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Pack 17: Managing Difficult Volunteer Situations

Every volunteer manager or co-ordinator can face difficult volunteer situations and there is no universal way to deal with them, but this session will help them develop strategies to cope with these situations
Author

Kay Curtis

Resources

Handouts, Activity Sheets & Case Studies

Experience Level Needed

Beginner

Access

Download and Online Access

Duration

2 hours

Price

£
50

What's included?

  • Session Timetable
  • Timed Activities
  • Trainer notes
  • Training material in PPT files 
  • Pre Course questionnaire
  • Training Evaluation form
  • Session extension ideas
  • Activity sheets
  • Case Studies
  • Achievement cards and certificates

Overview

This training pack aims to equip participants with the knowledge and skills to effectively manage difficult volunteer situations.

Participants will learn to identify challenging behaviours, understand their impact on the organization, and explore various solutions.

The pack also provides guidance on handling volunteer exits gracefully. Through interactive activities and case studies, participants will gain practical experience in addressing and resolving volunteer-related issues. The ultimate goal is to foster a positive and productive volunteer experience while maintaining a harmonious organizational environment 

Objective

By the end of the session participants will:

- have identified what constitutes a difficult volunteer situation
- have explored the impact that a difficult volunteer situation can have on the organisation
- have discussed various solutions to dealing with difficult volunteer situations
- have strategies for saying goodbye

WHY IT MATTERS

Why volunteers in direct-contact roles need training on dealing with difficult behaviour.

📅 Pack content last reviewed: April 2026
✍️ Authored by Kay Curtis · 30+ years' UK voluntary-sector specialism

Pack 17: Dealing with Difficult Behaviour is a complete full-day trainer-led session for UK charity volunteers in direct-contact roles — covering behaviour types, conversation frameworks, response skills, de-escalation, and the boundaries volunteers need. This is the volunteer-facing pack. For coordinator-level formal processes, documentation, and escalation, see Pack 8.

Volunteers in front-line roles regularly encounter difficult behaviour — from beneficiaries, members of the public, and sometimes other volunteers. Without training, they often feel ill-equipped, take incidents personally, and either escalate situations unintentionally or absorb stress that drives them out of the role. NCVO consistently identifies this as a top reason volunteers in direct-contact roles leave.

Difficult-behaviour skills in 2026 also intersect with legal obligations. The Worker Protection Act 2023, in force from October 2024, places a proactive duty on organisations to protect volunteers from harassment — including from third parties such as members of the public. Equality Act 2010 considerations shape how volunteers respond. And safeguarding policies determine when and how to escalate.

This training pack equips your volunteers with practical response skills — recognising behaviour types, choosing the right response, knowing when to de-escalate and when to step away. Pairs with Workbook 5 (Delivering Great Customer Service) for self-study reinforcement.
TOP REASON
Front-line volunteers leave
Unprepared volunteers encountering difficult behaviour is one of the most common reasons direct-contact volunteers stop. Training materially reduces drop-off.
THIRD-PARTY
Worker Protection Act 2023 in force
Volunteers must be protected from harassment by members of the public — not just colleagues. New proactive duty in force October 2024.
BOUNDARIES
The core volunteer skill
Clear personal boundaries — knowing what to engage with and what to step away from — is the single skill that protects volunteers in difficult situations.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Quick answers from buyers like you.

QHow is this different from Pack 8?
Pack 17 is volunteer-facing — practical response skills, conversation frameworks, de-escalation, and personal boundaries for volunteers themselves to use. Pack 8 is coordinator-facing — formal processes, investigation, documentation, and exit pathways. Volunteers usually only need Pack 17; coordinators benefit from both.
QIs this for all volunteers or only direct-contact roles?
Most useful for volunteers in direct-contact roles — befriending, advice, customer-facing, retail, helpline, event volunteers. Volunteers in indirect roles (admin, fundraising research) benefit less from the content. The pack is designed primarily for delivery to front-line volunteer cohorts.
QDoes it cover dealing with aggressive or abusive people?
Yes. The pack covers de-escalation techniques, recognising when situations have crossed a threshold from difficult to unsafe, the volunteer's right to disengage, and the support volunteers should receive afterwards. For serious safety considerations, pair with Pack 5 (Working Safely).
QDoes it cover dealing with difficult colleagues?
At awareness level. The pack covers peer conflict and structured ways to address it — but more serious peer-conflict situations are usually a coordinator issue and sit in Pack 8 (Difficult Behaviour, coordinator-facing). The two packs complement each other.
QIs it better to buy this pack or the full library?
Pack 17 pairs naturally with Pack 14 (Customer Care), Pack 26 (Assertiveness), and Pack 5 (Working Safely). If volunteer-facing difficult behaviour is your only training need, the single pack works. For comprehensive front-line training, the £295 licence pays for itself after six packs.
RELATED TRAINING PACKS

Volunteer response skills sit alongside customer care and assertiveness.

Coordinators of direct-contact volunteers typically pair this pack with:

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