Volunteer Recruitment in Focus: Key Insights from Our March Volunteer Manager Fo

On 23rd March, we hosted a friendly and engaging online Volunteer Manager Forum focused on volunteer recruitment.

The session brought together people who support volunteers to explore current trends, share experiences, and reflect on how organisations can strengthen their approach to attracting and retaining volunteers. We shared some of the latest research into volunteer behaviour, highlighting how expectations and motivations continue to evolve, and discussed how having a clear volunteer strategy can positively impact recruitment.

We also explored what makes an effective volunteer role description, looking at how clarity, accessibility, and inclusivity can make a real difference in attracting the right people. A key part of the discussion was around the importance of volunteers understanding the full journey, what to expect from the moment they express interest through to onboarding. We shared some visual examples to bring this to life.

Alongside this, we discussed different places to advertise volunteer opportunities to help organisations reach a wide and diverse audience, including sharing opportunities on Wiltshire Together.

Another valuable part of the session was mapping out volunteer journeys. By stepping into the shoes of potential volunteers, participants were able to identify any friction points or barriers in their recruitment and onboarding processes and consider how these could be improved.

Key Takeaways from Attendees

Participants left with practical ideas and a renewed sense of confidence. Some of the reflections shared included:

• “Focusing on more flexible roles should be a priority when we review our volunteer strategy this year. Also that we are doing a good job!”

• “I liked the suggestions of where to advertise and the idea of a visual volunteer joining journey. It’s something I would like to design for our volunteers.”

• “We should consider having a visual graphic volunteer journey on our website and put some time into reviewing our volunteer journey through onboarding and application.”

Stay Connected

If you would like to receive a recording of the session or be added to our Volunteer Managers mailing list to hear about future events and forums, please get in touch with Stacey – community@wessexcommunityaction.org.uk