I oversee approximately 100 volunteers at a homelessness charity for a service that is primarily volunteer-led. We ask for a minimum 6 month commitment, due to the amount of training required to get people working autonomously. We find it quite easy to recruit enough people, but it is more of a challenge getting volunteers of the right standard who will stick with us for the longer term.

During the recruitment process I try to be as frank as possible about the expectations of the role, whilst at the same time not scaring people off. Once people have started with us, I am then hesitant about how to manage attendance & retention, when ultimately they are only volunteers.

I would love to hear about the tools, techniques & tricks that others use!