Can I ask volunteers to complete my organisation’s application form?
We discourage the use of secondary application forms, and ask that organisations consider volunteers based on the information they have already given you in their application, their work history and, if they have one, their Reach profile.
However, we recognise that organisations may feel they need to use their own application forms to integrate Reach volunteers with applicants recruited from other channels. If this is the case, we ask that organisations adhere to the following guidelines:
1. Explain you process up front
Do not attach the form to your opportunity listing but do indicate in the “Application details” section of your opportunity that shortlisted candidates will be asked to complete your form.
Remember, we don’t allow you to post contact details on your opportunity as we need all applications to go through the Reach system, in the first instance. This is important for us. We use placement details to improve our service and they demonstrate our impact, which helps secure our funding.
2. Only ask shortlisted volunteers to complete your form
Review the volunteer’s application in Reach before asking them to complete your form. If they aren’t suitable, please let them know at this stage. If you think they make a likely candidate, you can ask them to complete your form. We’ve seen that applicants who receive a personalised message about why they are good candidates or who have spoken with the charity already are more likely to complete additional forms, than when they receive a generic message.
