Recruiting volunteers

We can help you find skilled student volunteers

Our experienced team has partnered with hundreds of third sector organisations, crafting recruitment and management strategies that ensure a rewarding experience for both you and your volunteers. From event stewards to trustees, and from one-off opportunities to long-term roles, we’re eager to connect you with UWE Bristol students who can bring their skills to your cause.

Reach out to the Civic and Community Engagement Team at volunteering@uwe.ac.uk. Let’s set up a quick meeting to discuss how we can support your recruitment process

Contact us

How to advertise your volunteering opportunities

Promote your volunteering roles on our free online platform where students can explore opportunities and set up personalised vacancy alerts.

Advertising on CareerHub is straightforward. Begin by registering your organization. Once approved, you can manage your volunteering opportunities and events, reach your target audience effectively, grant access to additional staff members, and keep your information current.

Ready to get started? Go to CareerHub. 

Professional volunteering for creative students

Many UWE Bristol students possess exceptional writing, creative and design skills. Here are some examples of past activities student have successfully engaged with:

• Animation: Create anonymous user comments or short explainer videos.
• Illustration: Develop a collection of positive images of people with disabilities.
• Photography and videography: Capture events like children's activity days. 
• Graphic design: Design information boards for nature reserves or social media frames. 
• Video editing:  Produce marketing videos from various clips. 
• Curation: Research, write and present community wellbeing advice inspired by museum collections.
• Journalism and Media: Write blogs about the impact of youth charities in disadvantaged areas.
• Fine art: Illustrate impact reports or create a mural narrating service users’ stories.
• Marketing: Develop marketing strategies for fundraising campaigns.

Submit your project

We receive a high volume of applications, and while we can’t accommodate all of them, we’re here to help! If your project brief needs more clarity or specific goals, we’ll reach out to assist you in refining it. Although we can’t guarantee student participation for every project, we’re excited to work with you to make your project as appealing as possible to our talented volunteers.

We run this scheme twice a year, with two project submission deadlines: 31 August and 1 December.

To submit your projects briefs, please email the Civic and Community Engagement Team at volunteering@uwe.ac.uk and quote Professional Volunteering.

Student volunteer recruitment and retention tips

• Be clear about the details of the vacancy you post. Tell students where and when they will be needed and how flexible you can be. Give examples so they can see if it will work for them.
• Make opportunities short term if possible. Students don't know their workload far in advance, so prefer to commit for two to three months maximum. Offering one-off or micro opportunities can also help to get them on board.
• Tell students what training is available and if there is room for progressing to different roles.
• Are the roles sociable? Do volunteers have meet ups? Do you want them to encourage their friends to volunteer too? Add this to your vacancy description.
• Once recruited, check in with students every few months. Ask about their academic workload and encourage them to take a short break rather than feeling like they should leave if they can't support you as much as normal.
• Ask student volunteers for quotes and photos so that you can share their positive experiences with others through your social media channels.