Vital Skills: Managing Waiting Lists and Organisational Capacity

This was a topic that I felt I really needed knowledge and support with as it is a big issue in the service I work for. All of the content was my favourite and the opportunity to talk to others who work in befriending services is always valuable. – Attendee 2025

Purpose of course

Exploring strategies for referral management, creating capacity growth and appropriate endings, this course is created to assist befriending projects to implement a strong system that is both making the most of their ability while recognising the pressures and responsibility involved. Unlock the core skills you need to run a confident, effective befriending service. This Vital Skills: Managing Waiting Lists and Organisational Capacity course gives coordinators and managers the practical tools, insight, and sector‑informed knowledge needed to lead strong matches, support volunteers, and deliver high‑quality befriending.

Whether you’re new to your role or looking to refresh your practice, this focused training will help you grow your expertise, build your confidence, and strengthen the impact of your project. You’ll learn how to calculate your organisation’s true capacity, prevent staff burnout, balance quality with quantity, and make informed decisions about match duration and service demand.

Learning Objectives Include:

• To calculate organisational capacity for operating a befriending project
• To discuss staff burnout and to identify indicators and support methods
• To prepare for collaborative working, internally or externally
• To review whether time-limited matches are appropriate for your project
• To recognise the advantages and disadvantages of a waiting list

Resources and Additional Support

All attendees will gain access to our course delegate pack. This contains a range of good practice resources, information on customer relation management software, an organisational capacity survey and more. All participants will be invited to attend a free 1:1 consultation post-event to discuss ideas for improving capacity or managing the waiting list of their project.

Certificate of Completion

All participants of Vital Skills have the opportunity to earn a certificate of attendance by completing the summative assessment to evidence their learning on the course.

Questions?

Not sure if this course is right for you? Want to ask questions? Contact the course facilitator via email at Victoria@befriending.co.uk