BucksVision - how Volunteer Bucks has helped volunteer recruitment

BucksVision is a registered charity whose staff and volunteers support those with sightloss in Buckinghamshire and Milton Keynes.

Why do you use the Volunteer Bucks platform?

BucksVision had been using the Buckinghamshire Volunteer Matching Service to find volunteers since 2022 with some success, so we were keen to have a presence on the Volunteer Bucks platform which replaced it as soon as it was announced.

As with other charities, finding volunteers is increasingly difficult but we have found Volunteer Bucks is a great sytem which allows us to get our roles out to a wider audience who are actively looking to take on a volunteer role.

How easy is the platform to use?

We started using Volunteer Bucks after attending a very helpful webinar on how to use it and how to get started as an organisation.

We've found the platform is use friendly and easy to navigate. It takes about 30 minutes to add a role to the platform - mainly due to getting the knack of uploading the images but it gets easier when you have completed a few.

How do you use the platform to communicate with potential volunteers?

Volunteer Bucks has a number of useful functions which has definitely helped us to communicate with people who are interested in our roles. We use the chat function to make initial contact with the volunteer and then use emails to send applications forms and to respond to any queries.

Have you encountered any challanges or difficulties while using the platform?

The main challende we have is the time it takes to follow up with the numerous applications we receive. Some people who have said they are interested in the role do not respond after we make contact with them, but this is something we have also experienced through our other recruitment methods.

How has the platform impacted your ability to attract volunteers?

In just three months, we have successfully recruited seven volunteers through the platform: three administrators, three drivers, and one befriender. This is fantastic given the short time the platform has been live.

The interest in some of our roles is higher than usual - for example, we received seven applications for one admin role!

We are looking at starting a new recruitment campaign soon to attract volunteers between the ages of 18 and 25. We will be using Volunteer Bucks as part of this as we feel it will help us reach new potential volunteers from across Buckinghamshire.