Volunteer Agreement UK: Charity Volunteer Agreement Template

In English law a volunteer gives time freely, receives nothing for it beyond genuine out-of-pocket expenses, and is free to stop at any point. A volunteer agreement records that arrangement without making it a contract. It sets out the role, the expected time as a flexible estimate, the induction and training, a named contact person, the expenses procedure and the organisation's approach to safety, confidentiality and safeguarding. Most charities keep one for every regular volunteer, next to a role description and a privacy notice, alongside the other charity governance templates for trustees and volunteers a well-run board relies on.

The contrast with an employment contract matters more than any clause. A contract of employment, or a worker's contract, needs a bargain: work in exchange for pay or another benefit, with obligations on both sides. This document removes every element of that bargain on purpose. There is no minimum number of hours, no promise of paid work, no allowance for turning up, and training is never offered in return for staying a certain time. The wording changes too. Instead of "duties" and "must", the text speaks of what the volunteer "is asked to" do and what the organisation "will" try to provide, and a status clause says those words describe intentions held in good faith.

England and Wales have no Volunteers Act, so the framework comes from employment status law. The leading authority is X v Mid Sussex Citizens Advice Bureau [2012] UKSC 59, where the Supreme Court dealt with a volunteer adviser whose agreement was "binding in honour only". No contract had been formed, so she fell outside the employment provisions of discrimination law. In South East Sheffield Citizens Advice Bureau v Grayson, the Employment Appeal Tribunal held that volunteers who were only reimbursed expenses and could withdraw at will were not employees. More recently, in Groom v Maritime and Coastguard Agency [2024] EAT 71, a volunteer coastal rescue officer entitled to hourly payments for attending activities was a worker under section 230(3) of the Employment Rights Act 1996 whenever he attended a paid activity. Payments calculated by time are remuneration, whatever they are called.

The minimum wage rules point the same way. Section 44 of the National Minimum Wage Act 1998 excludes voluntary workers of charities, voluntary organisations, associated fund-raising bodies and statutory bodies only where they receive nothing beyond expenses actually incurred or reasonably estimated, reasonable subsistence or accommodation, and training for the work agreed. The GOV.UK guidance on volunteer pay and expenses says that any other payment, reward or benefit in kind may make the person a worker or employee.

Criminal record checks come under Part V of the Police Act 1997. Where a role involves regulated activity, the Safeguarding Vulnerable Groups Act 2006 makes it an offence for a barred person to take it on (section 7) and requires the organisation to refer certain cases to DBS (section 35). Personal data is handled under the UK GDPR and the Data Protection Act 2018, with complaints going to the Information Commission, still known as the ICO.

The obvious moment is when a regular volunteer starts: a shop helper, a befriender, a food bank driver, a junior football coach. Writing things down at the start avoids most disputes, because the volunteer knows who to call, what can be claimed and what happens if they need to stop. Insurers and funders also ask for evidence that volunteers have been inducted, and a signed agreement is the simplest proof. Trustees are a different case and are better served by a trustee appointment letter for charities that deals with their legal duties.

A second trigger is a role that needs a criminal record check. Once a volunteer will work with children or adults at risk, the organisation has to decide which level of DBS check the role is eligible for and how the result will be used, and the agreement records that decision. Young volunteers under 18 need a parent or guardian on board and closer supervision. Volunteers who use their own car need a check of their licence and insurance, with mileage repaid at no more than the HMRC approved rates. If you already pay people a set sum per session, a volunteer agreement will not fix it: the payment itself creates worker status, and the honest answer may be a short paid contract.

The opening clauses identify the organisation, with its charity number where it is registered, and the volunteer, then deal with status: binding in honour only, not a contract of employment or any other contract, no obligation to offer or accept any amount of volunteering, and the freedom to stop at any time. The role clause describes activities in plain language, gives the place and expected start date, and records the time the volunteer expects to give as a flexible indication, with an express statement that no penalty follows if they give less.

The support clauses name the contact person, describe the induction and confirm that training is never tied to a commitment or repayable. The expenses clause lists what the organisation will reimburse, explains how to claim with receipts, and rules out fees, flat-rate allowances and rewards beyond refreshments and training for the role. A driving clause appears only when the volunteer uses their own vehicle. The confidentiality and data clauses follow the logic of a UK GDPR privacy policy template: what is collected, why, for how long and how to complain.

The safeguarding clause changes with the check you select, from a simple record that none is needed to an enhanced check with the barring offence and the duty to refer. The insurance clause either confirms cover checked with your insurer or tells the volunteer plainly that there is none. Closing clauses cover conduct and gifts, photographs, an informal problem-solving route that is expressly not a disciplinary procedure, ending the arrangement and review. Boards that want matching paperwork for trustees often add a conflict of interest policy and register for charities.

You start with the organisation: its full name, whether it is registered with the Charity Commission (the number then appears in the text), its address and the person signing on its behalf, usually the volunteer coordinator, a manager or a trustee. The next step asks for the volunteer's name and address and whether they are under 18; if so, a field for the parent or guardian appears and a young volunteer clause and a third signature line are added.

You then describe the role. Keep the activities factual ("sorting donated goods, serving customers") rather than written as duties or targets, and pick the expected start date from the calendar. The time field is an estimate such as "about three hours a week", never a minimum. After the contact person's details, you list the real costs you will repay, say whether the volunteer will drive and whether your insurance covers volunteers, and choose the level of criminal record check from five options. The preview on the right updates as you answer, and Finish downloads the agreement in Word and PDF.

The most expensive mistake is the flat-rate payment. A fixed amount per shift "for lunch and travel", paid whether or not the volunteer spent anything, is pay in disguise, and after Groom it is hard to argue otherwise. The second is a minimum commitment such as "volunteers must give six months", especially when linked to free training. Organisations also copy wording from their staff handbook, so the document ends up with a probation period, a disciplinary procedure and a notice period, each a contractual feature. If the role really needs fixed hours and payment, a zero-hours contract for casual paid staff is the honest tool.

Safeguarding errors come next. Asking for an enhanced check for a role that is not eligible is not permitted, and asking for none where the role involves regulated activity leaves people at risk. Use the DBS eligibility tool before you choose. Never let a volunteer start the activities that need a check until you have seen the result. Finally, many groups sign the agreement and forget it: expenses are paid late, nobody holds the review, and the insurer was never told that volunteers drive. The paper only protects you if practice matches it.