How to Recruit Volunteers for a Kids Club and Keep Them: Lessons from Girlguiding

Are you struggling to recruit and retain dedicated volunteers for your kids club? Volunteers can be hard to find and quick to leave, and the club leader ends up with an increased workload as they try to cover the gaps. In my experience as a Girlguiding volunteer, this organisation offers providers important lessons on how to recruit volunteers for a kids club and keep them in for the long haul.

How do I recruit volunteers for a kids club, and where should I look?

Use both in-person and digital methods to recruit volunteers. Girlguiding uses a digital magazine to inform both members and the public of any updates, including volunteer opportunities. It also appears at freshers' week to attract student volunteers. Reaching out to both the careers service and student union of different universities can help spread the word.

In my own experience of applying to Girlguiding, I found the application channels quick and easy to navigate. Girlguiding uses a simple form to help standardise its applications, which is far better than unstructured conversations with volunteers about helping out.

Becoming official volunteers can be a stepping stone for parents who already show interest and have helped at sessions before. Students, whether from secondary school or university, are another great source of volunteers, especially for small groups as in Girlguiding, where they can experience close contact in what might be their first volunteering opportunity.

Retirees are another group more likely to have the spare time to give back to their community through volunteering. Former members of kids clubs like Girlguiding already know and appreciate your club's philosophy, making them a particularly valuable source.

What makes someone want to volunteer at a kids club?

People may be motivated to volunteer as parents of children in the kids club, to gain experience, find renewed purpose or maintain a longstanding commitment.

Parents and carers are often keen to strengthen their bonds with their children and meet other families in the process.

⭐ Eequ Pro Tip: Eequ lets providers add custom questions to their booking forms. For example: "Would you be happy to help at a session this term?" Parents can easily show interest during the booking process, so the provider doesn't need to distribute and collect separate forms or have multiple conversations. This is an optional question allowing flexible involvement.

Completing the volunteering section of their Duke of Edinburgh's Award can be an incentive for students. Check whether your kids club meets the Award's eligibility requirements first.

Volunteers in their 50s and over are likely to be interested in volunteering as a way to respond to a need in their community, or because it allows them to use existing skills, according to a report by the National Council for Voluntary Organisations.

Former members may be attracted by the potential to "give back" to the kids club they once benefited from. Keeping in touch with past members is a good way to ensure that interest stays current.

How do I make volunteering easy to say yes to?

Remove the costs that put people off and offer different levels of commitment. Girlguiding is removing volunteer subscription fees from 2027 because they can be a barrier, especially for people who can't volunteer regularly. Consider how you could minimise financial barriers for your own volunteers.

While there is no need to make sweeping changes to the image of your kids club, it should welcome everyone in its target group. In 2013, Girlguiding changed the "Promise" made by all members so it is inclusive of all girls' spiritual beliefs.

Some people are put off from volunteering as they're afraid it will be a time-consuming and draining commitment. To combat this, have a variety of opportunities available for different levels of participation. "Micro-volunteering" or "flexible volunteering" is a great way to maximise involvement but minimise stress. For example, Girlguiding suggests that different ways to volunteer include helping at one-off events or supporting digitally behind the scenes.

Do volunteers at my club need a background check?

From 1 September 2026, helpers who teach, care for or supervise children can be in regulated activity even when someone else is supervising them. If they help on more than 3 days in any 30-day period, or overnight between 2am and 6am, they can be asked for an enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service check that includes the Children's Barred List check. Read the government guidance here.

Eligible standard and enhanced volunteer checks are exempt from the government application charge, although organisations processing applications may charge an administration fee. Basic checks are not free.

While a background check is crucial, it is only one part of safe recruitment. You should also carry out a risk assessment for each volunteer role. The National Council for Voluntary Organisations provides helpful guidance on each stage of this process.

How do I keep volunteers coming back each term?

Volunteering is best when it feels cohesive. Rather than just being a stopper for a gap, volunteers want to feel part of a well-managed group. "Can you laminate these cut-outs?" is far more constructive than "Go where you're needed", and it stops new volunteers feeling overwhelmed.

Regular training opportunities allow volunteers to grow and develop during their time with your kids club. Girlguiding offers sessions over Zoom, which allows flexible involvement rather than pressure to attend lots of in-person training.

Making particularly committed volunteers feel appreciated, for example by giving them a title like "Young Leader" or "Leader" as Girlguiding does, helps to show that they are an integral part of your kids club. You could shout out a volunteer's commitment in your newsletter or give them more responsibility to show your confidence in them.

⭐ Eequ Pro Tip: Make sure volunteers have clarity from the get-go. Before my first session as a Young Leader, I was told the time and place where the sessions were held and given a copy of the schedule for the term. I even had the opportunity to put in my own recommendations for projects and outline anything I'd be comfortable leading.

Volunteers or paid staff: which does my club need?

Volunteers who contribute on a more flexible basis are the best fit when you need passionate involvement and community representation. Paid staff providing consistent administration are the more appropriate choice for specialised capabilities and greater accountability. Many successful organisations, including Girlguiding, use a hybrid model taking the best parts of both.

Charities such as Girlguiding differ from commercial clubs. Commercial clubs can have genuine volunteers, but someone required to carry out regular work may legally be a worker entitled to the minimum wage, regardless of their title. So don't rely on unpaid helpers to cover regular shifts that a paid member of staff should do. Read government guidance on the distinction here.

Frequently asked questions

Can volunteers claim expenses?

Yes. Reasonable out-of-pocket expenses can include travel costs or costs of participation such as uniform. However, there is a clear distinction between reimbursing expenses and paying someone for their work.

Can under-18s volunteer at my club?

Yes, having under-18s volunteer is entirely possible, but younger volunteers should not automatically be treated as replacements for adult staff. Appropriate safeguarding, supervision, insurance and age restrictions all need to be applied.

How much time should I ask a new volunteer to give?

Start with one session. Girlguiding units often offer trial periods where a volunteer helps one evening to see if they fit in well with the group, before making their position a regular commitment. Most sessions run for about an hour in the evening each week, which is a good starting point before taking on longer all-day commitments such as going on trips.

What should I do next?

As volunteers dedicate their time to your club in order to support children, their contribution should not disappear into registers, chasing payments or messaging parents. Live registers, online payments and automatic messages to parents help a club's organisers and volunteers concentrate on delivering the sessions. Eequ, the booking system for children's activity providers, holiday clubs, wraparound care and sports clubs, takes care of that admin so your team can focus on the children. See how Eequ can support your club and its volunteers.

Accurate as of October 2026. Always check GOV.UK for the latest guidance.