What it contains:

This section focuses on creating volunteer roles that support your charity and writing role adverts that attract the right candidates. It explains the difference between the two and why both matter.

Creating a role starts with your charity’s needs. Ideally it should be shaped with the people who will support and manage the volunteer, so it is realistic, clear and set up to succeed. A well written volunteer role outline defines what is needed, what support is in place and how the volunteer will add value.

The advert is different. Its purpose is to attract the right candidates. It should be clear, with what support you will need from the volunteer and show impact the role will have on the charity delivering on its mission. Once someone expresses interest, share the full role outline so they understand what is involved and what is expected.

Keep the process simple and responsive. Make it easy for people to contact you and show that you are interested in them. Acknowledge interest quickly, then clearly guide them through the application process. If it feels hard to apply, people won’t continue, and a slow response often leads to drop-off.

Recruitment is about finding the right people, not just more people. Not everyone will be the right fit for the role they apply for, but they may bring other skills that could support your charity in different ways. Taking the time to explore this helps place people where they can have the greatest impact and feel part of your team.

NCVO shares that it typically takes between 2–8 weeks for a volunteer to move from application to starting a role. If your process takes longer, be clear with volunteers about why and keep them informed throughout.

Creating Volunteer Roles and Writing Role Adverts

Getting the right volunteer into the right role starts long before you write an advert. This guide covers two distinct steps that are often confused with one another: creating the volunteer role outline, and writing the advert that attracts people to it.

Creating a Role

It's easy to say “we could get a volunteer to do this.” It's harder, and more useful, to start from a clearly identified need. A role should be shaped together with the people who will support and manage the volunteer, so that it's realistic, clear and set up to succeed from the start.

Volunteers may not be paid, but a role still needs investment: time to plan it properly, and support once someone is in post. Skip either and it tends to show, usually to the volunteer first.

Three questions help you get there:

• What is the purpose of the role?
• What does the role involve?
• Who do you want to fill it?

The Role Outline

Once you're clear on the need, write a volunteer role outline. This sets out what's needed, what support is in place, and how the volunteer will add value. Think of the outline as the plan for that investment: it should set out not just the task, but how the volunteer will be supported to do it well, the value the role brings to the charity and the frequency the role needs to be filled. The outline should be proportionate to the role itself: a one-off task might need no more than a few bullet points, with a short recruitment process.  However, a trustee role warrants something far more detailed and will have a longer recruitment process.

It's also worth considering whether a role you assumed needed one person could instead be split across a small team. More and more volunteers need flexibility when looking for a role.  In order then to ensure your charity has consistency, building flexibility it into the outline from the outset makes a role more attractive.

Writing the Role Advert

The advert is a different document with a different job: attracting the right candidates, not just any candidates.

A good advert needs:

• An impactful headline that captures the role
• Clarity on what the role involves and what support the volunteer will get
• A clear sense of the impact the role has on the charity's mission

The best way to write an advert that leads to strong recruitment is to first ‘visualise’ the person you're looking for, then use language that speaks to them directly. Vague language tends to bring in more responses, but many of them from people who aren't right for the role, and sorting through a large pool of unsuitable candidates is not a good use of anyone's time, least of all when it's already limited.

Be upfront in the advert about what you offer: whether expenses are paid, and what support is available for volunteers who may need it. This is part of the investment a role requires, and being open about it from the outset helps recruitment rather than hinders it.

Once written, post the advert where you're most likely to reach the right people:

• Internally: your own website and networks
• Externally: volunteer brokerage services, and social media via partner organisations

Responding to Expressions of Interest

Once someone expresses interest, share the full role outline so they understand exactly what's involved and expected. Reply as quickly as you can. If you work part-time, make that clear wherever your contact details appear.

Volunteers often mention their surprise at how long it takes a volunteer manager to respond once they've offered their time. Even unintentionally, a slow reply sends the message that you're not in a rush, which is rarely the impression you want to give someone offering to help.

The Recruitment Process

Keep the process simple and responsive. Make it easy for people to get in touch, and show them you're interested. Acknowledge interest quickly, then guide people clearly through the steps that follow. If applying feels difficult, people won't persist, and a slow response is one of the most common reasons for drop-off.

Online recruitment platforms, such as Volunteero or Better Impact, work well for many charities. But not everyone is comfortable with technology, so it's worth having another route for people who need it.

Recruitment is about finding the right people, not simply more of them. Not everyone who applies will be right for the role they had in mind, but they may still have something to offer elsewhere in your charity. Taking the time to explore this properly means people end up where they can have the most impact, and feel genuinely part of the team.

Meeting Potential Volunteers

When you meet someone considering volunteering, give them space to share what they're hoping to get from the role. People choose to volunteer for different reasons: some are looking for social connection, some feel strongly about the cause, others want to learn or use particular skills. Understanding their motivation early makes it much easier to judge whether the role, and your charity, is genuinely right for them.

What Happens Next

If someone is a good match, tell them clearly what happens next and how long onboarding is likely to take.

If they're not a good match, thank them and explain why. This can be an uncomfortable conversation, but it's a more useful one for the volunteer than a vague no. Understanding why a role wasn't right helps them approach their next search with a clearer sense of what to look for.