The Scottish Council for Voluntary Organisations is the membership organisation for Scotland's charities, voluntary organisations and social enterprises. Charity registered in Scotland SC003558. Registered office Caledonian Exchange, 19A Canning Street, Edinburgh EH3 8EG.
Involving and supporting volunteers
Many village halls rely on volunteers to help run the space, support community activities, and keep things operating smoothly. Good volunteer management helps ensure that everyone feels supported, informed, and valued. It also helps the hall meet legal requirements and keep people safe. Volunteer Scotland has a variety of resources, guides, and information to help organisations provide meaningful, safe, and well-rounded volunteering opportunities.
Recruitment and Advertising
When you are bringing volunteers into your village hall, it helps to keep things simple, open, and welcoming. A good first step is to outline what the volunteer role involves and what kind of person might enjoy it. It is also good practice to have a clear process for chatting with potential volunteers and taking references, especially if the role involves responsibility for vulnerable people. This approach helps everyone feel confident about their involvement.
To find volunteers, you can list your opportunities for free through Volunteer Scotland, which allows you to post roles directly on their website. This helps you reach people across Scotland who are actively looking for ways to help in their community. You may also have local groups online where you want to advertise your opportunities.
If you are unsure where to start with role descriptions, agreements, or induction materials, Volunteer Scotland has helpful guides and templates that you can adapt for your hall. These resources make it easier to present your opportunities clearly and attract the right volunteers.
Onboarding, Supporting, Recognising, and Offboarding Volunteers
Once someone has kindly offered their time, giving them a warm and friendly introduction makes a huge difference. A simple induction that explains how your hall works, what their role includes, and who they can go to with questions helps them feel at supported. Volunteer Scotland offer a great induction guide to help you get started. Additionally, having clear policies and expectations ready to share can also make the settling-in phase smoother.
As volunteers get more involved, regular check ins and supportive conversations help them feel valued and confident. Setting out responsibilities, expected time commitments, expenses guidance, and other practical details in writing keeps everything clear and fair for everyone involved. Volunteer Scotland also provides great guidance on handling challenging volunteer situations, including tips to manage capability, performance, conduct, and complaints if they arise.
Showing appreciation is an important part of volunteer management. Simple gestures, such as thanking someone in person, acknowledging their contribution at meetings, or sharing successes, go a long way.
When volunteers decide it is time to move on, offering a friendly chat about their experience and any feedback they want to share helps you keep improving your volunteer opportunities. Additionally, it is important to understand what to do with previous volunteer data and your responsibility in managing this. Information about this can be found in the section below.
Managing Volunteer Data
Village halls have a legal responsibility to manage and hold personal data safely in line with the UK GDPR and the Data Protection Act 2018, ensuring information is used only for its intended purpose, kept secure, and retained no longer than necessary. Village Halls act as data controllers and must follow the data protection principles set out by the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO), including fairness, transparency, accuracy, and appropriate security. You can find official guidance on compliance through the UK GDPR resources on the ICO website and the UK Government’s data protection overview.
- UK GDPR guidance (ICO): UK GDPR guidance and resources | ICO
- UK data protection legislation (UK GDPR & DPA 2018): Data protection: The UK's data protection legislation - GOV.UK
Legislation, Disclosures, and Age Requirements
You must ensure you identify the correct level of disclosure needed for each volunteer role (if necessary). This may include Level 1 or Level 2 disclosures or PVG membership, depending on the responsibilities and whether the role qualifies as a regulated role. Guidance materials are available to help organisations assess roles and determine the correct disclosure level. Volunteer Scotland provides the Volunteer Scotland Disclosure Services (VSDS). For further information and to access VSDS, visit: VSDS - Volunteer Scotland.
Although the Health and Care (Staffing) (Scotland) Act 2019 is unlikely to apply to most village halls, it’s still something worth keeping in mind, especially if your hall ever hosts activities that might fall under regulated care. Volunteer Scotland has created a short guide that can be found here: VIO Guide to Health and Care (Staffing) 2019 Act.
From 1 April 2025, anyone who is going to take on what is known as a regulated role whether paid or volunteering will need to be a member of the Protecting Vulnerable Groups (PVG) Scheme before they get started. You can find more information on this through Volunteer Scotland and on the official Disclosure Scotland website.
A regulated role is simply a role where someone is regularly teaching, supervising, caring for, or offering guidance to children or protected adults. This might include things like running activities, providing training, or being the main adult responsible for a group of children. These duties need to be a normal and expected part of the role, not just something that happens occasionally.