develop your involvement together.
Check regularly whether your engagement formats are still suitable. What worked well some time ago may have changed.
Even small-scale initiatives can make a big difference. A feedback session, an open discussion or a short survey show that the views of those involved are important.
Participation only achieves its full potential when it is inclusive of everyone. For people with disabilities, this often means breaking down barriers to access, to carrying out tasks or to communication.
A visit to ‘Kultur im Gewölbekeller & Café Helene’
As part of the “Tour of Great Places for Community Engagement”, videos were filmed at four locations. Here you can see how community involvement can be a success.
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