The volunteer recruitment process

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1. Do the background work before you recruit

Consider the following questions. Why not consult with relevant committees in your organisation as well as employees and possibly existing volunteers.

• Why do we want volunteers and for what tasks?
• What sort of volunteers do we want, with what skills and experience?
• How will we go about finding them?
• What will our selection process involve?
• If we recruit successfully, how will we ensure that we keep the volunteer with us? Do we already have a good management policy for volunteers?

Some useful publications are available from the Volunteer Development Agency (NI)

2. Get the word out that you are recruiting volunteers

Advertising for new volunteers requires you to:

• prepare a 'case for support' – your message to potential volunteers
• decide the ways in which you will recruit
• be persistent and patient!

Case for support - your message to potential volunteers

The case for support should explain in reader-friendly language:

• what the organisation does and what cause or people it benefits
• the range of volunteer opportunities that exist
• the difference a volunteer can make to the cause or the people
• what the volunteer can gain from working with the organisation
• how prospective volunteers can find out more.

See also writing volunteer role descriptions.

Methods of volunteer recruitment

There are lots of ways of advertising for volunteers. These include:

• word of mouth
• leaflets and other printed media
• using Volunteer Centre databases
• organising or speaking at events during Volunteer Week
• press / radio adverts
• online - on your own website and via volunteer recruitment websites.

Whichever methods you chose, make sure potential volunteers can get in touch easily by including a phone number or email address.

Persistence and patience when recruiting volunteers

Don’t panic if you are just starting out and it seems to be taking a lot of time and effort. The time and effort are worth it.

Passionate advocacy may not always attract the volunteers that are so badly needed – but persistence and creativity will eventually pay off. Volunteering is deeply engrained in the British psyche - one in seven of the population is already a volunteer so it is not a new idea. It's worth bearing in mind that asking a busy person may be more likely to result in a new volunteer than finding someone who has never volunteered.

Online methods of recruitment can be especially attractive to younger people. Examples of online approaches to encouraging people into volunteering include vinspired and CSV – ementoring.

3. Volunteer applications

Designing a simple form for applicants will help make sure the recruitment of volunteers is taking account of equal opportunities and diversity policy. Where appropriate ensure different languages or inclusive images are used. You also need to be conscious about accessibility for people with disabilities.

Asylum seekers, volunteers from overseas and ex-offenders are allowed to volunteer. If necessary, appropriate legal guidance should be sought from one of the national centres.

Be ready to have an informal chat on the phone.

4. Volunteer interviews

Interviews should not be overly formal – people are offering a gift of time, not seeking paid employment. The great temptation in interviewing is for the interviewer to talk too much about the organisation and not leave time for the potential volunteer to talk about themselves.

A simple ‘person specification’ can be a useful template for the interview. A second is an exploration of why the applicant wants to volunteer. Motivations might include:

• a belief in the organisation’s cause
• wanting to use skills and give something back
• trying out or learning new skills
• (if the person is older or unemployed) to keep active
• gaining experience in a field of activity they hope to enter
• social contact and meeting people.

Exploring these points in an interview and keeping a record of the answers is a demonstration of good interview practice.

Make sure the volunteer role or roles are understood and give time for the applicant to raise any questions or concerns. Doing this will help to bring the interview to an end. It's also important that you're ready to explain any requirements that need to be met before appointment and the support that will be available.

5. Volunteer appointment

Once you have decided that the applicant has the necessary attributes and actual or potential skills for the volunteer role, the next step is to contact them and fix a provisional start date and induction time.

The firm start date depends on a number of factors.

References for volunteers

References must be sought. In the first instance, a simple letter from referees (two is usually the right number) will be enough. But talking to the referees by phone is also advisable as this allows you to probe a little deeper and ask about the applicant’s capacity to work in a team, their flexibility and their ability to best represent the organisation’s cause as a new volunteer.

Health checks for volunteers

Health checks are advisable if the role demands physical activity. But it is worth deciding a policy on whether you will ask about health conditions from all volunteers, no matter what the volunteer role may be. Health checks should not be used to discriminate against people who are frail due to age or dealing with mental health problems. Considerable sensitivity is required as with disability (remember equal opportunities and diversity).

CRB checks on volunteers

The Independent Safeguarding Authority (ISA) was created as part of the government’s Vetting and Barring Scheme to help prevent unsuitable people from working with children and vulnerable adults. It works closely with the Criminal Records Bureau which checks police records and, in relevant cases, information held on the databases of the ISA.

6. Refusing volunteers

Having completed all the stages of recruitment, the organisation may decide that the applicant is not suitable for the volunteer role available. In this case, it is important to tell the applicant the reasons that you are not accepting them as a volunteer. Suggesting that the nearest Volunteer Centre may have more suitable volunteer roles may ease the blow of rejection.

The applicant may decide that they do not want to volunteer for your organisation after all. In this case, you might want to ask the applicant for their reasons. This insight may prove helpful for future recruitment activity.

Useful links

• Information on volunteer selection from Volunteering Merseyside

Have your say

Have you had any good or bad experiences when recruiting volunteers for your organisation?

Share your thoughts on the Volunteers forum.