The below information was sent, via email to all volunteers who are on GoAssemble at the time on 15 April 2026.

To: All volunteers on GoAssemble

Dear colleagues,

We are pleased to share that from now until the end of July, we will be trialling a new Regional Recruitment Volunteer (RRV) role in the South West region and Scotland, which will support with the recruitment of branch volunteers.

This proposal has been developed by a working group led by regional managers, with input from community engagement managers and, importantly, through conversations with volunteers. Many of you have asked how we can strengthen local recruitment and ensure branches have the right people in place, this trial is a direct response to those questions.

Why are we introducing this role?

Some of you may remember we had a similar role in the past. At that time, our previous system (SAVI) made it difficult to manage recruitment activity clearly and consistently.

With our move to GoAssemble under the Network Delivery Project (NDP), the process is now much more streamlined. This gives us the opportunity to reintroduce a recruitment-focused volunteer role in a way that is easier to manage, more transparent, and better supported.

Why the South West region and Scotland?

We have chosen these regions carefully to help us test and learn:

• South West region: fully operating under the NDP model, providing a stable environment for the trial and manageable for the internal team to support closely.
• Scotland: will be starting its NDP migration during the trial, allowing us to understand how the role works alongside the transition.

This approach will give us a balanced view of how the role could work across different regions.

What will the role involve?

Regional recruitment volunteers will play an important part in supporting local recruitment of branch volunteers. The role includes acting as the first point of contact on our volunteer recruitment platform for enquiries, reviewing volunteer applications, supporting volunteers through the recruitment process, and arranging with the local branch to ensure a smooth onboarding process for new branch volunteers. For more detail, you can read the full role description on the Volunteer Knowledgebase.

Training and support

• The role is now available on GoAssemble in the trial regions
• A dedicated training pathway is being developed by our Learning & Development team  
• Ongoing support will be provided locally by the community engagement manager

I’m in the South West region or Scotland, how can I get involved?

If you are based in one of the trial regions and are interested in this role, you are very welcome to contact your community engagement manager:

• South West region: Kate Marshall at [email protected]
• Scotland: Elaine McFadyen at [email protected]

They will be happy to talk through the role and answer any questions.

We are grateful to everyone who has contributed their time and insight to shape this work. As always, your feedback will be essential in helping us understand what works well and where we can improve.

If you have any questions, please do get in touch with your region's community engagement manager.

Many thanks,

SSAFA Volunteering team