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Volunteer coordinators assess and meet an organisation's volunteering needs through the recruitment, placement and retention of volunteers

As a volunteer coordinator, you'll manage all elements of volunteering either within your own organisation or on behalf of the organisation for which you're recruiting volunteers.

You'll recruit, train and manage volunteers, providing ongoing support and ensuring their work aligns with the goals of the organisation. You'll also build strong relationships with those they work with, including employees and service users.

While opportunities exist across the public, private and not-for-profit sectors, most roles are found in the charity, voluntary and community sector.

In smaller charities, volunteer coordination may be combined with other responsibilities such as fundraising, events or communications.

Responsibilities

As a volunteer coordinator, you'll need to:

• generate volunteering opportunities and create clear role descriptions based on organisational needs
• recruit, interview and match volunteers to appropriate roles
• carry out pre-volunteering checks, such as references and Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) (criminal records) checks where required
• organise and deliver inductions and training sessions for new volunteers, as well as debrief interviews for departing volunteers
• organise volunteer schedules and rotas
• provide ongoing support, supervision and development opportunities for volunteers
• promote volunteering opportunities internally and externally through publicity campaigns, events and social media
• develop systems to monitor and evaluate volunteer activity and maintain accurate records
• ensure policies and procedures relating to volunteering, including safeguarding and risk assessments, are in place and up to date
• recognise and celebrate the contributions of volunteers, for example through events or award nominations
• manage resources and budgets related to volunteer activity, including reimbursement of expenses
• consult with managers across the organisation to identify their volunteer needs and create volunteer roles that add value
• attend meetings and contribute to discussions on volunteer involvement and programme development
• write reports for senior staff, trustees or funders on volunteer impact, engagement and retention
• keep up to date with legislation, policy and best practice relating to volunteering.

In a volunteer management job, you're likely to have a more strategic role that includes designing and implementing strategies that align volunteering initiatives with organisational needs.

Salary

• Many volunteer coordinators begin their careers as volunteers to gain experience of the sector.
• Starting salaries can be low, particularly in the charity sector, and may be around the National Minimum Wage or Real Living Wage.
• With experience, salaries range from £24,000 to £40,000. Salaries at the higher end of the scale tend to be for volunteer manager roles.
• Salaries vary depending on a range of factors including your experience, location, the sector you work in and the nature of the role. For example, if you work in larger charities, hospitals and the private sector, you can expect to earn more than if you work in small charities and the creative industries.

There are rare opportunities for higher salaries, which tend to be linked to high-profile campaigns or events.

Employee benefits vary depending on the type of employer you work for but may include flexible working options, a pension, health and wellbeing benefits.

Income figures are intended as a guide only.

Working hours

Working hours vary depending on the organisation and nature of the role. While many positions are office-based and follow standard working hours (typically 9am to 5pm), some evening and weekend work may be necessary, especially if you're supporting events, engaging with volunteers outside typical office hours or coordinating community-based or outreach activities.

Part-time, full-time and hybrid working positions are available. Fixed-term and project-based contracts are common in the voluntary sector and creative industries, as roles often depend on securing funding. Permanent contracts do exist, particularly in larger organisations such as the NHS, museums and universities.

What to expect

• You're generally office-based with some opportunities for home-based working, depending on the organisation. The work can also involve visits to organisations which use volunteers, outreach work and site visits.
• Volunteer coordinators often work at local level with communities or within volunteer centres and are based across the UK. Opportunities are available more frequently in towns and cities but may also arise in rural areas. The headquarters of many of the larger charities are based in London.
• Work can be challenging, for example when trying to ensure volunteer reliability. Projects and jobs are often dependent on short-term external funding. This can result in job insecurity, particularly within the voluntary sector.
• There may be quite a lot of travel during the working day.
• There is a small number of international opportunities to manage teams of volunteers overseas. Such positions are generally with international non-governmental organisations (NGOs) or businesses offering career break and gap year opportunities.

Qualifications

Although this area of work is open to graduates from all disciplines, a degree or HND in the following subjects may improve your chances:

• business and management studies
• community development
• human resource management
• social work
• social sciences
• youth and community work.

Entry without a degree is possible as employers value relevant skills and experience.

A postgraduate qualification isn't usually needed but can be useful, especially for roles in competitive areas such as international development, heritage management or the arts.

For many roles you will need to pass an enhanced criminal records check.

Skills

You'll need to have:

• excellent communication and interpersonal skills to engage with a diverse range of people, including volunteers, clients, colleagues and other stakeholders
• the ability to inspire, motivate and support volunteers
• strong organisational and time management skills, with the ability to plan, prioritise and manage multiple tasks
• experience of managing or coordinating projects and volunteers
• a proactive approach with the ability to use your initiative
• empathy with volunteers and an understanding of their needs and motivations
• an inclusive and flexible approach, with a commitment to equality, diversity and inclusion
• confidence in delivering presentations and facilitating training or group sessions
• the ability to work collaboratively with internal teams and external partners, as well as independently
• problem-solving and negotiation skills, especially when handling sensitive issues
• administrative and IT skills, including experience using Microsoft 365 and maintaining accurate records
• accuracy and attention to detail
• an innovative and creative approach as you will often be working with limited resources
• a thorough understanding of safeguarding, confidentiality and data protection laws
• basic financial awareness and numerical skills, especially if handling expenses or contributing to funding bids or budgets.

You'll usually need a full, clean driving licence and use of a car. This could be for visiting organisations or assisting volunteers with travel, for example.

Work experience

Pre-entry experience is essential, especially volunteering experience and experience of working with volunteers. Experience of training, supervising or supporting volunteers or staff is particularly relevant.

If you are applying to work as a volunteer coordinator for an international organisation, having voluntary experience overseas, an understanding of other cultures, international contacts and a second language is important.

The job of a volunteer coordinator is becoming increasingly popular, particularly for positions with the better-known charities, art galleries and museums. Undertaking voluntary work is essential as you may be competing against people with a great deal of experience and contacts.

Very few charities offer graduate training schemes, although runs a scheme with different trainee streams, for example in finance or fundraising and marketing.

Internships are more common and are offered by a range of organisations. However, while these schemes provide an overview of the work of the organisation, they do not specifically focus on the work of a volunteer coordinator.

Experience of working in a customer-service or people-facing environment can also be useful.

Find out more about the different kinds of work experience and internships that are available.

Employers

Volunteer coordinators are employed by a range of organisations across the private, public and voluntary sectors, including:

• colleges, universities and students' unions
• charities
• councils
• festivals
• galleries and museums
• hospitals and hospices
• probation and prison services
• radio stations
• religious groups
• sports clubs and bodies
• volunteer centres.

Most volunteer coordinators are employed within the not-for-profit sector, with the larger charities and universities sometimes having a team coordinating volunteering.

Smaller charities and other sectors may have someone in place who undertakes a substantial amount of volunteer coordination, but whose remit may be broader and who may operate under a different job title.

With increasing emphasis on corporate social responsibility (CSR) and sustainable development, many companies have CSR strategies, working with organisations such as and investing in employee volunteering activities, which have generated more opportunities for volunteer coordinators.

Look for job vacancies at:

• (charity and voluntary sector jobs in Scotland)

Jobs are also advertised in the press and on LinkedIn.

For vacancies in specific sectors, visit:

• and - jobs in education.
• and - for jobs in hospitals.

Volunteering with an organisation can provide a huge advantage when sourcing vacancies, as jobs are often advertised internally.

Professional development

You'll need to continue developing your professional knowledge and skills throughout your career. You can do this by attending relevant training courses, networking events and conferences provided by professional associations and networks such as:

These organisations offer training and resources on key areas, including:

• recruiting volunteers
• developing volunteer strategies
• understanding volunteers and the law
• managing conflict and challenging situations
• good practice in volunteer management.

These bodies also advocate for those managing volunteers and raise awareness of the profession, offering opportunities to network and share best practice. The AVM, for example, provides a mentoring programme for its members and a range of online and in-person events tailored to practitioners at different career stages.

There are also formal qualifications available. These include the ILM , which is designed for those involved in leading and supervising volunteers. Bayes Business School also offers a PGDip/MSc in for professionals working in the voluntary, community and charity sector for at least three years.

Although the role involves the management of volunteers rather than employees, volunteer coordinators often use many of the same skills as people working in human resources. HR or similar qualifications and training can, therefore, also be useful. Business, finance and project management qualifications and training are also relevant to this role.

Career prospects

Career prospects vary depending on the size and structure of the organisation you work for. Larger organisations, for example, tend to have larger volunteering structures and so have more opportunity for promotion. In smaller charities or grassroots organisations, promotion prospects can be limited, and you may need to move to another organisation to advance.

Some roles, particularly in the voluntary sector, are project-based and reliant on external funding, meaning that fixed-term contracts are common. While this can make long-term job security more challenging, it also provides the chance to gain varied experience across settings and communities. Flexibility and adaptability are key to building a sustainable career in this field.

With experience, you could progress into roles such as volunteer manager, engagement lead or head of volunteering. In these roles you may have greater responsibility for staff supervision, organisational planning, partnership development and impact evaluation, with less focus on day-to-day volunteer coordination. Senior leadership roles typically involve work at a strategic level.

There are also opportunities to move into related areas such as corporate social responsibility (CSR), community engagement, fundraising or other public sector roles that value volunteer management experience.