Volunteer recruitment templates

Templates are published as full text on the page, never as a download behind a form. You can read them, copy them, and adapt them without giving us anything.

Re-engaging a lapsed volunteer

The four elements that matter: a specific role, a commitment with an end, one concrete detail showing you remember them, and a genuinely easy way to say no.

Hi [name],

We are looking for four people to help with the October food drive, three Saturday mornings, the 4th, 11th and 18th. About three hours each.

I thought of you because you ran the sorting table two years ago and had a system for it that we honestly still use.

If the timing does not work, no problem at all, and no need to reply. If it does, just say yes and I will send the details.

[your name]

Why it works: it names a task, it has a visible end, it proves the message was written to a person, and it removes the social cost of declining. More inre-recruiting lapsed volunteers.

A volunteer role description that gets applications

Fill in the brackets and delete anything you cannot answer honestly.

[Role name, describing the task, not the department]

What you would do: [one or two sentences, concrete enough to picture]

When: [day and time], about [n] hours, from [start] to [end]

Where: [address, or "remote"]

Who you would work with: [name and role of the person they will actually see]

What we provide: [training, equipment, expenses]

What we ask: [background check, minimum age, anything else, stated up front]

To start: [single next step, and how fast you will reply]

The two lines people leave out are the end date and the screening requirement, and both are the ones that cost the most later. See the messaging guide for why.

More templates are added as the messaging section fills out.