If your group or organisation is looking for volunteers you are in the right place. We can promote your opportunity on our website, on social media and in our newsletter. Just complete our online Volunteer Opportunity Form or get in touch with us.
Getting involved in local events is another great way to attract new volunteers and share information about your activities or services at the same time. Keep an eye on our events calendar and news sections for information about any upcoming opportunities.
To help promote their search for volunteers we were contacted by Species on the Edge.
Orkney International Science Festival was established in 1991. It is one of the oldest science festivals outside of Edinburgh gaining a reputation for high-quality programming.
Whether your group or organisation is new to working with volunteers or you are looking to review existing policies and procedures, we can help. Get in touch with us and we can guide you through the different stages from creating a volunteer policy and agreement, to volunteer recruitment and retention.
If your volunteers work with vulnerable people in a regulated role, they will need to join Disclosure Scotland's Protecting Vulnerable Groups (PVG) scheme. We can talk you through how your group or organisation registers with the scheme and how you support your volunteer with the application process. You can find information and guidance about how to apply for a regulated role on the Volunteer Scotland website. To understand more about the system, visit the Disclosure Scotland website.
We also offer training on a range of different topics to help volunteers and those working with local charity organisations and community groups stay up to date with changes in legislation and best practice. Visit our training section to find out more.
Contact us by using the form at the bottom of the page to discuss promoting your volunteer opportunity or how we can help with managing your group or organisation's volunteers.
We can help organisations and groups to find volunteers through advertising your volunteer roles on our Volunteering Opportunities page of our website. Just complete and submit our online Volunteer Opportunity form or get in touch with us to request a hard copy.
We will promote your opportunity on our Volunteering Opportunities page as well as on our Facebook page and in our monthly newsletter. We can also highlight it to anyone that we are working with to help them find a volunteer placement.
Your opportunity will also automatically appear on the national Volunteer Scotland website. This ensures your role reaches the maximum number of potential volunteers.
Volunteer opportunities are published on a 6 monthly basis and we will get in touch with you at that point to ask if you would like to continue advertising or if you’ve been successful in recruiting new volunteers. Some opportunities may operate within a certain timescale and we can set start and end dates on those opportunities for you.
You can also get in touch with us to ask us to remove an opportunity from the list once it is filled.
You can email or call us at any point to make any changes to your advert on our website. We can also pause it for you or stop it early should you need to.
It is not a requirement for organisations and groups to have formal agreements with its volunteers in place, however it is good practice to do this. A Volunteer Agreement helps to make it clear what your volunteers can expect from your group or organisation and what, in turn, you can expect from your volunteers. A Volunteer Agreement is not a legally binding contract.
Contact us if you would like to talk through the process or if would like support with writing your Volunteer Agreement.
No, volunteers cannot be paid for volunteering. If they receive any payment, reward or benefit in kind, you risk them being classed as an employee or worker rather than a volunteer. This includes any promise of a contract or paid work in the future.
Although they cannot be paid for their time, volunteers are entitled to receive money to cover any expenses they have incurred. This is usually limited to food, drink, travel or any equipment they need to buy for their role. It is good practice to have an expenses policy in place which clearly sets out what expenses are covered.
If you would like to create an expenses policy or would like to review your existing one, we can help. Get in touch with us and we can guide you through the process.
We also encourage groups and organisations to recognise and reward their volunteers in other ways. Taking part in Volunteers’ Week at the beginning of June is a great time to do this. You can find out about Volunteers’ Week and access their resources on the dedicated website.
It is not necessary to check every volunteer with Disclosure Scotland. If they work directly with children (18 and under) and vulnerable adults in a regulated role, they will be required to join the scheme to comply with the new Disclosure (Scotland) Act 2020 which came into effect on 1 April 2025.
We can talk you through the steps to register your group or organisation with the scheme and advise you on how you can support your volunteer with their application. We are unable to oversee these processes for you, but we can help you work out what you need to do. You can also access guidance and support from Volunteer Scotland's Disclosure Services. You can find details about this on the Volunteer Scotland website or if you would like more information about the system, go to the Disclosure Scotland website.
There is no legal requirement for you to insure volunteers, but not doing so could have huge financial implications for your organisation so we would recommend that all organisations and groups working with volunteers have appropriate insurance in place.
Depending on the type of volunteering you offer you may wish to consider employer’s liability insurance, public liability insurance and where relevant motor insurance. If you already have insurance in place to cover employed staff within your organisation, you should check your policy to see if volunteers are covered within this and make a request to amend your policy if they are not covered.
We provide free support and advice on all aspects of volunteer management, including attracting and retaining volunteers. We can also help you with developing your volunteer policies and processes.
