Volunteer Position Description Worksheet

Title Names the position, provides status, and gives the person a niche.

Goal Sets position into context of the bigger picture, gives person something to work toward, shows how this position extends from the mission.

Duties Describes the work. Use concise, clear language, active verbs, and no jargon or “insider” technical terms.

Qualifications Consider life experience, skills and talents and abilities from many areas of people’s lives. Not just credentials, degrees and other stuffy qualifications we’re bound to use for paid work. This is where the creativity and “experimentation” that volunteerism offers can begin to blossom. Age can go here if it’s very important to the goal of the position, i.e., “to provide a strong, mature role model for a youngster” even gender and race.

Time required Frequency, how long at a time, what days of the week, when, and total duration of the commitment. What flexibility can be built in? Estimate time with unfailing honesty and add some time to your best estimate. It’s easier to cut back a little. Remember meetings, at home prep time, training, travel time (not to the agency, but to the client). Put in every time consuming thing you can think of.

Place Where does the volunteer go to do the work and does he/she really have to go there? Can they work at home? Must they stop at the building and sign in before they do field work?

Benefits What are the tangible and intangible benefits of doing this position as part of your organization? Think of experiences, perks, goodies, advantages, features of this position and your organization that can’t be found anywhere else.

Supervisor Who assigns work, provides guidance, does the volunteer call when he/she is sick and can’t come in? Name the person or position.

Virginia Office of Volunteerism