Volunteer Fundraisers

An Introduction To Community FundraisingThe 2009 NCVO Civil Society Almanac highlighted that 73% of adults in England had volunteered at least once in the previous year. In economic terms, this contributed an estimated £22.7 billion to the economy. Of these volunteers, 65% were involved in raising and handling money. Volunteer fundraisers are clearly a valuable resource.

Volunteer fundraising is one of the most prevalent forms of fundraising and is the most frequent way in which the majority of the public engage with and encounter fundraising practice. Effective volunteer management can help maximise the value of volunteers and ensure they feel valued. As with all supporters, stewardship is key.

Locating, organising and managing volunteers is an area huge in scope, and this page will provide guidance, information and resources to help organisations navigate this vital aspect of fundraising.

Defining types of Volunteers

There are two main types of volunteers - 'on behalf of' and 'in aid of':

'On behalf of' volunteers are volunteers that have authority from the fundraising organisation to fundraise. The organisation knows that they are raising money and may help the volunteers by providing advice and resources.

'In aid of' volunteers have no authority from the fundraising organsiation and are acting on their own initiative. The first that the fundraising organisations knows about this activity is often the receiving of the cheque.

The distinction between the different types of volunteer can be important in terms of establishing liability should anything go wrong. It is not always clear if a volunteer is acting 'on behalf of' or 'in aid of' but it is something that you need to be aware of.

Codes of Fundraising Practice

The Institute's Volunteer Fundraising Code of Fundraising Practice provides guidance and best practice advice on all aspects of volunteer management, such as legal issues, having celebrities as volunteers and defining when a volunteer is acting 'on behalf of' an organisation or 'in aid of'.

The Codes of Fundraising Practice highlight the law and best practice for a range of fundraising techniques. All of the Codes are available online.

Additional advice for dealing with 'in aid of' volunteers is available in the Guidance for 'In Aid Of' Volunteers document.

Finding a volunteer

Voluteers are crucial to organisations, providing an extra layer of support and assistance. As well as recruiting existing supporters and donors to assist further with your work, there are websites that can help you find volunteers. Websites include:

Other online resources

The Institute also hosts How2Fundraise, a website for volunteer fundraisers. It is full of fundraising ideas and how-to guides together with an events calender to advertise your events.

Trustees

Many people get involved with volunteering through becoming a trustee for a fundraising organisation. The Institute of Fundraising is encouraging fundraisers to volunteer as trustees to benefit fundraisers' development and the breadth of knowledge on fundraising organisations' boards.