How to Recruit the Right Volunteers: A Practical Guide to Matching Skills, Interests and Motivation
- Nonprofit Learning Lab
- 10 hours ago
- 7 min read
By Nonprofit Learning Lab
Recruiting volunteers is not simply about filling open positions. It is about finding the right people for the work your organization needs to accomplish.
A strong volunteer recruitment process starts with understanding what the organization needs and what volunteers have to offer. When roles are unclear or do not align with a volunteer’s skills and interests, it can be harder for volunteers to contribute effectively and find the experience meaningful.
Think of volunteer recruitment as a matching process. Start by defining the role, then learn about the volunteer’s skills, interests, experience, availability, and motivation. The goal is to connect the right person with the right opportunity so volunteers can make a meaningful contribution and organizations can move their work forward.
Start With the Role
Before recruiting volunteers, get clear about the work.
Ask:
What needs to be done?
What skills are needed?
How much time will the role require?
What responsibilities will the volunteer have?
What decisions will they make?
How does the role support the organization's mission?
Clear volunteer roles matter. Research suggests that volunteers can experience role uncertainty when their responsibilities are not clearly defined (Ellis, 2000; Farmer & Fedor, 1999; Jamison, 2003; Lynch, 2000). When volunteers are unsure of what they are responsible for, they may have difficulty using their skills effectively and may become dissatisfied or disengaged (Jamison, 2003; Lynch, 2000).
Tip: Write the volunteer role before you recruit for it. If you cannot clearly explain what you need a volunteer to do, it will be difficult to determine who is a good fit.
Understand Why People Volunteer
People volunteer for different reasons.
Some want to support a cause that reflects their personal beliefs. Others want to help their community, develop professional or leadership skills, build relationships, gain experience, or expand their knowledge.
This means that the same volunteer opportunity will not be equally appealing to everyone.
For example, someone interested in developing leadership skills may be excited about coordinating a project. Someone who enjoys building relationships may prefer helping with community events. Someone motivated by direct service may want a role that allows them to work directly with participants.
Understanding motivation gives organizations another way to think about volunteer placement.
Ask Before You Assign
Organizations can use a volunteer intake process to learn more about volunteers’ interests and motivations, which can help leaders place volunteers in roles that better match their skills and interests (Clary et al., 1996; Buckingham, 2005). Understanding these factors can help organizations place volunteers in roles that better use their skills and interests.
A volunteer intake form or conversation could ask:
What interests you about our organization?
What skills or experience would you like to use?
What would you like to learn?
What types of activities do you enjoy?
How much time can you realistically contribute?
What would make this volunteer experience meaningful to you?
These questions can help move recruitment from “What position can we put this person in?” to “Where could this person make a meaningful contribution?”
Match the Volunteer to the Opportunity
Think about the match from both sides.
Learn About the Volunteer | Match to the Organization |
Skills | What can they contribute? |
Interests | What do they want to do? |
Motivation | Why do they want to volunteer? |
Experience | What do they already know? |
Goals | What do they hope to gain? |
Availability | What can they realistically commit to? |
Volunteer relationships are also different from employee relationships. Volunteers are giving their time, and if they are not satisfied with their experience, they may leave and look for another opportunity.
That makes the initial match important.
How Do You Know if a Volunteer Is a Good Fit?
A good volunteer match connects the person's skills, interests, motivation, experience, and availability with the needs of the organization.
A volunteer may be a good fit when:
Their skills align with the responsibilities of the role.
Their interests connect with the work.
Their motivation is consistent with what the opportunity provides.
They understand the time commitment.
They are interested in the responsibilities of the position.
The organization can provide the training and support they need.
A good fit is not about finding the “perfect” volunteer. It is about finding a realistic match between the person's interests and abilities and the organization's needs.
Make the Role Meaningful
A good volunteer match is about more than skills. Volunteers need to understand why their contribution matters.
When volunteers do not understand their responsibilities or cannot participate in meaningful ways, role uncertainty and dissatisfaction can develop.
When recruiting, explain:
Why the role matters
How the work supports the mission
What the volunteer will accomplish
What skills they can use or develop
Who benefits from their contribution
Practical Tip: Connect the Role to the Mission
Instead of saying:
“We need volunteers to help with events.”
Explain what the volunteer will actually do and why the work matters.
For example:
“Help organize quarterly community outreach events that introduce local residents to our programs and services. Responsibilities include coordinating with community partners, preparing materials, and welcoming attendees. This role requires approximately 4–6 hours per event.”
The second description gives the volunteer a clearer picture of the work and its purpose.
Recruitment Is the Beginning of Retention
Volunteer recruitment and volunteer retention are connected. The volunteer experience begins before a volunteer starts the work.
When volunteers enter roles that match their interests and understand what is expected of them, organizations have a stronger foundation for engagement and retention.
Volunteer turnover can result in the loss of important organizational information, changes in volunteer morale, fewer people available to complete tasks, and a steep learning curve as new volunteers take on responsibilities (Herman, 2005; Skoglund, 2006).
A better match at the beginning can help create a stronger volunteer experience from the start.
Volunteer Recruitment Checklist
Before recruiting, ask:
☐ Do we have a clearly defined volunteer role?
☐ Do we know what skills and experience the role requires?
☐ Do we understand what might make this role meaningful?
☐ Do we know what motivates the volunteers we are trying to attract?
☐ Do we have a way to learn about volunteers' interests and skills?
☐ Can we explain how the role connects to our mission?
☐ Are we matching volunteers to opportunities rather than simply filling openings?
Reflection: Evaluate Your Volunteer Recruitment Process
Take a few minutes to look at how your organization currently recruits and places volunteers.
1. Start with the need
Are you primarily trying to fill an open volunteer position, or are you first considering the volunteer’s interests, skills, and motivation?
2. Look at role clarity
How clearly can you describe your volunteer roles before recruitment begins?
3. Understand volunteer motivation
What do you currently know about why your volunteers choose to get involved?
4. Examine the match
Where might volunteers be placed in roles that do not fully use their skills, interests, or experience?
5. Identify an opportunity to improve
What could you change in your volunteer intake or recruitment process to create better matches?
Quick Reflection
If you could change one part of your volunteer recruitment process to improve volunteer fit, what would it be?
How to Recruit the Right Volunteers
Effective volunteer recruitment starts with understanding both sides of the match: what the organization needs and what the volunteer has to offer.
When organizations define meaningful roles, understand volunteer motivations, and match people with opportunities that use their skills and interests, recruitment becomes more than filling an opening. It becomes the first step toward building stronger volunteer engagement and retention.
Frequently Asked Questions About Volunteer Recruitment
How do you recruit the right volunteers?
Start by defining the role and identifying the skills, interests, responsibilities, and time commitment required. Then learn about potential volunteers' skills, interests, motivations, and availability to determine whether there is a good match.
What should you ask potential volunteers?
Ask about their interests, skills, experience, motivation, availability, and what they hope to gain from volunteering. These questions can help organizations identify appropriate volunteer opportunities.
Why is role clarity important for volunteers?
Clear roles help volunteers understand their responsibilities and how their work contributes to the organization. Unclear roles can contribute to role uncertainty, dissatisfaction, and disengagement (Ellis, 2000; Farmer & Fedor, 1999; Jamison, 2003; Lynch, 2000).
How does volunteer recruitment affect retention?
Recruitment establishes the volunteer's initial expectations and role. Matching volunteers with meaningful opportunities and providing clear responsibilities can create a stronger foundation for continued involvement.
What is the difference between recruiting volunteers and volunteer matching?
Recruitment focuses on attracting people to an organization or opportunity. Volunteer matching goes a step further by connecting a person's skills, interests, motivation, and availability with a specific organizational need.
Additional Resources on Volunteer Recruitment
For organizations seeking deeper support, our training on Effective Volunteer Management: Recruitment, Training, Retention, Committees & Managing Difficult Volunteers covers recruitment, onboarding, retention, committee leadership, and strategies for managing difficult volunteer situations.
For additional volunteer management resources, check out our guide, Tools for Impact: Volunteer & Board Management Resources.
References
Buckingham, M. (2005). What great managers do. Harvard Business Review, 83(3), 70–79.
Clary, E. G., Snyder, M., & Ridge, R. (1992). Volunteers' motivations: A functional strategy for the recruitment, placement and retention of volunteers. Nonprofit Management and Leadership, 2(4), 333–350. https://doi.org/10.1002/nml.4130020403
Clary, E. G., Snyder, M., & Stukas, A. (1996). Volunteers' motivations: Findings from a national survey. Nonprofit and Voluntary Sector Quarterly, 25(4), 485–505. https://doi.org/10.1177/0899764096254006
Ellis, S. (2000). How to (and how not to) put volunteers to work. Nonprofit World, 18(3), 6–7.
Farmer, S. M., & Fedor, D. B. (1999). Volunteer participation and withdrawal: A psychological contract perspective on the role of expectations and organizational support. Nonprofit Management and Leadership, 9(4), 349–367. https://doi.org/10.1002/nml.9402
Herman, R. (2005). The Jossey-Bass handbook of nonprofit leadership and management. Jossey-Bass.
Jamison, I. (2003). Turnover and retention among volunteers in human service agencies. Review of Public Personnel Administration, 23, 114–132.
Lynch, R. (2000). Volunteer retention and feelings of connection. e-Volunteerism: The Electronic Journal of the Volunteer Community, 1(1), 72–81.
Skoglund, A. (2006). Do not forget about your volunteers: A qualitative analysis of factors influencing volunteer turnover. Health & Social Work, 31(3), 217–220.
