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Recruiting volunteers

Submitted by Danielle Walker on Tue, 2018-03-13 21:37


Finding the right volunteers is key to achieving our goals and making a difference to the lives of people with MS. We’ve put together a range of guidance on all aspects of volunteer recruitment, from planning your recruitment, to making sure you're recruiting the right person, and helping them settle into their role.

See Group Handbook C1 - Volunteering with us

  1. Steps to recruiting volunteers
  2. Meeting a potential volunteer
  3. Agreeing the role
  4. Welcome and induction
  5. Keeping us informed
  6. Need support?

Steps to recruiting volunteers

The presentation at the top of this page outlines the steps to recruiting volunteers, from when you first realise you need a volunteer to helping them settle into their role. View it in full screen and in Google Chrome for the best experience.

If you prefer to read this presentation offline, a distance learning pack is also available.

  1. See instructions on How to use online presentations
  2. Download our Steps to recruiting volunteers distance learning pack

Online Recruitment

Online Recruitment is our new tool to support anyone recruiting volunteers, enabling you to post volunteering opportunities and manage the whole recruitment process online. It automatically post adverts on key volunteer recruitment websites and enables people interested in our volunteer roles to apply online.

  1. Find out more about Using Online Recruitment

Our Volunteer Application Form

If your group chooses not to use Online Recruitment, you must ensure that all potential volunteers complete and return our Volunteer Application Form.

  1. Download our Volunteer Application Form

If you recruit an applicant, either scan and email a copy of their application form to our Supporter Care Team at [email protected] or post it to:

Supporter Care Team
MS Society National Centre
372 Edgware Road,
London,
NW2 6ND

If you do not recruit them, you must dispose of their application form securely.

  1. Find out more about Handling data

Meeting a potential volunteer

For many roles, you’ll need to meet a potential volunteer before they can get involved with us.

Read our guide so you and the potential volunteer get what you need from your conversation. It includes template questions.

  1. Download our guide to Preparing to meet a potential volunteer
  2. Download our Meeting questions template

Agreeing the role

To offer a role that’s appealing and flexible, have an open discussion about what tasks the volunteer is interested in.

Read our guide to leading initial conversations with potential volunteers, using our role description(s) to agree tasks and activities.

  1. Download our guide to Agreeing the role
  2. Find out more about Roles, tasks and references

Welcome and induction

Welcoming and supporting volunteers is key to motivating them and keeping them. Read our guide to our welcome and induction, and how to support new volunteers to settle in.

  1. Download our guide to Welcoming and inducting volunteers
  2. Learn more about Welcome, induction and training

Keeping us informed

Whenever you recruit a new volunteer, or an existing volunteer changes role, you must contact the Supporter Care Team to update our central volunteer database.

  1. Get contact details for our Supporter Care team

Need support?

If your group provides services and activities, your Local Networks Officer is available to help you recruit volunteers. If you are part of a dedicated Fundraising Group, contact your Area Fundraiser for support.

  1. Get contact details for your Local Networks Officer
  2. Get contact details for your Area Fundraiser

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