By Accessible.org · Reviewed
Product reference: Free 1.4.0 / Pro 1.3.2
A volunteer enquiry is an invitation to talk about helping. It works best when someone can express interest before committing to a role, arranging references or completing a detailed application. The organisation can then explain the next step personally.
This is an example to build manually with Accessible Forms, not a built-in volunteer template. It suits a community group or organisation collecting initial interest. A separate recruitment process may follow; the form should describe that process accurately without implying that sending an enquiry confirms a placement.
Give people useful context before asking for information
Put a short description of the available opportunities above the form: the kind of work, location, expected time commitment and who to contact with questions. Someone should be able to tell whether a role might fit their life before entering personal details.
Use a heading such as “Ask about volunteering” and explain who responds. If opportunities are limited, say that the team will discuss what is currently available. Do not imply an immediate start or promise that every expression of interest will become a role. This helps the coordinator respond honestly and gives the visitor a realistic reason to complete the form.
Ask what they would like to explore
Build a short form around the conversation the coordinator needs to have. GOV.UK's name guidance supports a single name field where separate name parts are unnecessary. For this initial contact, ask what the person would like to be called rather than collecting identity-document details.
Example questions to build
- Name — Text, optional
- Use one field so the coordinator can address the person naturally. A formal identity check, if needed later, belongs in the organisation's separate process.
- Email address — Email, required for this example
- Help text: “Our volunteer coordinator will use this address to reply.” Offer another contact route beside the form for someone unable to use email.
- What would you like to help with? — Checkbox group, optional
- List real opportunities, such as community events, administration or practical projects, and include “I would like to discuss the options”. Multiple interests can be useful.
- Availability and questions — Message, required
- Help text: “Tell us when you might be available and anything you would like to ask. An estimate is fine.” Let people explain a changing schedule in their own words.
Leave room for different ways of participating
Some people know the role they want; others want to understand the choices first. Avoid making a specific role selection a condition of speaking to the team. A person with an irregular schedule may be a good fit for occasional tasks even if they cannot choose the same weekday every week.
If your coordinator offers calls, add an optional telephone question and explain when it may be used. GOV.UK's phone guidance notes that not everyone has or can use a phone and recommends giving a contact choice. Do not require both email and telephone merely to create a complete-looking record.
Keep this first stage focused on interest and practical availability. References, emergency contacts and detailed personal histories add work before the team has established that a role is suitable. Where a later step requires more information, explain that step when it becomes relevant and use the organisation's appropriate process.
Make the follow-up manageable
Send notifications to the coordinator or a shared inbox that someone regularly checks. A useful confirmation is: “Your volunteering enquiry has been received. Our coordinator will contact you to discuss current opportunities and the next step.” Include a response period only if it reflects the team's working pattern.
Before publishing, test the form as someone who knows exactly what they want and as someone unsure where to start. Then ask the coordinator to review both entries. The answers should support a friendly first response without requiring the person to repeat the whole enquiry.
Review the page when opportunities change. Remove roles that are no longer available, update contact details when responsibility moves and check that the confirmation still describes the process. A short form with current information is more useful than a detailed form that sends people into an inactive recruitment route.
Before you publish
- The page explains the opportunities and what happens after an enquiry.
- Someone who is unsure about a role or schedule can still make contact.
- Contact requirements match the team's real reply process, with an alternative route available.
- A coordinator has reviewed sample entries and owns updates when opportunities change.
Using Accessible Forms
Build this example manually with ordinary fields; no volunteer-specific extension is required.
In Free: Free includes the text, email, telephone, checkbox group and message fields used here, plus stored enquiries and notifications.
With Pro: Pro can add conditional questions for a particular opportunity if your team needs them. Keep initial enquiries separate from any later assessment or onboarding process.
Sources & further reading
The examples and field plans are suggestions to adapt to your form. These references explain the underlying design and accessibility guidance.
- GOV.UK Design System: Names
Supports asking for the kind of name the service needs and avoiding unnecessary name parts.
- GOV.UK Design System: Phone numbers
Supports collecting a phone number only when needed and providing a choice of contact method.