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01. Developing volunteer opportunities
When putting together a role description, you need to be clear on what the role will entail, and the scope of the activity. Think about:
- What tasks need to be done.
- The time commitment you need from volunteers – how many hours a week or month? Is the role short-term (3-6 months) or long-term?
- Create even more flexibility in your volunteering offer:
- Write down all the tasks you need people to do (staff and volunteers). Which tasks could be delivered by one-off volunteers, short-term commitments, remotely, at different times of the day and week?
- Can the ‘usual way’ be flexed to individual needs for example around school run timings, adaptations for disabled volunteers
- What skills do you need from your volunteers? If the role might be suitable for a specific age group, make sure you include this.
- Who will manage, train and support the volunteers throughout their time with you?
- Does your organisation reimburse volunteers expenses, and how can volunteers claim them back? Paying expenses helps to remove barriers to volunteering.
Download our free Volunteer Role Description template
Read our recommendations on how to engage and recruit volunteers in the Bucks Volunteering 2023 research report
02. Employer-supported volunteering
Sometimes your roles may be more suited for groups of volunteers or may require specialist expertise. Employer-supported volunteering (ESV), also known as team, corporate, or group volunteering, is led by employers to support their staff to volunteer during work hours. These activities can be practical, or skills based.
This type of volunteering could be invaluable for charity or community group: it can boost a project by providing much-needed personnel as well as exposing your organisation to a new group of supporters, donors, or even service-users. ESV takes many forms, for example:
- A practical role such as a renovation project, or gardening at an allotment.
- Skills-based such as providing expertise through workshops or mentoring.
- One-off event like marshalling a public festival.
- Long-term commitment like weekly reading sessions with primary school children.
You can find out more about employer-supported volunteering on the NCVO website
03. Advertising your volunteer roles
Making sure you advertise your volunteer vacancy in the right places can make a big difference to finding the right volunteers, so think about who you are trying to attract and how you can reach them.
If your not-for-profit organisation is small and your time and resources are limited, use opportunities close to hand: use your own or existing volunteers’ personal contacts, advertise on notice boards in local shops, libraries, colleges, or your community centre, or place ads in local magazines, e-newsletters, and on social media.
If possible, invest in search engine optimisation and Google Ads to promote opportunities. You can also try in-person taster sessions so that volunteers can get a flavour for volunteering.
Where to advertise your volunteer opportunities
- Volunteer Bucks – we run a free platform which connects organisations looking for volunteers with people looking for roles in the county. Register your roles with Volunteer Bucks.
- Do It Life – a national volunteering database. Visit Do-it.life to get started.
- Reach Volunteering – a national organisation that connects not-for-profit organisations with skilled and experienced volunteers for free. Post your specialist volunteer vacancies with Reach.
- CharityJob – get 90 days free advertising for the basic voluntary roles advert. Upload your vacancy onto CharityJob.
- Media Trust – a charity specifically working with the media industry to help other charities and community groups. Find out more information on the Media Trust website.
- Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales (ICAEW) – post your specialist accountancy or finance roles with ICAEW.
04. Developing your trustee roles
Trustees, or board volunteers, are key to the success of a charity or community group, bringing a unique set of skills and experience to help guide the organisation.
A skills audit can help you understand your boards current range of skills and experience, identify any gaps, and highlight the skills you need to prioritise. To help you do this, have a look at this useful skills audit template from Reach Volunteering.
Once you have decided the skills and qualities you are looking for, think about what needs to be conveyed about the role and your organisation, and what will encourage people to apply. Use this sample Trustee role description from Reach Volunteering and include:
The duties and responsibilities, whether these are general or specific such as treasurer
The qualities you are looking for, for example lived experience or specific skills
Expected time commitment
05. Advertising your trustee roles
Unlike other volunteering roles, trustee roles can be harder to advertise as they may require specific skills and responsibilities. However, there are various places where you can register your trustee opportunities and start recruiting:
Where to advertise trustee opportunities
- Reach Volunteering – the single biggest source of trustees for the voluntary sector in the UK. Advertising charges are determined by organisation type and annual turnover. Find out more on the Reach Volunteering website.
- Volunteer Bucks – the new online platform connecting volunteers with organisations.
- Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales (ICAEW) – a dedicated website connecting charities with finance professionals looking for volunteer roles. Post your treasurer roles on the ICAEW website.
- Women on Boards – a purpose-led business working to increase diversity in executive and non-executive leadership. Post your board roles on Women on Boards’ Vacancy Board.
06. Strengthening your board
To strengthen your not-for-profit organisation, you should regularly refresh your trustee or committee board, and check they are governing your organisation well. You can assess your board’s effectiveness by using NCVO’s framework on helping a board meet their responsibilities, and visit Reach Volunteering to get guidance on diversifying your board.
We also recommend that all trustees research and learn what it means to be a trustee. The Charity Commission has a number of useful guides for trustees, including the essentials of being a trustee and on aspects of running a charity.
For those new to a trustee role, or for those looking to build up their existing skillsets, we offer coaching with an experienced business coach. These exclusive sessions are by invitation only: register your interest on Training and events page.
Find out more about role of trustees and good governance on our Governance webpage
07. Useful resources
For further guidance on recruiting, managing and retaining volunteers, visit our our Recruiting and managing volunteers webpage.
Guidance on developing trustee roles
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