Recruiting volunteers

How you recruit for volunteers will depend on a number of factors, including:

• The size of your organisation – Smaller organisations may rely more on informal recruitment methods such as word of mouth or community connections, while larger charities might use structured advertising through websites like Volunteer Essex, or social media platforms.
• The complexity of the role – Roles with more responsibility, such as mentoring, safeguarding, or handling money, may require a more rigorous recruitment process than simpler tasks like event support or administrative help.

The process for recruitment should be clearly outlined in your volunteer policy to ensure transparency and fairness for all applicants. This helps manage expectations and promotes trust.

A typical process could include completing an application form, attending an informal or formal interview, participating in a trial session or shadowing a current volunteer, providing references, and undertaking relevant training.

You may need to outline Safer recruitment practices if your organisation works with children or vulnerable adults. These could be explicit in the volunteer policy or you may prefer to have a stand-alone policy that is referenced.

Read more about Safer Recruitment and check your policy on our Safer Recruitment page

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