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Helping More People Thrive Through Volunteering
Support and Resources for Professionals
Every life-changing volunteering journey begins with a conversation.
As a support professional, you have a unique opportunity to help people discover how volunteering can improve confidence, wellbeing, skills, social connections and sense of purpose. The quality of those early conversations can make all the difference between someone finding a role where they flourish and missing out on an opportunity that could transform their life.
That's why we're committed to equipping professionals with practical tools, guidance and resources that support more meaningful, productive conversations about volunteering. By helping individuals explore their motivations, strengths, aspirations and circumstances, we can work together to ensure they are matched with opportunities that are realistic, rewarding and right for them.
When people are supported to find volunteering roles that genuinely fit their needs, interests and goals, the impact can be extraordinary, for the individual, the organisation and the wider community.
Together, we can help more people take their first step into volunteering and create opportunities where they can truly thrive.
Practical Tools for Supporting Volunteering Conversations and Referrals
Guidelines for Initial Volunteering Conversations and Referral to Volunteer Force has been created specifically for professionals supporting individuals to explore volunteering opportunities.
This practical resource will help you structure conversations that uncover what really matters to the individual: their motivations, strengths, skills, experience, availability, and expectations. It also provides guidance on making high-quality referrals and highlights common challenges that can prevent a successful volunteering journey.
By helping individuals think more deeply about what they want from volunteering and understanding some of the common pitfalls to watch out for, you'll be better equipped to connect them with opportunities that are both achievable and rewarding that are genuinely person-centred.
Why the Guidelines Matter
The guidelines exist because the initial conversation a professional has with a prospective volunteer is one of the most important steps in the whole process. Done well, it sets someone up for a positive, sustainable experience. Done poorly, or skipped entirely, and the risks are real: wrong role, early dropout, damaged goodwill, and harm to the organisations involved.
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A Framework, Not a Script - The guidelines give you a clear five-step structure to work through, to explore motivation, identify skills and strengths, discuss availability and commitment, understand expectations, and share the benefits of volunteering. Each step comes with suggested questions, things to listen for, and practical tips.
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Helping you Ask the Right Questions - Many people significantly underestimate what they bring to volunteering, particularly those who have been out of work, managing a health condition, or caring for others. The guidelines help you draw out skills and strengths that the individual might not think to mention, and to reframe life experience as something genuinely valuable.
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Getting Commitment Right - One of the most important, and often overlooked, parts of the guidelines is the section on matching commitment to role requirements. It gives clear, honest guidance on why telling someone they can "give it a go and quit any time" is one of the most damaging things a professional can say in this context, and what to do instead. Getting this right protects the individual, the organisation, and your own referral relationship with Volunteer Force.
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Managing Expectations before they become Problems - Unmet expectations are one of the most common reasons volunteers disengage early. The guidelines help you explore what someone is really hoping for, gently correct any misconceptions, and ensure that what you're describing matches what the experience will actually involve.
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Knowing When Not to Refer - Just as importantly, the guidelines support you in recognising when someone isn't quite ready for volunteering yet, and what to do in that situation. That might mean a referral elsewhere, practical support with barriers, or simply keeping the door open. Knowing this is a positive outcome, not a failure, is an important shift in mindset.
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A Clear Referral Process - The guidelines close with a straightforward summary of the steps involved in making a referral to Volunteer Force, including consent, what the individual needs to know beforehand, and what happens next. Nothing is left to guesswork.
In short, the guidelines give you the confidence and the tools to have conversations that are genuinely person-centred, and to make referrals that Volunteer Force can actually work with.
Person-Centred Tools for Growth and Reflection
Our Personal Development Plan (PDP) for Volunteering for Personal, Health & Wellbeing Gains, complete with facilitator guidance, is much more than a form.
Designed to be completed and owned by the individual, it serves as a personal roadmap throughout their volunteering journey. It encourages reflection on current wellbeing, motivations for volunteering, desired outcomes, and the types of roles that may be a good fit.
The PDP also supports goal setting and provides opportunities to review progress at one, three and six months, helping individuals recognise and celebrate the positive changes volunteering can bring.
Download the Microsoft Word Version by clicking HERE
The supporting Facilitator Guidelines are designed to help you get the best from every section of the PDP. For each section you'll find the purpose behind it, suggested questions to explore, practical facilitation tips, and things to watch for, as well as highlighting the moments where the conversation might need to slow down, take a different direction, or pause entirely.
Above all, these guidelines serve as a reminder that the individual in front of you is the expert on their own life. Your role is to listen well, reflect on what you hear, and help them find a path forward that is genuinely theirs.
Why the PDP Matters
The PDP is much more than a form for the individual to fill in. For the professional supporting them, it offers real, practical value across several areas.
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Better Referrals - Working through the PDP means that by the time you're ready to refer someone to Volunteer Force, you have a clear, structured picture of who they are, their motivations, skills, availability, and any barriers. That makes for a far richer referral than a name and a phone number and gives the volunteer adviser everything they need to find a genuinely good match from the outset.
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A Stronger Support Relationship - The PDP gives you and the individual a shared document to return to. Rather than starting from scratch at each contact, you can track progress, revisit goals, and update things together. That makes your support feel continuous and purposeful and gives the individual something tangible to hold onto between appointments, as well as something that reflects their own words and their own journey.
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Clearer Evidence of Change - The wellbeing baseline in Section 2, revisited at one, three and six months, gives you measurable, self-reported evidence of what has changed and when. That's genuinely useful for your own case recording, outcome reporting, and demonstrating the impact of social prescribing or community engagement work across a caseload.
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A Safety Net for Everyone - If someone's engagement doesn't go as hoped, the PDP provides a record of what was explored, what barriers were identified, and what alternatives were considered. That protects you professionally as well as the individual.
In short, the PDP helps you have a better conversation, make a better referral, and show the difference your work is making.
Why These Resources Matter
When people are matched to the right volunteering opportunity, with realistic expectations and a genuine commitment, the impact can be transformative. Volunteering can improve confidence, wellbeing, social connections and personal development in ways that extend far beyond the role itself.
However, when expectations are unclear or individuals are placed in unsuitable opportunities, the experience can be frustrating for the volunteer and challenging for the organisation involved.
As a support professional, you play a vital role in shaping these outcomes.
These resources have been developed to help you guide individuals towards positive, sustainable volunteering experiences that deliver lasting benefits for everyone involved.
We hope you find them valuable and easy to use. If you have any questions or would like to discuss how these resources can support your work, please don't hesitate to get in touch volunteer@sdcvs.org.uk.