Volunteers are an essential resource for charities and community organisations across the UK. Many organisations rely on volunteers to help with fundraising events, community outreach, and day-to-day operations that paid staff cannot carry out alone. Recruiting, organising, and supervising volunteers effectively takes a clear plan and an understanding of the UK legal context that shapes every stage of that process.
This guide covers the best practices to follow when building a volunteer programme, whether you are bringing in your first volunteer, streamlining an existing network, or simply thinking through the difference between volunteer and paid roles.
In this article:
Understand what 'volunteer' means in UK law
A volunteer is someone who performs a task for an organisation freely, without a contract of employment and without payment beyond genuine out-of-pocket expenses. Under UK employment law (the Employment Rights Act 1996 and the Working Time Regulations 1998), volunteers are not employees or workers, so minimum-wage rules and statutory working-time limits do not apply to them.
That does not mean volunteers are outside the law. Your charity owes them a duty of care under the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974, must handle their personal data in line with UK GDPR and the Data Protection Act 2018, and must safeguard any beneficiaries the volunteer works with. Getting your volunteer agreement wording right, and keeping it clearly non-contractual, protects that legal status for both parties.
For further detail, the NCVO volunteering guidance and the gov.uk volunteering page are the standard sector references.
What your charity owes its volunteers
While volunteers give their time freely, your organisation has real duties towards them. Understanding these responsibilities before recruitment begins will save you problems later.
Health and safety
The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) expects charities to apply health-and-safety law to volunteers in the same way they would to employees. Carry out a risk assessment for any activity involving volunteers, provide appropriate induction, and make sure your premises and equipment are safe.
Safeguarding
If your volunteers work with children or adults at risk, trustees are accountable for safeguarding under Charity Commission guidance. This is a statutory expectation, not optional. Build safeguarding training into your induction for any role that involves contact with vulnerable beneficiaries.
Insurance
Volunteers are not employees, so Employers' Liability Compulsory Insurance does not legally cover them in that capacity. However, public liability insurance, which specialist charity insurers such as Zurich, Ecclesiastical, and Markel include as standard, typically extends to volunteers. Check your policy wording before your volunteers start.
DBS checks
Where a volunteer role involves regulated activity with children or adults at risk, you must obtain the appropriate Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check before the volunteer begins. The level required (basic, standard, enhanced, or enhanced with barred-list check) depends on the nature of the role. In Scotland, the equivalent is the PVG (Protecting Vulnerable Groups) scheme via Disclosure Scotland. In Northern Ireland, use AccessNI.
Expenses
Pay reasonable out-of-pocket expenses, travel, subsistence, materials, at actual cost. HMRC guidance is clear that genuine expense reimbursements are not taxable income for the volunteer and do not affect their non-worker status. Avoid flat-rate 'honoraria' or round-sum allowances: HMRC can treat these as employment income, which could reclassify a volunteer as a worker and trigger minimum-wage liability.
Write a volunteer agreement (not a contract)
UK charities use a volunteer agreement rather than a volunteer contract. The distinction matters legally. If your document creates mutual obligations, provides something that looks like consideration, or uses contractual language such as 'must' and 'will', a tribunal could rule that the volunteer is a worker or employee, with all the employment rights that follow.
A good volunteer agreement uses words like 'we hope' and 'you will usually', expressing mutual expectations without binding obligation. The NCVO volunteering guidance provides a model framework you can adapt.
A volunteer agreement should cover:
- A description of the role and the activities the volunteer will usually carry out
- What your charity offers: induction, training, expense reimbursement, named point of contact, and support
- What the volunteer hopes to give: approximate time commitment and how much notice they will try to give if they cannot attend
- How concerns or difficulties will be raised and resolved
- A brief note on how you will handle their personal data under UK GDPR (what you collect, why, and for how long)
What to leave out of a volunteer agreement
Do not include fixed hours stated as obligations, 'must' or 'shall' language, any payment beyond genuine expense reimbursement, disciplinary sanctions, or benefits that could be treated as consideration. Any of these elements risk converting a volunteer relationship into an employment one.
What the volunteer agrees to
Rather than a list of contractual obligations, frame expectations as a mutual understanding. Most volunteer agreements include something along the following lines:
- Follow the charity's policies and code of conduct
- Work respectfully alongside paid staff and other volunteers
- Attend agreed sessions where possible and give reasonable notice when they cannot
- Take part in induction and any required training
- Raise any concerns through the agreed route rather than acting unilaterally
The tone throughout should be collaborative, not legalistic.
Determine your charity's needs
Before you begin recruiting, take time to map what your organisation actually needs from volunteers. Volunteers who are well matched to the work, and who understand the mission clearly, stay longer and contribute more.
Consider:
- Which activities volunteers will support and what the workload involves
- How many volunteers you need and over what time period
- Which member of staff or which trustee will be responsible for supervising volunteer activity
- What skills, experience, or personal qualities the role requires
- Where the role will take place and any flexibility around that
Once you have a clear picture, write a short role description covering the location, time commitment, main tasks, and the qualities you are looking for. Finish with a brief description of your charity's mission and what the volunteer can expect to gain, most people volunteer because they want to make a difference, so tell them clearly how they will.
Where to find volunteers in the UK
With your role description ready, you can start reaching out through the channels where UK volunteers are actively looking.
- Post the role on Do-IT, the UK's national volunteering database, run by Do-IT Trust. It is the largest single source of volunteering opportunities in the country.
- List with Reach Volunteering, the UK's leading skills-based volunteering platform. Particularly strong for trustee recruitment and specialist skilled roles such as finance, legal, or marketing.
- Share the role through your own social media channels, e-newsletter, and existing supporter base. Warm networks, people who already know and trust your work, consistently produce the best volunteers.
Select, train, and support your volunteers
Once you have received expressions of interest, take time to have an informal conversation with each candidate. You are not running a formal job interview, but you do want to understand their motivation, availability, and any relevant experience. For roles involving regulated activity, ensure you complete the appropriate DBS, PVG, or AccessNI check before the volunteer starts.
After selection, invest in a proper induction. A good induction helps new volunteers understand:
- The charity's mission, values, and ways of working
- Their specific role and the tasks they will carry out
- Relevant policies, including safeguarding basics for any role that involves contact with children or adults at risk
- Who to go to with questions or concerns
Ongoing supervision and regular check-ins help volunteers feel valued and give them the confidence to take initiative. When volunteers feel part of the organisation's work, they stay longer and often bring others in.
When collecting volunteer personal information, including DBS disclosure data, your charity must comply with UK GDPR and the Data Protection Act 2018. Collect only what you genuinely need, store it securely, tell volunteers what you hold and why, and retain records only as long as necessary. The Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) publishes guidance on data handling for small organisations. (Writer note: verify the ICO charities guidance page is live before publishing.)
Your volunteers are ready to start. Post your volunteer role and manage your charity's fundraising, ticketing, and supporter data in one free platform.
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