Who are these volunteers with skills?

We need thousands of volunteers each year to support our charities – people that are keen to share their skills with a good cause and help make a real difference. They might make a long term commitment or help you with a short term specific project. They will have a specific skill set, or series of professional skills, often with several years’ experience. Some volunteers are keen to support a specific issue; others are keen to share their skills with any good cause. The are lots of skill sets, Some are more common than others, but posting our opportunities on LinkedIn, Facebook and other social media platforms will attract new volunteers every day, even in the more obscure / less common skills sets. Volunteers vary in terms of how much time they can give and when, and what they are interested in doing, and the way they want to apply their expertise.

 

Define your volunteer role

Don’t be tempted to start writing the role description immediately. Think carefully about what you want to achieve, however you must be flexible about how you do it. 

 

What do you want to achieve?

Be clear about what you want to achieve by finding a volunteer with skills. Perhaps your charity needs help to increase its online reach or undertake an evaluation. Deciding what impact you want the volunteer to have is crucial to finding the best candidate. And it will help you ‘sell’ the role to the right person.

 

What do you want the volunteer to do? 

For example, if you need to generate more income the volunteer may raise your profile, write bid proposals or organise fundraising events. Or if you are struggling for time and capacity, do they need to be involved with planning and writing a fundraising strategy? What are the core skills your volunteer needs? Don’t be afraid to be specific. This will help attract the right candidates. Remember that skills can be transferable – our volunteers come from various industries. For example, someone with marketing expertise could write great funding bids. Think creatively about the skills you want and the impact you want them to apply their expertise.

 

What next?

The Recruit4good website is designed to help you put together a role that meets the above guidelines. The more time you invest in designing the opportunity and role upfront, the more likely you will be to recruit the right volunteer who will make a real difference.