Find out about local volunteering opportunities and keep up to date with local events & fundraising news by subscribing to one of our bulletins.
What goes into a Volunteer Strategy – and why you need one
If your organisation depends on volunteers, then a volunteer strategy is one of the most important tools your organisation can develop. A recent study by Rosterfy found that 54% of organisations that had no volunteer strategy found volunteer recruitment difficult, whereas 44% of organisations which had a volunteer strategy that was integrated into the overall strategy reported finding volunteer recruitment easy.
A volunteer strategy demonstrates your organisation’s commitment to volunteering and its volunteers. It outlines how volunteers contribute to your mission and goals, setting clear expectations and ambitions. Without this framework, volunteer programmes often drift without purpose, leading to frustrated volunteers and missed opportunities.
The Basingstoke Canal Society exemplifies the value of strategic thinking. Ken Sankey, a trustee, says, “When I started looking at volunteering, we introduced a structure to the Society – we strengthened the main committee and put a clear organisational structure in place with ‘leader volunteers’ to lead various teams.” This structured approach has helped them maintain over 260 volunteers giving around 28000 hours a year.
A volunteering strategy sets out what you want to achieve with volunteering and how. It explains how volunteers will contribute to the organisation’s aims. It also covers how it will find, recruit and support them.
Your strategy should address key questions including what skills volunteers need, how you’ll recruit and support them, and how you’ll measure impact. Key objectives should be measurable, ensuring progress is tracked effectively. The NCVO has a list of questions which you might find useful.
The strategy must also consider practical elements. Depending on the size of your organisation, resourcing requirements might include: budgets for volunteer involvement (including expenses, training, equipment and recognition) and adequate staffing to support volunteer management.
NCVO recommends involving a diverse range of people to help you write your strategy. This might include staff and trustees, existing volunteers and service users. Developing a volunteer strategy requires time, resources, and input from various stakeholders.
You don’t have to reinvent the wheel. There are plenty of resources online for you to draw on. KnowledgeHub Cymru recommends using frameworks such as Investing in Volunteers and the Code of Practice for Involving Volunteers.
Volunteer strategies are typically time-specific, such as a five-year plan, with clear review points. Regular review ensures your strategy stays relevant as volunteering evolves.
It will help to define your organisation’s vision for volunteering. A national initiative, the Vision for Volunteering sets out principles for a diverse, innovative, sustainable, ambitious and person-centred future for volunteering; their toolkit might be a good place to start.
A well-crafted volunteer strategy is a roadmap that transforms how your organisation engages with volunteers, creating sustainable impact for both your mission and the volunteers who support it. By thoughtfully developing and implementing a volunteer strategy, your organisation can create a welcoming, inclusive, and impactful volunteering environment that benefits both volunteers and the communities they serve.
NCVO – Writing a volunteer strategy: https://www.ncvo.org.uk/help-and-guidance/involving-volunteers/understanding-volunteering/writing-a-volunteer-strategy/
Vision for Volunteering: https://www.visionforvolunteering.org.uk/
KnowledgeHub – Developing your volunteering strategy:
https://knowledgehub.cymru/resources/developing-your-volunteering-strategy/
Investing in Volunteers: https://investinginvolunteers.co.uk/
Basingstoke Canal Society Case Study:
https://voluntarysupport.org.uk/how-the-basingstoke-canal-society-finds-great-volunteers-part-1/
Find out about local volunteering opportunities and keep up to date with local events & fundraising news by subscribing to one of our bulletins.