It is important when considering recruiting volunteers that you ensure that it will be worthwhile and beneficial for the individual themselves. Asking your organisation what the volunteer will gain from this time will help to make sure that time spent adds value to the person, as well as the organisation.
However, accepting that there is no one size fits all solution on how to enlist volunteers will hugely increase an organisations chances of a successful recruitment campaign.
Recruiting digital volunteers is no different. People in this role don’t need to be technology experts, just someone with confidence online and a willingness to teach those skills.
A recruitment checklist
A recruitment checklist will help you to identify what you need to consider when advertising a volunteer role. Planning will save you time, give consistency to appointments and ensure that the right candidate is recruited for the organisation’s needs. The checklist may contain details such as:
- What is the volunteer going to do? It’s good to have an idea on specific tasks and responsibilities the person will hold.
- Does the volunteer need specific skills? do I need to target a specific audience? This could effect your strategy for recruitment and where you advertise.
- What is the budget for recruitment?
- How are enquiries from prospective volunteers going to be dealt with and by whom within the organisation?
- What happens when a prospector does get in touch? What information will they be given? An information pack or basic ‘sales pitch’ will ensure that every candidate is given the same details. Volunteers may be shopping around different roles so an invite to come in and have a chat may be your most effective recruitment strategy.
- Consider how you might reduce any potential barriers for volunteers. Revisit your equal opportunities policy and make your recruitment as open and accessible as possible.
- Have you considered the timing of your recruitment? Consider when the advert will go out, how long people will have to apply and the process for interviews.
- Have you thought about how you will manage and evaluate demand?
Where to advertise
If you have recruited for volunteers before, it is a good idea to revisit what worked well and equally what did not. However, if volunteer recruitment is new to your organisation you could consider:
- Registering with Durham Community Action to advertise roles on the County Durham Volunteering website
- Word of mouth with anyone who visits your centre
- Poster distribution around the local area
- Pop up stalls that could be set up at community events and fairs
- Social media
- Teaming up with larger organisations that have volunteer schemes for their staff
Digital specific
- Colleges with technology courses
- Notice boards/ intranet sites of digital technology companies
It is important to know that there is no ‘one size fits all’ solution to advertising effectively for an organisation. What works well for one may not for another, so it is important to make roles as desirable and worthwhile for the volunteer as possible.
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