Bigger charities are not investing enough in volunteer management, according to a leading figure at Volunteering England.
Barbara Regnier, the organisation's director of consultancy and education, believes that the work of volunteer managers is not given high enough priority, even though 2005 is the Year of the Volunteer.
"Many volunteer managers, particularly in larger charities, are low down in the hierarchy," she said. "They are not part of the strategic development of their organisations and are almost on the periphery. They also tend to have restricted budgets and little influence."
Regnier claims some volunteer managers find themselves managing mainly volunteer fundraisers, whose attributes are widely recognised and who attract investment. "The benefits non-fundraising volunteers bring are often not valued in the same way," she said.
Volunteering England is working on a report expected to call for greater investment in volunteer managers.
