Interviews with volunteers should be informal and a two-sided conversation.

These suggested questions are to help you think about how best you and the volunteer can understand whether this would be the right role for them.

• Why are you interested in volunteering for this role?
• How can we help you get the most out of volunteering?
• Are there any aspects of the role which you might find challenging?
• Do you have any experience with [specific skill]?
• [Describe a scenario and ask them to share their suggested solutions]
• We’re looking for a volunteer who can give [detail the time commitment required].

How does that fit with your schedule and plans?

• [Ask them about any other practical details e.g. timings, location, equipment]
• We are here to support you. Please let us know either now or later any access or support needs you might have and how we can help you. This won’t impact on you being selected as a volunteer.
•  Any questions for us?

Below are some things you might like to consider when planning your induction for volunteers.

Welcome

•  Explain your charity, why you involve volunteers and the difference volunteers

 make.

•  Introduce them to key members of the team.
•  Let them know about your code of conduct for volunteers.
•  Confirm what name/nickname they like to use, and how their name is

 pronounced.

•  Offer the opportunity to share the pronouns they’d like to use – the best way to

 do this is to introduce yourself as “My name is Mary and I use the pronouns

 she/her” and give them the opportunity to share

•  Encourage volunteers to sign up to Tempo Time Credits scheme.

Practical matters

• Health and safety
• Fire procedures
• Covid precautions
• Expenses
• How to make a cup of tea
• Any planned times when they can’t volunteer
• What to do if they are running late or can’t volunteer

Helping them make the most out of their volunteer role

• Ask about their motivations for volunteering.
• Be clear about the scope of the role and how it may develop.
• Outline your expectations of volunteers.
• Let them know about any volunteer socials.

Access

• Ask about any access or support needs they may have.
• Sometimes it takes time for volunteers to ask for support or adjustments due to

access needs – so it is good practice to let all volunteers briefly about how you

can support with that.

Volunteering Kingston Code of Conduct for the Voluntary and Community Sector sets out the essential principles for running a successful and sustainable volunteering programme. It provides an overarching framework for good conduct and a benchmark of good practice. The Code of Conduct has been adapted by the Volunteering Kingston team, inspired by the principles of the London Volunteer Management Charter created by Greater London Volunteering.

• Equality, Diversity and Inclusion – Volunteering should be open to all, and volunteers must be treated with fairness, dignity and respect regardless of age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief, sex, and sexual orientation.

• Recruitment process – Recruitment procedures are fair, efficient and consistent.

• Suitable volunteering roles – Volunteering roles should not replace paid staff and organisations should take proactive steps to avoid any suggestion of job substitution. Organisations should not use our platform to recruit for political activists or other roles which could be seen as contentious.

• Expenses Policy – Volunteers should not be left out-of-pocket for their volunteering. If organisations and groups which involve volunteers cannot currently pay expenses, volunteers should be made aware of this when they join or apply for the role.

• Induction/Briefing – Volunteers know what they are expected to do and know who they can report to. Roles must be clearly defined and provide inclusive and purposeful opportunities to volunteers.

• Support and supervision – A named supervisor (or Lead Volunteer) should be identified and ongoing support appropriate to the role should be made available to all volunteers. Volunteers are provided with appropriate training to carry out their role, and signposted to relevant development opportunities.

• Safe volunteering environment – Volunteers should feel that they are in a safe and supportive environment. The physical and emotional risks of volunteering are identified, minimised and covered by adequate insurance. All relevant Covid-19 guidelines, national and local, are followed.  Volunteers should be made aware of all policies and procedures in place.

• Resolving difficulties – Volunteers know how to raise a concern and how it will be handled. If a volunteer feels unsafe or uncomfortable while volunteering they have the right to leave at any point.

• Reward and recognition – The organisation or group should express appreciation to the volunteers by informally and formally thanking their volunteers for their time and energy.

• Reporting – Organisations maintain contact with Legends of the Forest and report their volunteering placements and volunteering hours gained through our brokerage service. They can either use Team Kinetic website to record hours or send a quarterly estimate to the team.

• Data protection – Organisations should follow the law and best practice on handling volunteers’ data.

By advertising your roles with Volunteering Kingston you are agreeing to the Code of Conduct. If Volunteering Kingston have reason to believe your organisation has failed to comply with the Code of Conduct, Volunteering Kingston may choose to suspend your organisation from our database until we know that you are following our basic expectations.

Volunteering Kingston is here to support your organisation or group to provide volunteers with the best experience. Contact the Volunteering Kingston team to find out more about our organisational support and guidance: enquiry@volunteeringkingston.org.uk or call 0300 365 9980.

Once your account has been approved by Volunteering Kingston, you can create and add new volunteering opportunities. Just simply sign into your account and click on add opportunity.

Key Details

1. Opportunity Name – Brief title – Include the name of the activity and role e.g. Fun Run Volunteer Marshall
2. Opportunity Description – Be descriptive – Give as much information about the role as possible, remember you are also trying to entice people to volunteer so make it sound fun and interesting.
3. Benefits & Perks – Something to say ‘thank you’ to the volunteers. Tea and coffee provided throughout, a lunch or opportunities for volunteer training.  
4. Skills Required – Skills that will help the volunteer get the best from this opportunity. If skills are needed offer to provide any additional or specialist training to volunteers before they begin– this could be one of the added benefits and perks
5. Main Category – From the drop down menu what most describes the role.
6. Activity Tags – Words you want associated to your opportunity e.g. if it was an admin role the tags could be: Admin, office, IT.
7. Is the opportunity accessible?
8. Opportunity part of a larger event – Do you have an event that requires many different roles and is this opportunity part of it? If yes, then choose yes from the drop down menu and you will be able to put all opportunities related to that event onto one page. If it is a one off opportunity, then choose no.

Travel Information – Some simple instructions about how the volunteer can get to your venue e.g. closest train/tube station, bus routes etc.

Expenses

Please outline what expenses you can provide.

Volunteers should not be out of pocket from volunteering. Volunteering Kingston recommend as best practice offering travel expenses and lunch for volunteer shifts over 5 hours. For shifts less than five hours, please provide volunteers with simple snacks. Volunteers should have access to drinking water and we recommend providing tea and coffee.

Files and Documents

Upload any useful documents for volunteers to download e.g. maps and itineraries.

Selection Options

• If applying is selected the volunteer will be warned that their session choice has to be confirmed by an administrator before they can attend.
• If joining (default) is selected then the volunteer is able to self-serve and join sessions with the expectation that they are attending.

Joining Restrictions

Please be aware that if you do have volunteers under the age of 18 you will need policies in place for the following areas:

• Health and safety
• Safeguarding
• Insurance that covers under 18 volunteers

We do encourage that organisation not discriminate on age and provide all our volunteers an equal opportunity to take part. However, we do understand that certain roles require an age restriction.

Session and Times

Please select which of the three options best fits the opportunity.

Template Recruitment Flyers/Posters

Use this link to access template flyers –

https://www.canva.com/design/DAFadRUTz64/2853-WuIYrmiLiTDni2qRQ/edit?utm_content=DAFadRUTz64&utm_campaign=designshare&utm_medium=link2&utm_source=sharebutton

Use this link to apply for free canva premium-

https://www.canva.com/canva-for-nonprofits

Tell us about the opportunity

Opportunity name

Pick something clear, descriptive, and not too long. For example:

• Finance Admin Volunteer
• Gardening Volunteer

 

Opportunity description

Assuming you are not recruiting on behalf of someone else, write from the first person plural – so “We are looking…”

Sum up the role in one sentence.

For example:

• Join one of our busy, friendly shops, and give your time to help raise money for children in poverty.
• We need volunteers to help with our friendly lunch for isolated older people.
• Use your admin skills to help us keep up-to-date with our funders and make sure that we can carry on saving bees!

Alternatively, you could start with a question.

For example:

• Got some time on your hands?
• Do you love theatre?
• Want to get out into the great outdoors?
• Do you want to make the decisions that will transform Kingston into a more inclusive community?

Say a bit more about your organisation, ideally in one or two sentences.

Then say what the volunteers will do in one sentence:

• Our Volunteer Admin Assistant will help with filing and emailing our clients.
• Befrienders will have a zoom chat with their buddy once a week, as well as joining monthly team zoom calls.

Sum up the difference the role will make:

• By giving your time, you will support vulnerable people to make the changes they need to get back on track.
• By volunteering, you will help people get online, chat to their friends, be more independent and get more out of life.
• Our volunteers have helped 80% of pupils on the programme make exceptional progress.

Say who the role is ‘ideal’ for:

• This role is ideal for people with parenting or childcare experience who want to make a difference to vulnerable children.
• This is a great role for a sixth former or college student who wants to champion and celebrate the biodiversity of Kingston’s parks.
• This role is great for someone who wants to make new friends and have fun outdoors.

Write in more detail about the tasks volunteers will do. You may want to do this in a list form.

Clarify the time commitment and other practical details.

Benefits & Perks

Describe what the volunteer will get out of volunteering, for example: “Being part of a great, friendly team. Free tea and coffee. A reference if you volunteer for more than three months.”

Skills Required

List the skills required in plain, everyday English, for example: “Friendly and positive manner. Confidence in reading and writing in English. Computer literate. Experience in gardening.”

Only list skills that are relevant to the role.

What category best describes this opportunity

Select from the drop down menu the category that most accurately describes the role. Some examples of different categories are –

• Administration
• Culture
• Education & Literacy
• Children
• Covid-19 / Coronavirus
• Befriending / Buddying
• Art & Design
• Advice
• Environment & Conservation
• Libraries

Activity Tags

An activity tag is a way of adding words to your opportunity so the opportunity comes up when those words are searched for. Think about what a potential volunteer might search for when looking for a role like yours and make sure you include these as tags. For example, if you are advertising for a Gardening Volunteer you may wish to include the tag ‘outdoor’ or ‘garden/plants’

Opportunity image

The image needs to be size 1200 by 300.

If you need some help with creating the correct sized image we can edit it for you just email – enquiry@volunteeringkingston.org.uk

Where is your opportunity based?

Click which of the options is more appropriate.

You can type in a specific address or keep it more general, such as typing in ‘Kingston’.

Kingston, UK

Travel Information

Some simple instructions about how the volunteer can get to your venue e.g. closest train/tube station, bus routes etc.

How do you want to manage your volunteers?

Click ‘Create a Fully Managed Opportunity’ unless you have your own volunteer recruitment and management website and want to use as well. If you select ‘Create a Self-Managed Opportunity’ you will not have the same access to features. You can convert the opportunity to a full managed opportunity if you want.

Opportunity Application Process

Do volunteers need to apply first?

• If applying is selected the volunteer will be informed that they need to be approved first. This is for roles where you want to select the volunteer, perhaps through looking at their experience or interviewing them, for example an admin volunteer.
• If joining (default) is selected, then the volunteer is able to self-serve and join sessions with the expectation that they are attending. This is for roles where you don’t want to select the volunteer, for example a community litter pick.

Ask for experience

If you select yes volunteers will have a box which invites them to write their experience when they apply/join. We recommend explaining what you want volunteers to write in the Details section of the opportunity, for example: “When you apply for this role you’ll be asked for your experience. Please write briefly about your experience with x”.

Send a customised email when joining this opportunity?

Select this option if you would like volunteers to be notified of any outstanding tasks as soon as they join your opportunity. For example, if you want your volunteers to complete an application form or contact you with specific information.

Opportunity Restrictions

If you want anyone over the age 16 who is registered on the Volunteering Kingston website, click ‘yes’. Otherwise click ‘no’.

Minimum Age

See our involving younger volunteers’ guidance for more information.

Maximum Age

Gender

Select if you have relevant reason – make this clear in the opportunity description. For example, accompanying someone swimming, volunteering with victims of domestic violence.

Maximum sessions

Can a volunteer only join a certain number of sessions (shifts)? Add this is this is the case.

Must be linked to provider to join

Volunteers must have already applied for or expressed interest in your organisation.

Expenses

Please outline what expenses you can provide. Get in touch with us if you need any support with this.

Promoting and Sharing

Hide opportunity from search results and make secret

Select this if you only want volunteers who you send the link to be able to see the opportunity.

 

Is the opportunity accessible?

This question is asking about whether or not the opportunity is accessible to those who use a wheelchair.

Opportunity part of a larger event?

Do you have an event that requires multiple volunteer roles? Is this volunteer opportunity a part of that event? If yes, first you need to create an event – go to the Events page under the Opportunities section at the top. Choose ‘yes’ from the drop down menu and you will be able to put all opportunities related to that event onto one page.

Opportunity Documents

Upload any useful documents for volunteers to download e.g. how-to guides etc.

Post Opportunity Options

Select yes, if you want to volunteers to upload things like expense claim forms to the system.

Add a post opportunity survey link

Select yes if you want to volunteers to fill out a survey when they first log hours.

Session and Times

Please select which of the options best fits the opportunity.

• Sessions: If the role has shifts and it makes sense for the volunteer to sign up to them on the system. For example, Reception Volunteer at a library who comes in Monday morning and Tuesday afternoon.
• Flexible: If the volunteer is giving time flexibly, at their own pace, or it varies a lot. For example, a Research Volunteer who is creating an education pack for the library at their own pace from home.

Getting more support

Please get in touch with the Volunteering Kingston team if you would like more support with any of this. Contact enquiry@volunteeringkingston.org.uk or call 0300 365 9980.