Attracting and Retaining Volunteers – Tips for Community Groups
We’ve never come across a community group with enough volunteers! As people naturally come and go, we’re always looking for new recruits. Fresh faces bring enthusiasm and new ideas.
Volunteering should:
- Fit easily into people’s lives (rather than the other way around)
- Align with passions and interests
- Be open to everyone, removing barriers wherever possible
- Be valued and appreciated
We’ve compiled some top tips and ideas from 3VA, the nationally accredited Voluntary Action organisation for Eastbourne, Lewes District and Wealden. 3VA supports voluntary and community groups with a range of issues including volunteering and runs regular workshops for organisations involving volunteers. Find out more here.
Step one: plan ahead
Before recruiting volunteers, take some time to reflect and discuss with your group. Here are some questions to get you started:
- What do you need from volunteers? What are your group’s aims and how can volunteers help achieve them?
- What tasks will volunteers peform? Do you need practical help like litter-picking or tree-planting, administrative support, or someone for the trustee board?
- Do volunteers need any specific skills? For example, gardening experience, proficiency with Excel, or physical fitness?
- Is a regular commitment required? Do volunteers need to be available on specific days or times?
- How will you support and manage volunteers? Who will handle enquiries, follow-ups, training, and sort out any problems?
- Are financial costs involved? Will volunteers need to travel, wear special clothing, or use equipment? Can you cover their expenses?
- Have you anticipated potential problem areas? How will you respond if a volunteer is unhappy, or if conflicts arise within the group?
- How will volunteers contribute to the group’s direction? How will you ensure they feel included and that their voices are heard?
Step two: why should someone volunteer with your group?
Research by 3VA highlights many reasons why people choose to volunteer. How many of these align with what your group can offer?
Step three: what can you offer to volunteers?
What else can you offer volunteers apart from that warm fuzzy feeling of doing something good (although this very is important!). Some extra benefits you might be able to offer include:
- Training
- Expenses
- Free fruit and vegetable harvest
- Fresh air and exercise
- Friendship
- Tea, coffee and biscuits
Step four: be flexible
It’s increasingly difficult for people to fit volunteering into busy lives. By being as flexible as possible, you can engage a wider range of people, including working professionals, young people, families, and those from disadvantaged groups.
Micro-volunteering involves small, bite-sized tasks with no ongoing commitment and minimal formality. These quick, specific actions are easy to start and finish.
Short-term volunteering is on the rise, such as jobseekers or those wanting to try volunteering for a limited time. Consider your available roles: some may require minimal training (e.g., litter picking or making tea), while others need more extensive preparation (e.g., tree pruning or potting seedlings). Could roles be redesigned for short-term volunteers to reduce the need for training?
Creating “how-to” guides for basic tasks, such as putting away tools or performing daily checks on plants, could help. These guides could be given to volunteers to review independently before contacting you once they’re ready to start.
Step five: define your volunteer roles
DON’T
Simply ask: ‘what can volunteers do to help?’ This approach risks creating unnecessary roles or tasks that aren’t priorities. Instead, focus on what actually needs to be done.
Be too rigid about formalised roles.Volunteer roles should be flexible enough to suit each individual. Regularly review roles and adjust them as needed to meet the needs of both the volunteer and your group.
DO
Define specific roles for volunteers and reflect this in the role title. Recruiting for a generic ‘volunteer’ position doesn’t provide clarity and can sound unappealing.
Clearly outline what you want the volunteer to do. For example, if you need a ‘social media volunteer’ to promote your group’s activities online, don’t stop at the title. Create a list of specific tasks to form the basis of the role description (avoid calling it a ‘job description’ for volunteers).
Step six: create a volunteer plan
After answering these questions, consider writing them up as the aims and objectives of your volunteer programme. This can:
- Clarify the roles and responsibilities your group will create for volunteers.
- Help you explain to volunteers how their involvement contributes to the group’s goals and why they should join.
- Assist your group in evaluating the effectiveness of your volunteer recruitment and use of volunteers.
Step seven: advertise!
A traditional volunteer advertisement might look something like the one here. This might work, but it sounds a bit needy, and doesn’t really let people know what they’re getting into!
Think about 5 things you can offer and 5 things that need to be done and try to include these in your advert.
Be specific about your group and make sure your advert stands out from the crowd.
Get honest feedback from friends!
Think about different places and methods of advertising – ie local newsletters, shops and cafes, social media channels to reach different groups of people.
(Image created with DALL-E by OpenAI.)
Step seven: recognising and rewarding volunteers
Once you’ve recruited your volunteers you’ll want to keep them! Showing how much you appreciate them is one way to retain volunteers. Here are some tried and tested ideas:
Have an award ceremony where your volunteers are presented with certificates.
Provide volunteers with the opportunity to gain accreditation.
Recognise the achievements of your volunteers during Volunteers’ Week. This can be done in a variety of ways, which could include presenting volunteers with certificates or holding a small event for your volunteers.
Hold small events to say thank you to your volunteers, for example a shared meal.
Give thank you cards to volunteer, so that they know that you appreciate their efforts.
Mention your volunteers at your AGM and how they have contributed to your organisation.
Nominate outstanding volunteers for an Award Scheme which will help to highlight the fantastic contribution that your volunteers make.
Use photographs of your volunteers (with their permission) in any marketing material or publications.
And finally: how to say goodbye
When a volunteer leaves your organisation, aim to make the experience as positive as possible. There may be a single reason for their departure or a combination of factors. It’s often helpful to offer them an opportunity to discuss their reasons for leaving and to reflect on what your organisation can learn from their feedback.
Surveys conducted in recent years suggest that volunteers typically leave for four main reasons:
- Confusion about the role – “I didn’t think the job would be like that…I didn’t understand the work they gave me or why I was supposed to do it.”
- Lack of support – “I didn’t like the way they left me to get on with it…I felt the organisation was exploiting me.”
- Poor sense of belonging – “I wasn’t made to feel welcome…very often, the other volunteers didn’t even bother to turn up to meetings.”
- Practical barriers – “I couldn’t afford the bus fare.”
Good endings checklist:
- Skills analysis: Create a mutually agreed list of the skills, achievements, and experiences the volunteer has gained during their time with you.
- Future plans: Discuss their next steps and refer them to relevant resources or opportunities.
- Recognition: Present a certificate and, if agreeable, hold a farewell event.
- References: Offer to act as a referee.
- Exit feedback: Conduct an ‘exit interview’ or survey to explore why they’re leaving, what they’ve gained, and any ideas or suggestions they may have. Discuss whether they might volunteer again and signpost them to further opportunities.
- Handover tasks: Address any final responsibilities, such as ending contact with service users.
- Return of property: Ensure the return of equipment, ID badges, login details, etc.
- Formal thanks: Send a dated thank-you letter to acknowledge their contribution.
- Public recognition: Highlight their contributions in a newsletter or similar communication.