Supporting a unique community asset

The Joseph Rowntree Theatre in York is a unique community asset. Built in 1935 by the Rowntree family for workers at the chocolate factory, it remains one of the few buildings in the city still used for the exact purpose for which it was originally created: providing affordable entertainment for the local community.

Today, the theatre is a thriving charitable venue, hiring its space to theatre companies, bands and community groups, with all surpluses reinvested back into the building and its facilities.

What makes the theatre particularly distinctive is that it is almost entirely volunteer-run. From stewards and box office staff to marketing professionals and trustees, volunteers are at the heart of its operation. As Christine Johnson, a volunteer on the marketing team, explains, this means the organisation is constantly looking for people who can bring professional skills as well as enthusiasm for the arts.

To support this, the theatre uses Reach as one of its key recruitment channels. 

Familiar

Christine was already familiar with Reach before joining the theatre, having encountered it through previous voluntary roles. For the Joseph Rowntree Theatre, Reach has become an obvious place to look when seeking volunteers with specific expertise, particularly in professional and specialist roles.

The theatre has used Reach primarily to advertise trustee roles and positions on its marketing team. The platform has been especially effective in helping the organisation attract volunteers with marketing skills. Over the past year alone, the theatre successfully recruited two marketing volunteers through the platform, individuals who brought valuable experience in areas such as copywriting, general marketing, video production and filmmaking.

Widen

Christine notes that one of Reach’s biggest strengths is its ability to widen the pool of potential volunteers beyond the theatre’s existing networks. While the theatre already has a strong local presence, a loyal audience and an extensive mailing list, relying solely on those channels can limit who sees volunteering opportunities. Reach allows the organisation to connect with people who may not yet know about the theatre but have relevant skills and live nearby. 

As Christine says, “Reach is well-named – it really helps us extend our reach!”

This broader spread has led to tangible benefits. In one recent example, a volunteer living in a village near York discovered the theatre through Reach and was surprised she had not encountered it earlier. For Christine, this highlights the platform’s value in helping charities find “unknown unknowns” – people who are a good fit but sit outside existing circles.

Positive

While Christine is candid about challenges, such as receiving applications from people who live too far away, she is positive about the platform overall. "Reach is a really good resource. We will continue to use it and have recommended it to others as well", she says.  

For a volunteer-led charity like the Joseph Rowntree Theatre, Reach plays an important role in sustaining the flow of skills-based volunteers needed to keep a historic community resource thriving.