How to recruit smaller volunteer teams

Charities are often under pressure to get things done quickly, and it’s no different when it comes to volunteer recruitment.  

In this article, we use Assemble’s guide, ‘Simplifying volunteer management: The ultimate guide to recruitment for small volunteer teams’ to explore some key ways for charities to streamline the volunteer recruitment process, saving time in getting the help needed for worthy causes.

Embrace flexibility 

People are changing the way they think about work, the guide reveals. With employees of the private sector moving towards more flexible working patterns, there’s no reason why charities and volunteers can’t benefit from following suit. 

Perhaps, it suggests, a full-time worker could even spend their lunch break or evening volunteering from home. Why must we require volunteers to be onsite at all times? 

Working more flexibly could support volunteer enjoyment and satisfaction – areas which are key to volunteer retention, according to the NCVO’s 2023 ‘Time Well Spent’ report. To support these new flexible ways of volunteering, the guide says, charities should develop a reliable system of managing their volunteers.

Be strategic 

It is essential to be strategic in small volunteer teams in order to avoid wasting precious time. Strategy can create a clear direction and purpose, a true north for the whole team to follow when working and making decisions. 

Assemble recommends three features of an effective volunteer recruitment strategy: tracking success, managing expectations, and using conversations to collaborate. 

Tracking success is a way to speed up and improve accuracy when developing each recruitment drive. Using a volunteer management system, rather than relying on guesswork and anecdotal evidence, could also help you clearly see which roles had the most engagement, helping you develop future roles more effectively. 

Managing expectations is about being completely transparent to volunteers about the role available. This can save time by avoiding the risk of losing volunteers late in the recruitment and onboarding process when they feel the role is not as they expected. This could include working out and communicating key aspects of the role in advance – such as what will be required from them, the expected outcomes, the investment of their time, and how frequently you will require their help. 

Using conversations to collaborate is about speaking to current team members about opportunities for new volunteers to make the biggest possible difference. This could, for example, mean matching a particular volunteer’s skills with the right team or project.

Use data effectively 

Small charities can suffer from using fragmented systems when working with data. This not only makes it hard to see the bigger picture of the best ways to engage with volunteers but can also carry significant risks such as fines for data breaches, financial loss, and reputational damage, says the guide. 

On the other hand, using data in a way that is connected-up and provides visibility across the charity can put you on the road to success. Not only can you ensure that GDPR requirements are being met, but you can also get more perspective on how you work with volunteers.  

Digital tools such as volunteer management systems can help small charity teams to use data effectively, even helping with essential processes like vetting volunteer candidates using automation and compliant storage.