Once you have made a commitment to involve volunteers and have identified specific roles for volunteers, then the next step is to find the right number and the right type of volunteers. This involves:
How you go about organising the recruitment of volunteers will depend on a number of factors including:
The following steps apply to all volunteer recruitment:
If you are planning a big recruitment campaign it might be worthwhile setting up a recruitment group to share the work and include existing in the group.
It's time to put on a marketing hat and think about what you need to do to attract the right people to your organisation. What you are trying to do is connect with potential volunteers. They include people who may or may not know you exist, and who may or may not have thought of volunteering before. You have to prompt the link between them and you. And you're only going to do that if people see themselves connected to you, either because they can offer you something or you can offer them something.
Start by thinking about how you are perceived by the public. What image do they have of your organisation? Does the public even know you exist? Do they know you have volunteers?
What is your image?
If you feel that your image needs to be improved to attract the right volunteers, start by highlighting the positive aspects to volunteering with your organisation, such as the opportunity to:
Also highlight what the volunteer can expect:
The more appealing your message, the more potential volunteers you will attract. It is competitive and you have to 'sell'.
Ask someone with marketing experience to volunteer an hour of their time to give you advice and tips on making your recruitment campaign a success.
Most recruitment campaigns use some of the following strategies:
If your volunteer opportunity requires someone with particular expertise then you could go directly to where the potential volunteers work or live. For example if you are looking for a web designer, you could put an ad in a trade magazine or a website. Or if you are looking for people from a particular community then use the local venues like shop windows, local papers and radio or existing community networks.
Enquiries happen in one of two ways:
Once you've started your recruitment campaign you need to have a system in place to deal with enquires. You need to follow up enquiries quickly and professionally, otherwise people will lose interest and they're likely to give you bad publicity! Prepare by
Many potential volunteers will contact you when they are ready to volunteer and not in response to an ad. You will need to:
Recruiting the right volunteers for the right roles is the key to a having a successful volunteer programme. Therefore a well put together application form and set of interview questions are essential in helping you make the right selection.
Volunteer application forms
Many organisations use application forms to shortlist people for interview while others invite anybody who expresses an interest to come in for an informal chat. While staff resources may influence which option you choose, it is in your and the applicant's interest not to meet if the applicant is obviously not suited to the role. It's not only time wasting but it might also build up expectations which aren't going to be met.
Applications have many advantages over CVs:
In designing your Volunteer Application Form consider:
Interviews
Whether you call your interview an interview or a meeting, the purpose is the same:
In preparing for the interview you need to:
During the interview
A successful interview is one that reaches the right decision.
Most organisations look for references and increasingly organisations are looking for proof of identity. If you have not already got a policy on this, the following questions could help you get started:
Vetting
If you are recruiting volunteers who will come into contact with children or vulnerable client groups, then you will have to have as stringent a reference policy as possible and you should also apply for Garda vetting.3
Certain organisations can vet applicants through the Central Garda Vetting Unit. Many large national organisations will have Garda vetting signatory within them. Alternatively, your local volunteer centre will be able to either take on this task themselves, or sign post you in the right direction.
If the role requires vetting then make this clear at application stage and explain the process. The outcome of this process is only a part of what forms your decision to recruit a volunteer.
Not everyone who wants to volunteer will be suitable. As mentioned, it is wise only to interview people who seem suitable. If you decide after the interview that they are not suitable then you have to say "no". You owe it to the person, your team and yourself to make the right decision. Contact the person by phone and be clear why you are turning down the offer.
While there is no easy way to do this, the following can help keep you focused.
Evaluating your volunteer recruitment process may not seem a priority once it's over, but you will need to do it if your recruitment isn't going well. Indicators of this would be
There are a number of reasons why these things may be happening and it's important that you ask the right questions to find the answers. If there is a Volunteer Centre near you, it would be worth talking to them to see what advice they could give.
It is always worth reviewing your recruitment procedure before starting on a new one. The tendency is often to dust down the previous one and hope for the best. However an hour of a review could be a very worthwhile investment.
Recap on steps in recruiting
Download the Word version of the Sample Recruitment Application Form 
Further information sources
Adirondack S. (1998): London Voluntary Services Council: Just About Managing> Chapter 15 Managing the Recruitment Process:
Clarke, J. (1996) Managing Better: The Staff recruitment Process.> Combat Poverty Agency
Dyer, F. and Jost, J. (2002) Recruiting Volunteers ("How To" Manage)
Ellis, S.J. (1996) The Volunteer Recruitment (and Membership Development) Handbook.> Energize Inc.
McCurley, S. and Lynch, R. (1998), Essential Volunteer Management. Director of Social Change
Websites
1. See www.volunteer.ie for a list of centres
2. Activelink site on
www.activelink.ie
3. For an up-to-date position on vetting contact the Garda
Vetting Unit in Thurles on 0504 27300.
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