If someone wants to be a volunteer, they have every right to apply. All potential volunteers should be dealt with promptly and a named contact must be available for anyone who wants to apply (in most cases this will be the VSM).
Some organisations use a manual application form process and others an online recruitment process to register volunteers.
The more standardised and automatic processes are, the easier it will be to process them. For example, you could:
When dealing with a large number of requests from potential volunteers, online recruitment is usually the best way to manage the process. However, complex application processes or forms can have the potential to be off-putting for potential volunteers.
They can also present a barrier to many people, for example, people with English as a second language, learning difficulties, dyslexia, poor literacy skills, sight problems and so on. Recruitment processes and application forms should therefore be as simple and easy to follow as possible, asking only for information that is needed for the recruitment process.
An application form should not ask for unnecessary information such as race or religion (if demographic data needs to be recorded speak with your equality and diversity lead on how to capture this information). It might include the following:
The application form might also include information on the Trust’s policies on:
A good starting point for putting together an application form is to use a copy of the Trust’s existing HR form and to adapt it for volunteers.
For more information, support or advice contact your local NAVSM networking hub to explore how other organisations receive applications from potential volunteers
