Building a sustainable community of volunteers for your charity - 5 actionable tips

Have a plan

Having a volunteer strategy (or plan) for your charity is the first step to having a coordinated, strategic approach to the entire volunteer experience with your charity.

A good strategy should cover the whole volunteer journey from recruitment, through induction, training and support, to recognition, retention and succession. It should also recognise that your charity should have a range of very different volunteer roles, with different needs, different experiences and different commitment levels across the full range from very small micro roles all the way through to your Trustees.

Offering a range of ways to help, at different times, and a mix of remote and in-person is key to enabling you to have a varied mix of volunteers.

Having a plan enables you to consider every stage of the journey, and plan actions and a joined-up and fulfilling experience for the volunteer. It also helps you to plan and take deliberate actions around inclusion and diversity. Without a plan, your volunteers likely see a patchy experience which is not fully developed or joined up.

Inform and support

Culture is a huge determining factor in the development of a community at your charity, and volunteers experience this just as much as staff.

Keep volunteers informed about decisions made and developments on the horizon – do this deliberately, not having volunteers finding out later from others. A regular newsletter, blog or briefing is an easy starting point.

Make sure that managers and supervisors have the right outlook and management approach to handling volunteers, and deal with any conflicts or situations that arise.

Ask them

As part of a culture of involvement and appreciation of the commitment shown by volunteers, engage genuinely and regularly to hear their feedback – and close the loop by communicating back about changes made as a result.

Consult, survey, listen and understand why they volunteer – this all helps your planning, your understanding and your future recruitment efforts as well as creating a culture of trust and engagement which deepens involvement.

As a CEO, spend some time working alongside your volunteers – and see the experience from their perspective.

Engage and involve

To deepen their involvement, give volunteers the opportunity to take part in decision making, co-produce strategy and projects/services, and chances to meet Trustees and senior leaders or observe Board meetings.

Think about ways to make that engagement possible, recognising that volunteers already give a lot to the charity in their own time. Find simple and easy ways for the most time poor to contribute. This should always be optional, but offering the chance and trying to make it as accessible as possible is the first step.

Recognise the commitment and sacrifices made by volunteers

It is so important to recognise the commitment and sacrifices made by volunteers and to find ways to recognise and thank them in meaningful and genuine ways.

Hold an awards event, organise a session twice a year to bring volunteers, staff, supporters and Trustees together – perhaps with an online equivalent at different times to reach those with caring or work commitments. Have a personal thank you from your CEO and Chair of Trustees, and mark volunteer achievements and milestones.

Understand that always holding an event in working hours may reach some, but it may make a lot of others feel left out and damage an inclusive culture.

Volunteers often have a community within the wider volunteer community

, and the reasons why they volunteer drive what they’d like to get out of it. So think about what you know about your volunteers, and plan events and opportunities that align with this knowledge gained from the above actions.

*This article featured in the October 2024 edition of Charities Network magazine.