Recruiting, Managing and Supporting Volunteers
Recruiting, Managing and Supporting Volunteers
We provide support and advice on recruiting, managing and supporting volunteers through a range of activities including network meetings and training, and sharing good practice with Volunteer managers (and/or those responsible for managing volunteers).
Recruiting Volunteers
We can help you to advertise your volunteering opportunities and to recruit volunteers by registering on the new Cumbria Volunteering Opportunities database here:
https://volunteering.cumbriacvs.org.uk/
Organisations can self-register their organisation and add different volunteering opportunities onto the database. Organisations can also keep their volunteering opportunities up to date by simply logging into the system. This enables potential volunteers who also register through the database to search for local volunteering opportunities and apply directly to your organisation.
Through the Database we can also email and communicate with volunteers instantly regarding Volunteering Opportunities and events as well as reward and motivate volunteers with instant feedback, achievement badges, and personalised thank you messages. Organisations can self manage their own volunteers through the system through volunteer rotas should you wish to. Furthermore, volunteer hours can be logged.
Here is 3 minute summary video of the Volunteering Portal
Check out our Volunteering Portal Webinar on How To use the Volunteering Portal Video Guide for organisations: Volunteering In Cumbria Portal Training (youtube.com)
Volunteer Manager Events and Training
South Lakes Volunteering Fair
Sunday 5th October, 11.00am – 3.00pm (stall set-up from 10.00am for organisations)
At Kendal Leisure Centre. To book: South Lakes Volunteering Fair | Cumbria CVS
Eden Volunteer Fair
Wednesday 22nd October 202, 11:00 am – 1:00 pm at Penrith Leisure Centre.
To book: Eden Volunteer Fair | Cumbria CVS
Virtual Volunteer Trustee Recruitment Session (Organisation Bookings)
Date: Thursday 6th November 2025
Time: 6:30 pm – 8:00 pm To book here: Virtual Volunteer Trustee Recruitment Session (Organisation Bookings) | Cumbria CVS
How to Recruit Trustees: marketing and advertising techniques to find new trustees
Date: Tuesday 14th October 2025
Time: 1:30 am – 2:30 am (online)
Good Practice in Volunteer Management Workshop (Cumberland) – What to do when volunteer management gets challenging
Date: Wednesday 1st October 2025, 12:30 pm – 3:00 pm at Shaddongate Resource Centre, Carlisle. To book: Good Practice in Volunteer Management Workshop 2 (Cumberland) – What to do when volunteer management gets challenging | Cumbria CVS
Good Practice in Volunteer Management Workshop (Westmorland & Furness) – Creating a positive Volunteer Journey
Date: Wednesday 8th October 2025, 1:30 pm – 4:00 pm at Holiday Inn Express,
Barrow-In-Furness
Good Practice in Volunteer Management Workshop (Westmorland & Furness) – What to do when volunteer management gets challenging
Date: Thursday 23rd October 2025, from 10:00 am – 12:30 pm at Stricklangate House, Kendal. To book: Good Practice in Volunteer Management Workshop 2 (Westmorland & Furness) – What to do when volunteer management gets challenging | Cumbria CVS
Join our Cumbria Volunteering Strategy Engagement Workshop this autumn and help share your vision for volunteering in Cumbria!
Thursday 16th October 2025 from 1:30 pm – 3:30 pm, Kendal
To book: Cumbria Volunteering Strategy Engagement Workshop – Kendal | Cumbria CVS
Tuesday 21st October 2025, from 1:00 pm – 3:00 pm, Carlisle
To book: Cumbria Volunteering Strategy Engagement Workshop – Carlisle | Cumbria CVS
Friday 14th November 2025 from 10:30 am – 12:30 pm, Barrow
To book: Cumbria Volunteering Strategy Engagement Workshop – Barrow | Cumbria CVS
Wednesday 19th November 2025, 10:30 am – 12:30 pm, Workington
To book: Cumbria Volunteering Strategy Engagement Workshop – Allerdale | Cumbria CVS
Tuesday 25th November 2025, Time: 2:30 pm – 4:30 pm, Whitehaven
To book: Cumbria Volunteering Strategy Engagement Workshop – Copeland | Cumbria CVS
Spreading Good Practice in Volunteer Management toolkit
If you are part of a voluntary, community, statutory or private organisation that involves or would like to involve volunteers, we can help you to recruit, manage and support them through a range of activities including network meetings and training, sharing good practice and one to one support for Volunteer Managers.
Here are some useful templates for Volunteer Managers for good practice in Volunteer Management:
How to Develop a Volunteer Policy
Template-Volunteer-Handbook-2025
Template Volunteer Role Description
Template Volunteer Application form
Template Volunteer Interview Checklist
Template Volunteer Risk Assessment
Template Volunteer Supervision Form
DBS Checks for Volunteers
Does your organisation need to do Disclosure and Barring Service Checks for Volunteers?
Suffolk Community Action can provide this DBS Service. For more information see : DBS Checks – Community Action Suffolk
County Volunteering Network
We support a County Volunteering Network for Volunteer Managers to promote good practice in volunteer management. Through the network you will receive regular updates on sector developments, volunteer and trustee recruitment events, training and much more.
The Network is open to all volunteer-involving organisations and provides an excellent opportunity to meet and network with other Volunteer Managers, share skills and experiences and to receive valuable training and updates. To join our mailing click here
Volunteering Support
This Is Us – Westmorland and Furness
This is Us is a project for Cumbria CVS, funded by Westmorland and Furness Council, through National Government and the levelling up agenda, aiming to develop new volunteering opportunities and to support organisations to recruit volunteers.
If you would like support locally in Westmorland and Furnes, please email Caroline.Burden@cumbriacvs.org.uk or Rachel.Miller@cumbriacvs.org.uk
South Copeland Volunteering Support
If you would like support locally in South Copeland, please email Beresford.moylerosser@cumbria.cvs.org.uk who is based in Millom.
Helping to transform West Cumbria – Bedrock
Cumbria CVS is a delivery partner in the Transforming West Cumbria programme. This programme is funded by Sellafield Ltd and the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (NDA) and managed by Cumbria Community Foundation.
Cumbria CVS can help with volunteer recruitment – including reviewing policies and procedures in recruiting and supporting volunteers; developing and promoting volunteer positions.
For support in West Cumbria please email: judiths@cumbriacvs.org.uk
Carlisle Volunteering Support
If you would like to find out about local volunteering opportunities in Carlisle, please email : judiths@cumbriacvs.org.uk
Volunteering for Health in South Cumbria
Cumbria CVS is involved in the Volunteering for Health Partnership for Lancashire and South Cumbria as of April 2025. The three-year Volunteering for Health programme, is part of NHS England’s response to the NHS Volunteering Taskforce. Cumbria CVS is currently in the process of recruiting for a Volunteering for Health Strategic Lead for the programme whose role will involve developing a strategic approach to enable and embed health and social care volunteering for all volunteer-involving health and care organisations at a place-based level. This will include establishing a new South Cumbria health and social care volunteering partnership, with coordination at the ICB level and connected to VCFSE networks, as well as developing a volunteering strategy. Volunteering for Health aims to develop volunteering infrastructure to realise the potential of volunteering in improving the experience and outcomes of people using our health and care systems.
For more information please contact Caroline Burden, Volunteering Manager (Westmorland and Furness) on Caroline.Burden@cumbriacvs.org.uk
Contact Cumbria CVS:
- Call: 01768 800350
- Email: info@cumbriacvs.org.uk
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/cumbriacvs
We are open five days/week: Monday to Thursday 9am – 5pm; Friday 9am – 3pm.
If you have any comments, feedback, compliments or complaints regarding the CVS Volunteering Service please email Judith Smale, Volunteering Manager (Cumberland) for Cumbria CVS at judiths@cumbriacvs.org.uk or Caroline Burden, Volunteering Manager (Westmorland and Furness) for Cumbria CVS at Caroline.Burden@cumbriacvs.org.uk
