Recruiting volunteers
Volunteers have always played a fundamental role in the way the Methodist Church operates at local, Circuit, District and Connexional levels. Selecting high quality volunteers is vitally important.
Why volunteer with the Methodist church?
People volunteer for a variety of reasons, including:
- To give something back
- For companionship
- To make a difference
- To learn a new skill
- To gain experience which will hopefully lead to paid employment
- Duke of Edinburgh's award
- Christian Service
Volunteer Recruitment
Important reminder:
Everyone who is responsible for recruiting staff and volunteers must first read the Safer Recruitment Policy, and follow the '10 Step Procedure for All Recruitment'. Both documents are available from: www.methodist.org.uk/safeguarding
The recruitment process for volunteers normally includes the following steps:
1: Identify the work that needs to be done
Write a Volunteer Role Description which would outline the tasks involved and an approximate indication of how long each of these tasks would take. You should also include who will supervise the volunteer and how they will be supported. Agree a budget for the work i.e. training costs, car mileage.
2: Decide on the skills that the volunteer will need
This would be done by producing a list of necessary skills and attributes required by the volunteer and included in the Role Description.
Click here for sample role descriptions
3: Advertise the role
When it comes to advertising the role, you may choose just to advertise through local church communication channels.
However, if you want to advertise more widely it is worth thinking about the type of person who may be interested in the role and then target them in your recruitment. This could include:
- Church/local area website
- Social media
- Volunteer centres
- Local networks
- Word of mouth
- Professional bodies
- Pre-retirement seminars
- www.do-it.org
Your local Community and Voluntary Service (CVS) may be able to offer support and guidance throughout this process. Here is a link to the national site: www.ncvo.org.uk
4: Invite interested individuals to complete an application form
Here is a link to a template Methodist application form
5: Conduct a face-to-face interview
At least two people should carry out the interview wherever possible
6: Take up references
Here is a link to a Methodist reference request letter
7: Appoint for a probationary period
When offering someone a volunteer role, it is recommended that you agree an initial probationary period with them. You should also make sure you know what to do if things don't work out as expected
8: Provide an induction programme and initial training
A good induction will ensure that volunteers get off to the best possible start. Click here for an induction checklist, which you can adapt to local needs.
Additional Resources
Future Learn and Massive Open Online Courses (MOOC's) can provide excellent additional information and training courses at no cost