Existing Providers How to add a role/opportunity
Adding a Volunteer role/activity to the Volunteer Hub.
Once your provider registration has been approved by us and you have received your email notification, you will be able to start uploading as many volunteer roles/opportunities as you wish! These can be long-term or one-off. Don't forget!: We also invite our providers to facilitate activities for the 'Give a Go' initative - if you have an idea for this then we would love to hear from you!
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Log back into the Volunteer Hub and then click on Add New Opportunity (IF YOU HAVE FORGOT YOUR PASSWORD, NO WORRIES JUST DROP US AN EMAIL AND WE WILL RESET IT)
When adding a new opportunity you will be asked to provide various details i.e role title, role summary and the number of volunteers required.
You will also need to make sure the contact details field has the correct contact name and email. It should automatically be filled with your name, if this is not the case please select the name of the contact who is responsible for recruiting. They will receive the email notifications for when a student applies for this role/activity.
Once completed click Continue.
Next you will be asked further details about your role. These include; benefits to self (i.e. what skills a volunteer might get through volunteering with you), benefits to others (i.e. how you and your clients may benefit from their volunteering), hours per week, details of any training you offer, location, transport details (i.e. if they would require their own transport or if you have details of public transport they can use), DBS checks (if required) and who will be responsible for the volunteers. Although only the DBS check field is mandatory, we would recommend completing the other fields to provide students with as much information as possible regarding your opportunity.
Once completed click Continue.
On the Dates/Applying page – if your opportunity is ongoing please leave the activity dates blank. If there are specific application dates please put these in or else you can leave this blank. We would also reccomend leaving the number of volunteers required blank. You will also be asked to enter a message to be included in the acknowledgement email sent to volunteers when they apply. We would recommend adding information here on when they can expect to hear from you, any information you may wish to share about the application process, and a contact for your organisation. If you have any online application forms you could also add the link to this in your welcome message.
Once completed click Continue.
The next tab is the Volunteers tab, this is how you will view the names and contact details for any volunteers that apply for your role/activity.
Once viewed click Next.
Next you will be asked to complete Activity Types tab. These activity types allow students to filter the opportunities listed, and they can also set preferences based on these activity types to receive a weekly email with any new opportunities that have ticked these opportunity types. These are your opportunity to demonstrate to students the type of the volunteering they would be getting involved in. After you chosen which location the role/activity takes place, we would suggest selecting up to 5-10 activity types for your role.
Once completed click Next. .
Next you will be asked to complete the Employability skills tab. Please choose the employment skills you believe a student may gain from volunteering in this role/ activity.
Once completed click Next.
When you get to the final page click Save Changes.
Once you have completed the above, your activity will be listed as “pending approval” and we will be notified of this. We will then review your role/ activity listing and either activate it or get in touch if we have any questions, within 10 working days. Once your role/activity has been activated you will receive an email notifying you of this and it will be live on the Volunteer Hub. Students will now be able to view the details of your activity listing and apply!
What do we do when we are notified a student has applied for our volunteer role?
Please visit our Contacting Students page
How do we create more interest in our volunteer role?
Although we will assist as much as possible with the promotion of your volunteer opportunities, we are unfortunately unable to guarantee that students will apply to the opportunities that you advertise on the Volunteer Hub.
Consider whether you have included enough information in the activity listing to help students decide whether it is the right opportunity for them or perhaps the features of the role or the amount of time a volunteer would need to commit to the role.
If you would like us to try to create more interest, drop us an email (and we can make your opportunities featured on the Volunteer Hub which means your opportunity will appear on a student’s profile when they log into our website and it will also appear on the email which is sent to student’s on the website each Tuesday (this is sent to students who haven’t selected to opt out of these and are interested in the areas your opportunity offers)
*Depending on the amount of requests we get for this and the time of year, we may not be able to add your opportunity that week but will do it ASAP.
We have promotional materials and further information about our opportunities, can we send you copies?
Unfortunately, we don’t have a specific space for leaflets and posters. However, we are happy to put electronic materials on social media as long as you are advertising for volunteers.
Our roles require volunteers to have specific skills and experience, how can we ensure we recruit students who meet these requirements?
When you add an activity to the website there is the option to indicate the type of volunteering you are offering and to also indicate the specific skills you require or can be developed. On the University of Chester website you will find a course list which may also give you an idea of the skills students have. We cannot set opportunities to only be visible to certain groups of students, so if you do require certain experience/ skills, ensure that you make this clear in the role description.
We also recommend you have some sort of application/interview process in place so you can ensure the volunteers you recruit from the University of Chester have the specific skills/experience you require.
We can also send information on your opportunity to specific academic departments, please get in touch if this is something you would like assistance with.
Our role require volunteers to complete DBS checks, is this something you can assist with?
If an activity involves a volunteer completing regulated activity, and therefore requires a DBS check, we expect the organisation to administer the check free of charge for the volunteer. We do not usually complete DBS checks on behalf of an organisation as legally we would be unable to share the results with you.
You can indicate on your activity listing whether the role will require a DBS check. Please note, an International student may also be required to apply for a Certificate of Good Conduct towards their DBS check.
Our role requires a volunteer to provide references, are there any issues with this?
If your role requires at least two references, please be aware that some students may struggle to provide employer references. You may need to have some flexibility on the type of references you require to support the student to volunteer with your organisation. For example, could you accept a reference from their Personal Academic Tutor or another member of university staff that knows the student?
If you have any questions about this process please email us.