How to write the perfect volunteer recruitment advert

Volunteers are essential to the work that many charities do, whether it’s helping on the front lines of a cause, volunteering to raise funds, or supporting important work behind the scenes.  

In recent years, it has been hard for charities to fill these roles, with volunteering rates falling to record lows following a sharp downturn during the COVID-19 pandemic. But in 2023, volunteering numbers are expected to increase, with one in ten people saying they plan to begin giving unpaid help to a group, club, or organisation in 2023. This would mean an additional 5.7 million volunteers within the UK. 

So how do charities make the most of all these people ready to make a difference? This article explores how to write the perfect volunteering recruitment advert to help your organisation get the right volunteers for your mission. 

Know your audience 

Start by understanding the reasons why people volunteer, and why they might like to volunteer at your organisation in particular. Perhaps they are passionate about your cause, or maybe they would love to develop skills that are unique to your charity’s work. 

Identifying the qualities and skills that your organisation needs from volunteers in this role, as well as the role’s ideal demographic, can help you ensure that your volunteering advert is published in relevant places to those audiences, and highlighting aspects of the role that will be attractive to those groups. 

Then, explicitly state what you think makes the opportunity valuable to potential volunteers within your advert, as well as the skills and attributes needed from volunteers. 

Assemble recommends working behind the scenes ahead of time to make sure that the role genuinely offers a great opportunity to volunteers as well as meeting key needs within your organisation.  

Eliminate bias 

Readers can be dissuaded from applying for opportunities based on biases shown in the advert copy, for example use of jargon, gendered language, culturally-specific expressions, and insider language. Make sure your use of language is clear and neutral so potential volunteers aren’t discouraged at this early stage of their volunteering journey. 

Ensuring that readers with accessibility needs don’t miss out on the opportunity can be achieved through language and presentation choices, such as using simple language, simple fonts, using alt text for images, and explaining any GIFs and videos used.  

Outline the impact and goal of the role 

The goal refers to what the volunteer would be aiming to tangibly achieve within their work, whereas the impact refers to how this will contribute to the bigger picture of the organisation and its beneficiaries.  

By outlining the specific tasks that the volunteer will be undertaking, and how this relates to the bigger picture of the organisation’s mission, you can ensure that potential volunteers have clarity and a sense of purpose about the work that they will be doing. 

Be transparent 

Make sure the reader has all the practical information they need up front so they can make an informed decision about whether the opportunity is right for them. 

This includes the time commitment needed, whether the role is remote or in-person, and how long the onboarding process will take. As potential volunteers will have a variety of lifestyles, existing commitments, experience, and ambitions, this information is necessary for potential volunteers to assess whether this is a feasible commitment for them, as well as staying engaged throughout the process. 

Volunteer management systems can help with this step, supporting managers to build a recruitment advert with all the relevant information, ensuring both internal and external clarity. 

By starting off with an opportunity which genuinely benefits both your organisation and its volunteers, and is tailored to those volunteers, being transparent about the role will only attract the right people for the job.