Hello and welcome to TeamKinetic’s monthly Newsletter. April comes with another big dose of news from us, our partners, and the wider sector. Grab a brew and tuck into all the latest.
This roundup is designed to keep you up-to-date with what’s going on at TeamKinetic, our partners, and across the third sector in general.
We hope you find value in this TeamTalk. As always, we really appreciate feedback, so feel free to leave a comment, shoot over an email, or message via social media.
If you’d like to subscribe to the TeamTalk newsletter, please send an email over to me at alex@teamkinetic.co.uk, and we’ll get you on the list!
To read our roundup of stories we think you need to know about, click to go to the next page below, or choose a story from the list:
If you manage a regional program, you’ve felt the pain: creating thirty different opportunities for thirty different community centres or postcodes. It’s repetitive, it’s messy, and it’s hard to track.
We’re changing that. Our new Multiple Locations update allows you to attach unlimited locations to a single opportunity.
Live Capacity Tracking for Admins: Map pins are colour-coded based on volunteer spots
Green: Full capacity, great news.
Orange: Partially full.
Red: Empty =(
Interactive: See every site on a live map, track occupancy at a glance, and manage slots without breaking a sweat.
The Volunteer Experience: Volunteers see a beautiful, searchable map. They can find the site closest to them and join multiple locations with just a few clicks.
Scale your impact without scaling your workload.
You can try the new features for yourself on our Beta site.
For a while now, Roles have been the backbone of your onboarding for opportunities. It offers a quick and easy way to record the various steps you need to check off before a volunteer was ready. But you need faster, you need more integration, and you need more automation!
Meet Flows
Flows are a flexible, automated way to gather information and onboard volunteers. Instead of jumping between screens, you can now build a custom path for your volunteers to help move them from interested to engaged in the shortest path possible.
Flows include steps for:
Automatic ID Uploads & Checks
Integrated Meeting Scheduling
Reference Gathering
Custom question completion
Profile images
Once a Flow is complete, the system does the heavy lifting for you. It can automatically add the volunteer to a group, grant them system access, create a ToDo task for yourself or a colleague, or send HTML emails with attachments the volunteer or your team.
The very best bit? Admins can manage every single step from one interface. No more chasing. No more friction. Just a smooth flow from sign-up to participation.
We’ve calculated that a well-built Flow can save up to 25 manual steps per volunteer. That’s more time for you to focus on the people, and less on the paperwork.
You can try the new features for yourself on our Beta site.
Why your current roles and volunteer onboarding might be hitting a ceiling.
We are all familiar with the onboarding dance.
A volunteer signs up, then you email them for an ID.
Then you wait.
Then you realise you forgot to send the link for the induction meeting.
Then you have to manually move them into the verified column in your spreadsheet or update their status in your CRM once they finally send that photo.
It’s disconnected, manual, frustrating and prone to error and missed opportunities. Just as importantly, it’s one more time barrier to engage with your volunteers; they get bored, they change their minds, and you lose them and their potential!
It’s a lot of chasing, and frankly, a lot of friction.
We’ve been listening to our power users, and it’s clear: the way we manage the journey from “Interested” to “Active” needs to evolve. We’re working on something that turns that zig-zag process into a straight line.
No more disconnected processes, no more time-consuming checks, just straightforward, integrated actions that take your volunteer journeys from step 1 to completion in one place.
Keep an eye on this space. “Roles” as you know them are about to get a lot more… fluid.
If you’re not a TeamKinetic user but you’d like to be kept up to date with TeamKinetic updates, email alex@teamkinetic.co.uk and we’ll get you on our mailing list!
Hello and happy March! Welcome to TeamKinetic’s monthly Newsletter. We have a good dose of news for you to sink your teeth into this month, so grab a brew and tuck into all the latest.
This roundup is designed to keep you up-to-date with what’s going on at TeamKinetic, our partners, and across the third sector in general.
We hope you find value in this TeamTalk, as always, we really appreciate feedback, so feel free to leave a comment, shoot over an email, or message via social media.
If you’d like to subscribe to the TeamTalk newsletter, please send an email over to me at alex@teamkinetic.co.uk and we’ll get you on the list!
To read our roundup of stories we think you need to know about, click to go to the next page below, or choose a story from the list:
Volunteer managers often know the difference their organisation makes — but struggle to evidence it in ways that funders, trustees, and partners trust.
This practical masterclass explores how volunteer-led, community organisations can move from stories and activity counts to clear, credible evidence of impact — without over-complicating things or becoming an evaluation expert.
Drawing on real examples from community organisations, the session will show how better impact evidence can strengthen funding applications, increase confidence in conversations with partners, and support smarter decisions internally.
The focus is on practical, proportionate approaches that work for small and medium-sized organisations where time and capacity are limited.
Who are Patchworks?
We help community organisations (local VCSE) to produce independent evidence of their impact.
Using a process called Covaluation – coproduced evaluation – we codesign outcomes around how you work, help you collect the data needed to prove them, and produce a brilliant report that will help you improve services and raise more funds.
Most of the organisations we work with have volunteers at their core, and measuring the social value of their contribution is crucial.
PatchWorks is the creation of Paddy Hanrahan, an experienced leader in the UK volunteering space.
Hello and happy February! Welcome to TeamKinetic’s monthly Newsletter. We hope you’re getting into the swing of 2026! I’m not sure about you, but it’s been a very busy January over here at TeamKinetic. We still have a good chunk of news for you to sink your teeth into, so grab a brew and tuck into all the latest.
This roundup is designed to keep you up-to-date with what’s going on at TeamKinetic, our partners, and across the third sector in general.
We hope you find value in this TeamTalk, as always, we really appreciate feedback, so feel free to leave a comment, shoot over an email, or message via social media.
If you’d like to subscribe to the TeamTalk newsletter, please send an email over to me at alex@teamkinetic.co.uk and we’ll get you on the list!
To read our roundup of stories we think you need to know about, click to go to the next page below, or choose a story from the list:
We all know that a simple “thank you” goes a long way, but in the busy world we live in, it’s easy for volunteer reward and recognition to slip to the bottom of the to-do list. However, acknowledging the time, skills, and emotional energy your volunteers give is actually the backbone of a healthy and sustainable programme.
By acknowledging the time, skills, and emotional energy volunteers give, you’re doing more than just being polite; you’re making a strategic investment in your organisation’s future.
Why recognition matters more than you might think
Most people volunteer for altruistic reasons. They want to help or feel a personal connection to a cause. However, as Ruth Leonard and Jurgen Grotz note, while people aren’t usually hunting for thanks, they certainly notice if it’s never given!
‘Most of us like to be appreciated and recognised for what we’ve done. This doesn’t mean that people are consciously looking for thanks, rather that it becomes noticed if it’s never given. Probably, the most important thing that can be done in order to continue a relationship with volunteers is to make sure they know that they and what they do are valued.’
Focusing on appreciation isn’t just a “nice” thing to do; it makes great business sense, too. It leads to:
Lower Turnover: Volunteers stay longer, which means you spend less time and money on constant recruitment and onboarding. NCVO’s Time Well Spent research found that 81% of satisfied volunteers plan to continue over the next year, compared to just 26% of dissatisfied ones.
A Supportive Community: When you recognise volunteers, they start to recognise each other, creating a friendly, reciprocal environment.
Better Results: High engagement usually leads to better outcomes for the people or communities you serve.
Attract Younger Talent: Recognition is especially important to younger volunteers. While 40% of all volunteers value it, that number jumps to 49% for those aged 18–24.
Simple Ways to Say Thanks
You don’t need a massive budget to make someone feel valued. In fact, research shows that the most popular form of recognition is just a verbal or written thank you.
Personalised Notes: A quick email or a handwritten letter can mean the world.
Validation from the Top: Having a thank-you note come from a senior leader or the head of your organisation can make a volunteer feel their work is being noticed by the whole charity, not just their immediate supervisor.
Tangible Proof: Certificates remain a classic and effective way to celebrate a job well done.
Keeping it Legal: The Tax Bit
Before you start handing out gifts, it’s important to keep HMRC in mind. To avoid accidentally creating an employment relationship, rewards should be occasional, low-value, and unexpected.
Making it Easier with TeamKinetic
If you use the TeamKinetic system, there are some built-in tools that can help you automate these “thank yous” so they don’t get forgotten. If you use other tools, you can still use these ideas as a blueprint for your own recognition strategy.
The “Ice Cream Sundae” of Feedback
We love this metaphor for giving great feedback. Rather than a “cookie-cutter” message, try layering your appreciation like a sundae:
The First Scoop: The base—a simple “thank you” for their time.
The Sprinkles: A personal detail about something they did well (e.g., “You were so helpful with the registration desk today!”).
The Cherry on Top: A warm invitation to come back again soon.
Milestone Badges (Gamification)
You can create Custom Award Badges for anything you like—from “Volunteer of the Month” to “Length of Service” milestones. Some organisations get creative, using nature-themed badges where a new volunteer starts as a “Seed” and grows into a “Veteran Tree” over time. These digital badges appear on the volunteer’s profile as a permanent record of what they’ve achieved.
HourTrades: Exchanging Time for Perks
HourTrades allow volunteers to “swap” the hours they’ve logged for small rewards.
What to offer: This could be some branded kit, like t-shirts or mugs, or even better, training opportunities like a first aid course or a coaching qualification.
How it works: You set the “price” (e.g. 10 hours for a t-shirt), and the system handles the request for you.
High-Value Perks at No Cost
Through our integrations, you can offer some pretty cool perks without spending a penny of your own budget:
Tickets for Good Gives volunteers who have logged a set amount of hours access to free/discounted tickets for live music, comedy, and sports events.
Tempo Time Credits A national scheme where volunteers earn credits in exchange for volunteering hours. They can then spend credits on various experiences.
Are you a visual learner?
In this recent TeamKinetic masterclass, Rolf went through some of the most effective way to thank you volunteers. He shows you how to use TeamKinetic to effectively reward and recognise your volunteers.
Final Thoughts
At the end of the day, you don’t need any fancy methods of reward and recognition. You just need to be consistent and sincere. Whether you’re sending quick feedback after they’ve completed an opportunity or setting up a badge system for long-term achievements, the goal is to make sure your volunteers know that what they do truly matters.
If you’re a TeamKinetic user, why not jump into your super admin menu today and try creating your own Achievement Badges or add some HourTrade vouchers? If you aren’t using the system yet, why not contact us to see how we can help you.
What’s next?
Next up in our Masterclass series, we’re joined by Tobi Johnson. Tobi is an expert in all things volunteer management and has been sharing her wisdom via VolunteerPro since 2015. She’s joining us to discuss how to re-engage lost volunteers. Or, in her words, “How to Plan a Wildly Successful Volunteer “Win-Back” Campaign”!
TeamKinetic users can book now via their system (Help & Support → Masterclasses & Training), everyone else can use this Eventbrite page to reserve their place. We think this will be a popular one so get tickets while you can!
Hello and happy new year! We hope you’re all ready to tackle the year ahead. As always, we have some exciting things in the pipeline here, and we can’t wait to get started with it all.
This roundup is designed to keep you up-to-date with what’s going on at TeamKinetic, our partners, and across the third sector in general.
We hope you find value in this TeamTalk, as always, we really appreciate feedback, so feel free to leave a comment, shoot over an email, or message via social media.
If you’d like to subscribe to the TeamTalk newsletter, please send an email over to me at alex@teamkinetic.co.uk and we’ll get you on the list!
To read our roundup of stories we think you need to know about, click to go to the next page below, or choose a story from the list:
Join our next masterclass to find out why volunteer recognition is so important, and what it can do for your organisation. We’ll be going over how to use TeamKinetic and its integrations to successfully reward and recognise your volunteers.
Reward and recognition are essential to a healthy, sustainable volunteer programme because they acknowledge the time, skills and emotional labour volunteers freely give. When volunteers feel seen and valued, they are more likely to stay engaged, perform at their best and act as ambassadors for your cause, strengthening both community impact and organisational outcomes.
‘Most of us like to be appreciated and recognised for what we’ve done. This doesn’t mean that people are consciously looking for thanks, rather that it becomes noticed if it’s never given. Probably, the most important thing that can be done in order to continue a relationship with volunteers is to make sure they know that they and what they do are valued.’
Grotz & Leonard 2022
What You’ll Achieve in This Masterclass
Discover some reasons reward and recognition is important that you might not be aware of
Learn about feedback and how to encourage it
The importance of logging hours
Custom award badges
Creating HourTrades and how to enable them
TeamKinetic integrations for rewarding volunteers
You can download the full course materials from our repository and also find more details and watch the latest video from your HELP & SUPPORT > TUTORIAL VIDEOS area.
Not a TeamKinetic user? No problem, you can still join us to get some tips and tricks via these meeting details:
Masterclass – Spread the love, reward and recognition Wednesday, 7th January · 10:00 – 11:30am Google Meet video call link: https://meet.google.com/iyd-szgu-xpo
