Getting started and involving volunteers

You’ll need to find a space that will work for your group and get permission from the landowners. Read our resource - Set up a community garden in your area – for some useful tips on where to start.

There are many community gardening groups across the UK – perhaps you can find a group close to you who would be happy to offer you some support and advice as you get started. Search our map to identify groups close to you or contact your regional or national Bloom coordinator who will also be able to put point you in the right direction.

To run your group you may need a small team of committed and dedicated volunteers to work with you and help to get things up and running. It could be a good idea at this point to seek out representatives from across your community, offering you a range of expertise, while helping to make your work relevant to a range of interests and people. You could involve a business leader, school teacher, youth leader or council member in the organising committee for your group. Once you're clear on your roles, you can get started!  

The following questions could be a useful starting point:

• What activities do you need volunteers to do?
• How many volunteers will you need?
• Will they need training or supervision?
• Would you like volunteers to come along to take part in regular or ad-hoc activities, or a combination of both?
• Will you need volunteers to join the organising group and take up a volunteering role to help with jobs such as finance or communications? 

Once you know what you need, have a think about how to make your volunteering opportunities appealing and exciting so members of the local community will want to come and take part. Volunteers will also want to know about the impact they'll make, what they'll learn and the experience they could get by taking part. When a volunteer has a positive experience it's likely they'll want to carry on being involved.

Have a think about creating role descriptions for your organising committee roles. These can be short but cover what you'd need from someone if they'd like to get involved. If you're asking volunteers to apply, have a think about the application process. Will you ask them to complete a short form about why they want to volunteer and the skills they have? It's also good to have an informal meeting with them before offering them a role to make sure they're the right person and understand what the role is about. Download a template volunteer role description here. 
 
Not everyone will be able to commit to a regular volunteering role, so it's good to think about where roles could be more flexible. Are there opportunities to run one-off volunteering days or for two people to share a role on the organising group?

There are so many ways to recruit volunteers, you could use social media, websites (such as Do-it), local radio, posters, leaflets in local shops or adverts in your newspaper and community newsletter. The local council, youth groups, schools, businesses, local volunteer centres and community groups, such as The Rotary Club, are also places that could spread the word and help you find local people to get involved.

When you advertise, include information such as the date, time, activity and the skills that are needed. You're likely to find that the more appealing the opportunities sound and the more flexible they are, the more people will get in touch. You could also have a think about getting t-shirts or hi-vis jackets for volunteers to wear when they're out and about to raise awareness of your group to encourage others to get involved. Local businesses or your council might be able to provide you with funding to produce them, in exchange for branding on the materials.

Discover more ideas for spreading the word in our resource – Promoting your group or activity.

At any events you organise, you can ask people to sign-up to receive more information about your group or volunteering opportunities. However it's important to store this information securely – Download our GDPR guidance for Bloom groups.

There's also more information available on hosting activities in our resource – Run a community event.

It would be great to think about any training volunteers might need. This might be showing them how to plant bulbs or perhaps how to prune a shrub. This is your opportunity to share your group’s knowledge, passion and skills with those in your local community.

Communications are vital to keep volunteers informed about what you're doing, planning on doing or perhaps your bigger plans for the future. It might be that you have a regular newsletter or e-newsletter, share updates at volunteer catch-ups, or share your news in an existing local newsletter with photos, achievements and stories. If this isn't something you have the time or skills to manage, this could also be a volunteering opportunity. It's also a good idea to ask volunteers what they want to hear about and ask them for their feedback. Understanding what motivates volunteers can go a long way to making existing volunteers feel engaged and help you work with others in the future.

Volunteers give their time for free because they want to get involved, but thinking of positive ways to recognise their efforts can make them feel even more appreciated and inspired. This could be a simple thank you for their involvement each time you have a meeting or activity session, providing free refreshments at volunteering sessions or hosting a catch-up for all volunteers to say thank you and highlight everything they have achieved. It might be that local businesses will be happy to donate food or a space to host a catch-up. Or maybe you could arrange a trip to a local place of inspiration? You could also put a thank you message out on social media or in your local community newsletter or newspaper.

There may be times during the year where there are fewer activities for volunteers to be involved with, for example, over the winter. This was the case for The Friends of Borough Park in Redcar, Northumbria who struggled with retaining their volunteers over the winter months. One of their volunteers suggested running a community coffee morning from January to March and this now takes place at the local bowling club. Volunteers run the café with donations of cakes and savouries from the community and it has proved very popular, raising £1000 in three months. Not only has it been a great way to keep volunteers engaged in the colder months, it has helped to reduce social isolation and has allowed the group to recruit more volunteers, while giving residents a real stake in improving their park.

You'll need some funds to be able to carry out your activities and fundraising is another way you can engage those in your local community and spread awareness of your group. These activities don’t have to be focused on horticulture, it could be a bake sale, a sponsored race, family challenge event or a concert. Discover more information and ideas in our resource – Fundraising for your community garden.