7 simple steps to make your volunteering opportunities more inclusive

15th – 21st September 2025 is National Inclusion Week (founded by Inclusive Employers). The theme this year is “Now is the Time”, emphasising the importance of inclusion, urgency, resilience and the need to push forward. 

Now is a great time to review your volunteering practices to ensure that they’re as inclusive as possible, and we’ve assembled some tips and resources to support you: 

Seven simple steps to make your volunteering opportunities more inclusive: 

Are your recruitment materials accessible? 

Make sure you use plain English and offer all materials in large print and Easy Read. You can finds out more about creating accessible documents here: https://abilitynet.org.uk/factsheets/creating-accessible-documents-0  

Survey your current volunteers 

Conduct an anonymous survey of your existing volunteers about how inclusive they feel your organisation is, where they think things could be improved and what’s working well. You can see a template survey here: Template Volunteer Inclusion Survey.docx 

Offer a range of opportunities 

Not everyone will be able to commit to a fixed day or time each week, so make sure that you’re able to accommodate those with other commitments. 

Create a welcoming environment 

Really look at the experience you’re offering volunteers. Is the environment warm and welcoming? Are there opportunities to socialise outside of tasks? Consider implementing a buddy scheme for new volunteers to help them to integrate into established groups. 

Support volunteers with additional needs 

You could develop a Volunteer Inclusion Plan (VIP) to facilitate an open conversation about any additional needs a volunteer might have during the recruitment process. The Plan allows the organisation and volunteer to agree reasonable adjustments to enable the volunteer to contribute. 

Apply the social model of disability 

The social model of disability is the way of viewing disability as a barrier created by society rather than a person’s differences. Take a look at our “Understanding the Social  Model of Disability” poster for volunteer managers. 

Consider whether a DBS check is necessary 

Volunteers who have unsupervised contact with vulnerable adults and children will always require a DBS check. However, many roles don’t, and organisations should be wary of adopting a one-size-fits all approach to volunteers with criminal convictions. Criminal convictions should be reviewed on a case-by-case basis based on their compatibility with the role on offer.