Volunteer Recruitment Plan Template: The Complete Guide for Your Nonprofit
Many organizations struggle to find enough volunteers. Here, we’re sharing a volunteer recruitment plan template that includes everything you need to launch a successful volunteer recruitment campaign.
After periods of major disruption, many volunteer-involving organizations find themselves rebuilding their volunteer workforces. An exhausted public is rethinking the quality of their lives and how they want to spend their days.
The question is – how will this impact volunteerism?
Workers change industries and jobs at a breathtaking pace. Research has shown that high workforce turnover can challenge organizations of all types – including those that rely on volunteers. Worker productivity can fluctuate significantly during periods of economic stress, affecting what organizations can realistically accomplish.
Burnout and disenchantment can lead employees to disengage or do the bare minimum – a mindset that can also affect volunteers if not addressed proactively
Research consistently shows that a significant portion of the workforce feels disengaged and struggles with wellbeing – a reality that volunteer programs must acknowledge and address to attract committed supporters.
Major societal disruptions don’t just affect workers – they affect students, families, and entire communities. When people are overwhelmed, volunteering can feel like one more demand rather than a meaningful opportunity.
In today’s context, the traditional volunteer recruitment template or plan isn’t going to cut it. It isn’t about creating the perfect flier to hand out at your next tabling event. It isn’t about asking your volunteers to bring a friend, posting to social media, or carpet bombing your mailing list with direct mail.
It’s not about a single “silver bullet” tactic that will somehow miraculously produce a result.
It’s also not about throwing up your hands and asserting that “people just don’t want to volunteer anymore.”
In today’s noisy world, filled with distractions and dominated by entertainment-based content, nonprofits need to be more sophisticated than ever in communicating with potential supporters.
It’s not about giving up on your community, it’s about taking an active part in rebuilding a sense of community throughout your nonprofit and its supporters.
To do so, it’s about developing a solid communications strategy to reach and inspire your community to get involved, remind them how much voluntary service can mean to their lives, and design experiences that foster well-being and resilience.
Below is a volunteer recruitment plan template that can help you do just that.
Volunteer Recruitment Plan Template for Your Nonprofit
Here’s why most of today’s volunteer recruitment strategies fail: They lack a cohesive, multi-channel strategy that’s designed to attract an ideal volunteer, that is also chock full of mission-focused messaging that inspires potential supporters.
They also ignore the current context that makes recruitment more challenging (but not impossible).
Without a repeatable, step-by-step system that can be launched regularly, perfected based on real data, and improved with every cycle, volunteer organizations fall victim to either the “next shiny object” or the “we’ve always done it that way” approach.
I’ve reworked the volunteer recruitment plan template I shared with our VolunteerPro Membership community.
Major shifts in the employment market can feel like a kind of disruption that only harms nonprofits. But consider how increased worker flexibility, well-being, and engagement might also help nonprofits seeking people with a renewed sense of purpose.
How might these changes positively affect your ability to attract volunteers?
There’s no time like the present to find out!
Key Volunteer Recruitment Plan Template Elements
Consider using the following elements in your volunteer recruitment plan template to help you get a jump start on re-building your mission impact, fueled by inspired volunteers who are ready to take action.
Project Goals
- Why volunteers are needed and what they will achieve
- Short Term – Recruit and train [insert number] volunteers by [insert date]
- Long Term – Maintain program staffed by [insert number] volunteers
Targeted Geographic Area
- County, region, city, zip code, etc.
Target Audience
- This campaign will focus on recruiting volunteer counselors who are [insert information on ideal characteristics and any minimum qualifications (e.g., computer literate, bi-lingual, etc.)].
Volunteer Qualifications by Role
- Volunteer Role:
- Must Have: [insert minimum required skills, knowledge and abilities]
- Nice to Have: [insert added skills, knowledge, abilities and attitudes]
- Volunteer Role:
- Must Have: [insert minimum required skills, knowledge and abilities]
- Nice to Have: [insert added skills, knowledge, abilities and attitudes]
- Volunteer Role:
- Must Have: [insert minimum required skills, knowledge and abilities]
- Nice to Have: [insert added skills, knowledge, abilities and attitudes]
For more on how to clarify the skills you are seeking, see How to Match Volunteers with Rockin’ Roles: Your Complete Guide HERE >>
Audience Personas
- Description (gender, age, education, occupation, etc.)
- Why They Volunteer… (what they hope to gain from the experience)
- Their Core Values… (what they believe in)
- They Need to Have… (preferred communication style, schedule, flexibility, type of recognition, etc.)
- Where They Can be Found… (preferred communication media, work time, leisure activities, hobbies, related interests, etc.)
For more on how to pinpoint your ideal volunteer, see How to Conquer Recruiting Volunteers Using Personas HERE >>
Recruitment Communications Platform
- Mission Statement [insert program and agency mission statements]
- Tagline [insert program or agency tagline – 8 words or less to convey unique value proposition of organization]
- Program Impact Statement [insert program impact statement – 1-2 paragraphs that positions your program in the environment in which you work and describes what you have done in the community]
- Philosophy of Volunteer Involvement [insert philosophy of volunteer involvement – 1 paragraph that reflects your organizational values, explains why volunteers are an important part of your work, describes how they carry out your mission and your hopes for the future]
- Elevator Pitch [insert sample elevator pitch – 1 paragraph script (30 seconds or less) for a conversation that is customized to the audience’s needs and includes information about how the program is different, answers why it is in existence, includes both questions and statements and ends with a call to action]
- Value Proposition [insert bulleted list of talking points that convey the value volunteers, working through the program, add to the community]
- Brand Personality [insert a few personality traits you want prospective volunteers to associate with your program]
- Benefits for Volunteers [insert a bulleted list of benefits and rewards volunteers have an interest in and will receive by working with your program]
- Talking Points [insert a list of key messages that explain the community problem, what your program does to solve it, how volunteers help, and what specific steps you want interested volunteers to take to apply]
For more on how to create compelling messaging, check out How to Write Volunteer Recruitment Messaging That Converts HERE >>
Recruitment Channels and Timing
- Which communications tools and channels will be used, how, and when (e.g., email, social media, website, advertising, word-of-mouth, etc.)
For ideas on how to spread the word, check our Complete Guide to Word-of-Mouth for Superior Volunteer Recruitment HERE >>
Recruitment Plan Evaluation
- How the campaign will be assessed, both while it is in progress (to adjust) and at the end (to inform future efforts)
- What key performance metrics and micro-conversions will be reported and when
These are some of the most essential elements to include in your volunteer recruitment plan template. But having a written document alone doesn’t ensure success.
Your plan must include your best analysis of what your ideal volunteer is looking for and how your organization can meet their needs. You must take time to understand their key barriers to service and offer solutions that help smooth the road for volunteers to join and stay engaged and productive.
So, take the time needed to thoughtfully build your plan – this investment will save time in failed campaigns, re-starts, and flagging support for your good cause.
Happy recruiting!
Need Help Building Your Volunteer Recruitment Plan?
Join the VolunteerPro Impact Lab™
You don’t have to build your recruitment plan alone. The Impact Lab gives you the step‑by‑step frameworks, real‑world templates, and expert coaching to move from reactive to strategic.
Inside, you get:
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Live working sessions and replays
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Proven templates for recruitment, retention, and beyond
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A library of 200+ resources, expert seminars, and the Wisdom AI search tool
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A community of peers who actually get it
Whether you need help refining your volunteer personas, choosing the right recruitment channels, or evaluating your campaigns, the Impact Lab provides the system and support to get there faster.
