Hints & tips to help attract the right volunteer

The key to maximising your chances of attracting the right volunteer(s) when listing your roles on Volunteer Bucks is to be as informative as possible. A volunteer is much more likely to choose a role if they can see at once that it is a good match for them in terms of time, location and expected tasks. Here are a few hints and tips on how to make your listing as informative as possible.

Advertise only one role per listing: there is no limit on the number of listings you can post on Volunteer Bucks. Focusing on one role at a time allows you to give potential volunteers much more information about each role. 

Choose a descriptive role title: “volunteer helper” doesn’t really tell the reader much and they are likely to skip over your listing in favour of one where the title indicates the role may be something they’d like to do.

Be clear about time commitment: many potential volunteers will be searching for roles that fit with their availability. There are drop-down boxes you can fill in with basic information when setting up the role, eg:

The information from these boxes will appear in your listing immediately underneath the picture on the preview page that potential volunteers see when just browsing the platform.

But if there is more information about the time commitment eg. Wednesdays in school term time, it is very helpful if you can include this in the summary box which also appears on the preview page, eg:

This means you’ll get fewer enquiries from people who just aren’t available at the time you need them. Similarly, if you need a volunteer to commit to the role for a minimum period, saying so upfront increases your chances of receiving enquiries only from people what can make that commitment.

Add a Detailed Description: this should ideally provide all the information the potential volunteer needs to know so they can decide whether or not to apply for the role.

This includes information about:

·        The main purpose of the role

·        The main tasks the volunteer would be taking on

·        Location(s) where the tasks will be carried out

·        Any fuller details about the time commitment

·        What support is available (eg, volunteer manager, buddy, part of a team)

·        Any training available – is this mandatory, if so what is the time commitment?

·        Any special skills/ experience needed (eg: car driver with own car, experienced in heavy lifting)

·        Include any ‘soft skills’ needed (eg: friendly and outgoing person, happy to start conversations with new people)

·        Details of any DBS check required and whether references are needed

·        Anything else that a potential volunteer needs to know

There are separate boxes you can tick when setting up the role to indicate whether you can reimburse costs and whether you can provide extra support (eg if a disabled person would like to apply).

The more information you can provide in the role description the more likely it is that the people contacting you are a good fit for the role.

Think about U-18s

Many people start volunteering whilst still at school or college. It is an excellent way for them to contribute to the community whilst contributing to their CV. But often it is difficult for them to see which roles might be suitable for them.

If your role could be filled by a young person, there is a box you can tick when setting up the role on Volunteer Bucks (at the bottom of the set-up page):

If your role could be filled by someone who is under 16 (eg someone on the Duke of Edinburgh award scheme), it is worth mentioning this in your role description.

Check what the listing looks like

Once you have published the role, it is always worth going to the “Volunteers” tab on the Volunteer Bucks homepage and “browse opportunities” to see your listing as it appears to potential volunteers. You can always edit your listing to add details or change anything that isn’t right.

If you have a question or need help, you can get in touch by emailing [email protected]