We have changed how long an opportunity can remain open for applications on the Reach platform from twelve months to six and will also ask that every new role has a deadline.
Why is this changing?
It’s important that organisations and volunteers have the best experience possible when using Reach.
When opportunities are posted on Reach without a deadline, they currently remain live for twelve months unless the organisation closes the role. Sometimes this means they are live on the platform long after active recruitment has finished, and the role is no longer available.
Sometimes organisations do need to recruit for this long, but this isn’t always the case. We know that there are always a number of roles on Reach that appear to be open for applications, but in fact are no longer available. There are lots of reasons for this, for example, we sometimes hear from organisations who did not realise that their role was still live because the person who posted it has since left. Applying for roles that are no longer open can cause volunteers to feel disheartened when they do not hear back from an application.
If a volunteer hears that an opportunity they applied for should have been taken down but was not, it can lead to a mistrust in the other roles available, in the recruiting organisation, and can affect their motivation to apply for more volunteer opportunities. Asking organisations to supply a deadline date will help ensure that opportunities on the platform are open and relevant and will increase volunteer confidence in applying for roles.
The Benefits
This change will support all members of our community to stay updated.
For volunteers
There will be fewer roles on Reach that are not live, which means fewer volunteers applying for opportunities that have been filled, reducing the negative impact on the volunteer.
For organisations
We know that volunteer recruitment can take up a lot of time and resource, particularly when juggling multiple platforms and job sites.
We will automatically remove roles from Reach after the application deadline, which will support organisations to manage their administration. We also hope it will help organisations manage administration of applications, by reducing the number made to roles that have been closed.
Deadlines
As part of this change, when you share a new opportunity, you’ll be asked to include a deadline – the date that you’d like to stop sharing your role on Reach. This can be any date within the six-month period. You won’t be able to submit your role without a deadline date. We will contact you a few weeks before your deadline, to let you know it’s coming up, with advice on what you need to do next.
FAQs
I paid to post a role through Self- Service before the changes were made, and I need to share it for longer than six months. What do I do?
If you posted an opportunity before the changes were made and you’d like to share your role for longer than six months, please get in touch with the Service team. Once your role has reached six months, we will make a copy of it, and make it live for as long as you need, up to twelve months in total, at no extra cost. Your original role will close after six months but you will still be able to continue with the conversations attached to it.
I have not paid to post a role but will be affected by this change. What do I do?
If you are affected by this change, we will have sent you an email with instructions and advice. After six months, your role will be taken down, but you are welcome to share your role again as a new post. To repost your role, make a copy of your opportunity through your dashboard, check the information is correct and submit for approval.
Our organisation recruits for the same vacancy on a rolling basis, how will this change affect us?
We understand that some organisations need to recruit for the same positions on a consistent basis. We’re happy to support you to do this.
After six months, your role will be taken down, but you are welcome to share it again as a new post. To repost your role, make a copy of your opportunity through your dashboard, check the information is correct and submit for approval.
I do not have a set deadline in mind, what shall I do?
If you don’t have a set deadline in mind, pick a date within six months of the day you submit your role. You might like to think about when you ideally would want to shortlist, speak to potential candidates and have the volunteer in post.
You can always change your deadline later. If you get closer to your deadline date and need more time to recruit, you can extend it, as long as it is within six months of the date you originally post your role. If you think that you have set your deadline date too far into the future, you can pause your role or change the deadline so that it is sooner. You can change your deadline as many times as you like, as long as the new date is within six months of the date you first submit your role.
Is there any change for Self Service Plus?
No. Self Service Plus is our enhanced promotion package for trustee roles. Roles shared through Self Service Plus have always had a limit of six months, and this isn’t changing. The changes we’re explaining today are only applicable to Self Service roles.
