Author: Alex Evans Page 8 of 21

Engaging Gen Z Volunteers

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On 8th February 2023

In News & Views, Volunteer Management

This week is National Student Volunteering Week so it only seems fitting to discuss Keeping Gen Z engaged as volunteers. Research by Oxfam reveals that Gen Z is the most generous in donating their time to charity, followed closely by Millennials.

Around 63% of respondents up to the age of 25 said they have volunteered for a charity in some way compared to 55% of Millennial respondents. The British Heart Foundation has also published research that shows that people aged between 16 and 24 are more likely to have volunteered for charities than any other age group.

Gen Z are keener to volunteer than other generations because they are very socially conscious and want to positively impact their communities. Volunteering allows them to contribute to a cause they believe in directly. Due to the decrease in volunteers because of Covid-19, older generations are not returning to volunteering. So how can we continue to recruit Gen Z and keep them engaged in volunteering?

Keeping Gen Z Engaged 

Feedback

Gen Z values feedback. In a blog post by Volunteer Strategies, it was suggested that an effective strategy for keeping Gen Z engaged was providing them with frequent ongoing feedback. This eases the pressure of an end-of-year review for the volunteers and keeps them updated on how their performance is throughout the year. Gen Z wants to hear feedback on their performance and impact on the organisation as they want to make sure they are making a difference, they want their volunteer work to have meaning and to see the results of their efforts.

Technology 

Utilising technology can keep Gen Z engaged, as Gen Z are tech savvy they prefer using technology for communicating. When informing them about their roles, you can contact them using our system. With TeamKinetic you can use automated emails, SMS texts and system notifications to always keep in close contact with your volunteers.

Social Connections 

Gen Z volunteers may be more engaged knowing that they will be making friends from their volunteering efforts. Volunteering provides opportunities to meet new people and form relationships with those who share similar interests and values. It’s less daunting going into doing something you’ve not done before knowing you’ll make friends whilst doing it. Alternatively, you could promote to Gen Z volunteers that they can bring their friends along too, this way they aren’t doing it alone and will feel more comfortable.

Making A Difference

Gen Z are very socially conscious and want to make a positive impact in their communities and know that they are directly making a difference. Volunteering allows them to contribute to a cause they believe in directly. Gen Z wants their volunteer work to have meaning and impact so allow your volunteers to see the results of their efforts. Highlight the impact that their volunteer work will have and how it will help others. 

Key Takeaways…

Due to the decrease in volunteers because of Covid-19, older generations are not returning to their volunteer roles. Therefore we need younger generations such as Gen Z to be fully engaged in volunteering to better retain them. By providing feedback, utilising technology and emphasising the impact they are making on the organisation they can become better engaged. 

You can find TeamKinetic on social media and listen to our podcast:

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Have you enjoyed using TeamKinetic? If you could leave us a review on Capterra, we’d really appreciate it! We’ll even send you a little thank you.

TeamTalk October Roundup

TeamTalk February: Roundup

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On 1st February 2023

In Newsletter Roundup

Hello and welcome to TeamKinetic’s TeamTalk February newsletter in blog form!

This roundup is designed to let you read more about what’s going on within TeamKinetic, the third sector, and the world in general.

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:

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Retail Volunteer Recruitment

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On 1st February 2023

In Charity, Hospice, News & Views, Volunteer Management

New data from Charity Finance Magazine’s ‘Charity shop survey for 2022’ reveals that there has been a decrease in charity shop volunteers since the Covid-19 pandemic. The number of volunteers at charity shops in the UK has fallen by 24% since 2019. People who took part in the survey said that they have struggled to operate as usual due to volunteers not returning to their roles once the restrictions lifted. How can retail volunteers be successfully recruited in 2023?

Successful Retail Volunteer Recruitment

An example of successful and efficient volunteer retail recruitment is an idea which came from Dorothy House. Dorothy House provides compassionate care and support for people in our community with life-limiting illnesses. They have 25 high street shops that sell pre-loved items which provide a large part of their income. Dorothy House have shared its success in recruiting volunteers for retail. 

After the pandemic, Dorothy House found that many of their volunteers decided not to return or felt they were no longer able to continue volunteering. At the end of 2019, they had 674 volunteers however in 2022 this decreased to just 470 volunteers. Dorothy House started by reorganising its volunteer team in 2022 and engaging with its retail team to see what they felt was needed. They ended up recruiting a deputy shop manager from one of their shops to be their Retail Volunteering Support Officer. As the shop manager already worked in a Dorothy House shop they were able to understand the challenges and how crucial retail volunteers are to ensure their shops are running efficiently.

Their approach was to visit all 25 of their shops to access their needs for volunteer recruitment. They supported them with in-store recruitment such as putting up posters in the local community and identifying potential sources of volunteers. The managers for each shop were worked with closely so they could create their own ongoing plan for recruitment. The outcome of this is that Dorothy House has now achieved a net gain of a hundred extra volunteers since March this year.

Other Strategies To Successfully Recruit Retail Volunteers:

  • Attending community events and connecting with potential volunteers in person. This can include fairs, festivals, and other gatherings where you can set up a booth or table and talk to people about your volunteer opportunities.
  • Utilising word-of-mouth marketing. Encourage current volunteers to spread the word about opportunities to their friends and family.
  • Developing clear and concise job descriptions for volunteer positions, including responsibilities and expectations.
  • Having a clear and easy application process encourages people that it is a quick and easy process to become retail volunteers.
  • Offering perks for volunteers such as discounts, special offers, or early access to new products.
  • Being open to feedback and adjusting the recruitment strategy accordingly.

 

You can find TeamKinetic on social media and listen to our podcast:

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Volunteer And Volunteer Manager Expectations

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On 25th January 2023

In Volunteer Management

Volunteer Expectations – Do They Expect Too Much?

Volunteering is promoted to volunteers to give them purpose, improve their mental health and develop social skills. Volunteers might go into the experience with high expectations and hope that it will change their life forever. However, volunteering may not always be the experience people expect it to be. If volunteers don’t receive the right support from their volunteer managers or the organisation they are volunteering for then they might feel isolated and disappointed with their experience.

Volunteers may have different expectations depending on the organization and the specific role they are volunteering for. These expectations may vary from person to person and from one organisation to another. It’s a good idea to talk with potential volunteers about their expectations before they start volunteering. 

Some common expectations Volunteers may have are: 

  • Clear communication and expectations from the organization, including the volunteer’s role, responsibilities, and the organization’s goals.
  • Flexibility in terms of scheduling and location.
  • A supportive and positive environment. 
  • Recognition and appreciation for their time and contributions.
  • Fair treatment and respect. 
  • A sense of belonging and community.
  • Safety and good working conditions.
  • Reimbursement of expenses if necessary.

What Do Volunteer Managers Expect From Volunteers? 

It’s possible that some volunteer managers may have expectations that are not realistic for volunteers to meet. However, it’s also essential to note that volunteer managers often have a wide range of responsibilities and may need volunteers to take on certain tasks and responsibilities in order for the organization to function effectively. Some common expectations Volunteer Managers expect are listed below. 

  • Positive attitude and willingness to work as part of a team.
  • Willingness to learn and take on new tasks.
  • Flexibility and adaptability to changing circumstances.
  • Willingness to provide feedback and suggestions for improvement.
  • Compliance with health and safety regulations and procedures.
  • Good communication skills and ability to work with different people.

It’s important for organisations to have clear and open communication with volunteers about their expectations, roles and responsibilities before they start volunteering. This can help ensure that volunteers understand what they can expect from the organisation and what the organisation expects from them, and can help prevent any misunderstandings or disappointment.

 

You can find TeamKinetic on social media and listen to our podcast:

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TeamKinetic Admin Guide

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On 19th January 2023

In Application Features and Tutorials, Training

Welcome to this TeamKinetic Admin Guide. This is essential for any admin user setting up a new TeamKinetic site, or any new member of staff using an existing TeamKinetic site.

In this post, you’ll have access to all the TeamKinetic quickstart videos. You can get help at any time by clicking the ? help icon in the top right of your screen within the system.

Overview

An overview of system users and what functions each user has access to.

A look at the relationships between each user.

Initial Setup

The initial setup steps confirm things like your about us page and other application content.

It’s also important to set up your registration settings including what data to collect, and opportunity categories.

Remember there is always help available on every page by clicking the ? at the top right of your screen.

Look and Feel

During step 3 we will cover how to add your logo, set up all the colours for menus and links, and set your page backgrounds and the home page content.

Your First Opportunity

Adding opportunities is of course a fundamental skill to learn!

We have a number of different types of opportunities and many options available for creating an opportunity that serves your needs.

It can be as simple as a quick opportunity which has only a few questions to answer, all the way up to a complex repeating opportunity that spans months.

Invite Volunteers

Now you have your application set up just how you want it and have some shiny new opportunities ready for your volunteers, you’ll need some volunteers.

One of the quickest and easiest ways to get your volunteers registered is to send them an invite email with a special link they can follow to register.

You can keep track of all your invites by going to Volunteer Management → Invite Volunteer.

Manage Opportunities

Once your opportunities have been added and volunteers are starting to sign up you will spend a good percentage of your time managing your opportunities and the volunteers that have joined.

Our opportunity management dashboard has all the tools you’ll need to communicate effectively with your volunteers, schedule new sessions, place and move volunteers between sessions and lots more. It is probably the major hub for your application.

Create Events

An event is a group of opportunities that has something in common.

Each event gets its own mini-site with a picture that you can share and link to.

Events also show up on the opportunity search page and in the weekly newsletter. This makes it easier for volunteers who are not bothered about what they do but just want to be part of the big event.

Volunteer Rewards

Rewarding your volunteers is vital to maintain and improving retention rates.

We have a few ways you can reward volunteers including the achievement badges, both automatic for hours served and your own Award Badges that you can award for any reason (volunteer of the month etc.).

We strongly encourage you to set up your own Award Badges and bring a smile to your volunteers.

Communication

You’ll need to stay in touch with your volunteers and there is a myriad of ways to do that with TeamKinetic.

There are a range of customisable automatic emails, email groups, email filters (by age, gender etc.), system notifications, Facebook, Twitter and using SMS texts.

You’ll always be in close contact with your volunteers.

Reporting

Reporting and insight are invaluable to finding out what has been going on in your programme.

Here you’ll learn about the various reporting, maps and visualisations that are available out of the box with TeamKinetic.

You can also request custom reports just for your organisation if required.

Mobile Use

Volunteers can download the TeamKinetic mobile app for their Android or Apple phones, allowing them to log in, join opportunities, log hours, update their information and much more.

If you still need some help using TeamKinetic, don’t hesitate to use our live chat feature. This can be accessed under Help and Support.

You can find TeamKinetic on social media and listen to our podcast:

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Are you enjoying using TeamKinetic? If you could leave us a review on G2, we’d really appreciate it! We’ll even send you a little thank you.

Let’s Help To #ChangeTheStory

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On 18th January 2023

In Charity, News & Views

Reach Volunteering have created a campaign to celebrate the humanity that exists in the world. Reach Volunteering is the leading skills-based volunteering charity and the UK’s single biggest source of trustees for the voluntary sector. Their vision is to create a world where people come together to create a thriving, fair and sustainable society.

Reach Volunteering are encouraging people to #ChangeTheStory. Millions of people in the UK volunteer their time to help others, creating a better society. As a volunteer you can change the story and create change and inspire others to do the same.

The Common Cause Foundation Human Values 

Values help determine what is important to us and shape how we interact with other people and the more-than-human world. Values are important influences in many aspects of our lives. They also influence how we act on issues that affect the world around us. Research from The Common Cause Foundation found that 74% of us hold compassionate values as the most important. Yet 77% believe that everyone else holds selfish values as the most important. The misperception of other people’s values holds us back from tackling society’s challenges.

How You Can Help To #ChangeTheStory

Every day in the UK, people are acting on their compassionate values through volunteering. People need to see this and celebrate and encourage it. Both volunteers and organisations that involve volunteers can take part in helping to spread the message. 

  • Talk about the #ChangeTheStory campaign with other volunteers, your friends and people around you to encourage them to participate.
  • Volunteers can share their reasons for volunteering, this can inspire and motivate others to volunteer. Reach Volunteering have suggested posting a video to social media explaining your volunteer story. 
  • Whether you are a volunteer, or an organisation that involves volunteers, you can spread the message and post promotional content on social media using #ChangeTheStory until the end of January 2023.
  • If you are already a volunteer, keep doing what you are doing. You could also find new places to volunteer and encourage your friends and people around you to do the same.
  • As a volunteer, you can share your expertise with a charity that aligns with your values. You can find new opportunities here.
  • Get inspiration for how you can share your compassion and be kind to others with this article of 52 ways to spread love through acts of kindness.
  • As an organisation that involves volunteers, you can become a campaign partner which involves promoting the campaign and seeking quotes from your volunteers to share. You can email Reach Volunteering here to get involved: changethestory@reachvolunteering.org.uk

You can find TeamKinetic on social media and listen to our podcast:

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TeamKinetic Volunteer Guide

By

On 16th January 2023

In Application Features and Tutorials

Welcome to the TeamKinetic Volunteer Guide. We’ll go through the key things you’ll need to know about the system so you can get started volunteering for the causes that speak to you.

You’ll have received the welcome email by now and we urge you to take a look as it will contain essential information.

The first screen you’ll see after registering is your Dashboard.

This is the hub for your volunteering and where you will find most of the information you need. You can access the various sections from the menu on the left-hand side, just click any of the headings to move to that section. Lets take a look at some of the key pages;

Click below to go to each page.

Volunteering Is For Life, Not Just For Christmas

By

On 11th January 2023

In Charity, Community, Education, Hospice, Local Authority, NHS, Sport

Charity work and volunteering are usually largely associated with the festive period, people want to donate their time to give back to help those less fortunate during Christmas.

Before Christmas, we posted a blog discussing the many available opportunities and ideas of where to volunteer at Christmas time. The reality is these organisations need help and support from volunteers all year round and not just during the festive period and volunteer managers may also find a large decrease in volunteers after this time. People in need aren’t just homeless or lonely during the festive period, similar to the well knowing saying from the Dogs Trust organisation, “A dog is for life, not just for Christmas”.

Support for people in need will need volunteers and donations more than ever especially due to the cost of living crisis. There are plenty of opportunities where organisations need help from volunteers all year round below and some ways volunteer managers can retain these volunteers throughout the year. 

Volunteering At Crisis

Crisis is a charity for people experiencing homelessness, each year they support thousands of people to help find safe and stable accommodation. Over the festive period, Crisis had thousands of volunteers across the UK providing companionship and serving and delivering hot meals. These volunteers are still needed throughout the year as homelessness is an ongoing issue, Crisis estimated that around 227,000 people were experiencing the worst forms of homelessness across England, Scotland and Wales in 2021. The charity is consistently creating new opportunities so you can find the one that suits you best.

You can find available volunteering opportunities near you on the Crisis website. 

Volunteering At Age UK

Age UK is a charity that helps older people that don’t have care or support from others or anyone to turn to, leading to 1.2 million older people in the UK experiencing loneliness each year. You can become a part of the Age UK community and provide support and raise money so people can get the help they deserve. Although older people may be particularly lonely during the festive period, they will also experience this all year round. A simple way you can make a difference is the telephone friendship service, just as little as 30 minutes of your time a week to talk to an elderly person over the phone can largely impact an older person’s life.

Volunteering At Charity Shops 

Volunteers for charity shops are needed now more than ever, since the pandemic thousands of volunteers in retail have been lost. The number of volunteers at charity shops in the UK has fallen by 24% since 2019.

There are plenty of organisations including Barnardo’s UK, British Heart Foundation and more that have hundreds of charity shops across the UK. Roles could include working the tills, decorating window displays or managing donations. Barnardo’s UK currently has 10,000 shop volunteers keeping their 700 shops up and running, but without the help of volunteers, these organisations could struggle. 

Tips For Volunteer Managers

As a volunteer manager, it may be difficult to retain these volunteers to carry on volunteering throughout the year and not just at Christmas time. Promoting that volunteering is a rewarding New Years’ resolution idea on your organisation’s website or social media, could encourage people to continue volunteering. 

Another way to retain your volunteers throughout the year is to offer flexible scheduling options for roles. People may be drawn to volunteering over Christmas because it means they only have to volunteer for a day or two. By making future opportunities flexible, people won’t have to commit to volunteering full-time.

You can read more about how to engage and retain your volunteers in 2023 here!

You can find TeamKinetic on social media and listen to our podcast:

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Re-Engaging Volunteers After a Break

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On 5th January 2023

In News & Views, Volunteer Management

After the hustle and bustle of the holiday season, it’s not uncommon for volunteers to lose their enthusiasm and drive. As a result, it’s important to find ways to re-engage your volunteers and get them excited about volunteering again. So how can you start re-engaging volunteers after a break?

re-engaging volunteers

First of all, you should define the problem. Volunteer engagement isn’t always easy, especially if your organisation has had volunteers take breaks from their terms of service. But if you identify exactly what the problem is, it’s easier to come up with solutions tailored to you and your volunteers.

Secondly, you should set goals before you start. If your goal is to have more effective volunteers who stay longer than [x] months at a time, then that should be reflected in all aspects of their experience with your organisation. Starting with their onboarding process, through to training sessions and regular check-ins or evaluations.

Remind them of their impact

One way to reengage your volunteers is to focus on the impact that their work has on the organisation and the community. Remind them of the difference that they are making and the reasons why their contributions are so valuable. You can also highlight any recent successes or achievements that the organisation has made, and how your volunteers played a key role in making those achievements possible.

Feedback for a volunteer left via TeamKinetic’s volunteer management system.

Through TeamKinetic, you can reward volunteers through HourTrades, custom reward badges, or simple ‘Thank you’ communications.

Offer exciting new opportunities

Another way to reengage your volunteers is to offer them new and exciting opportunities to get involved. This could include working on a special project or event, taking on a leadership role, or learning a new skill. By providing your volunteers with fresh challenges and experiences, you can help them stay engaged and motivated.

You can also try to make the volunteering experience more enjoyable and rewarding for your volunteers. This could include providing regular recognition and appreciation for their hard work, offering flexible scheduling options, and creating a supportive and inclusive volunteer community. By creating a positive and engaging volunteer culture, you can help your volunteers feel valued and connected to the organisation.

With TeamKinetic, you can utilise our many opportunity creation options to create something that stands out to your volunteers and will help them feel excited about getting back into volunteering with you.

Reach out individually

Finally, consider reaching out to your volunteers individually to check in with them and see how they’re feeling. If you can put together a list of disengaged volunteers, you may want to consider asking them if there’s anything specific you could do in order for them to return. Perhaps they need more support than other volunteers with similar roles, or maybe they just need some time away from volunteering altogether.

This can be a great opportunity to listen to their feedback and address any concerns they may have. You can also offer support and guidance to help them overcome any challenges they may be facing. By showing that you care about your volunteers and their well-being, you can help them feel more engaged and motivated to continue volunteering.

TeamKinetic’s search filters allow you to find those volunteers who seem to be disengaged. Reaching out to them directly can help them feel valued and like their work for you makes a real difference.

In conclusion, re-engaging your volunteers after the holiday season is crucial for the success of your organisation. By focusing on the impact of their work, offering new opportunities, creating a positive volunteer culture, and providing individual support, you can help your volunteers regain their enthusiasm and continue making a difference.

See also: How To Retain And Engage Your Volunteers for tips on how to keep your volunteers engaged all year round!

You can find TeamKinetic on social media and listen to our podcast:

Twitter       Facebook       LinkedIn       YouTube       Instagram       Podcast

 

Have you enjoyed using TeamKinetic? If you could leave us a review on Capterra, we’d really appreciate it! We’ll even send you a little thank you.

How To Retain And Engage Your Volunteers In 2023

By

On 21st December 2022

In News & Views, Volunteer Management

2023 could be a challenging year to engage and retain volunteers due to the cost of living crisis; people may not have as much time to volunteer as they did previously because now people may replace volunteering with paid work. Ensure you start the year off by providing a high level of support to your volunteers, when volunteers don’t feel supported it can lead them to feel unmotivated and unengaged in the organisation. Below are some ways you can help retain and engage volunteers in 2023. 

Recognition And Rewards 

Show your volunteers how they make a difference. In the previous blog post, we spoke about how to reward your volunteers at Christmas, but volunteers shouldn’t just be rewarded at Christmas time, they should be rewarded all year round too. Highlight your volunteers’ successes to show them how their hard work has helped your organisation. You could note down the things they have done to help make a difference and then let the volunteer know, this will make them feel seen within the organisation. Volunteers want to feel needed, appreciated, and that they’re making a difference.

Stay Connected

Keep in touch with your volunteers and communicate on a regular basis. Whether this is through emails, phone calls or text messages it would be a good idea to see how people are getting on and if they are enjoying volunteering for the organisation. Also, due to the cost of living crisis and the new year, people may be struggling with their mental health and could be facing money issues, you can support your volunteers by regularly contacting them so you are the first to know if they are feeling unmotivated or burnt out. It’s also important to be in contact with your volunteers so you can let them know if there are any last-minute changes to shifts. 

Ensure that how you are communicating with the volunteers is personalised, by acknowledging the volunteers’ names and what they do you are able to connect with them on a much deeper level and they will feel noticed. Listen to what feedback your volunteers have to say, they can give you valuable information and important questions and concerns that you need to address.

Develop A Community

Build a sense of community among your volunteers. This way they can feel connected to each other and become better connected to you which can help with volunteer retention. If the volunteers build friendships and get to know others in the organisation then it will encourage them to stay and continue volunteering for the organisation as they are surrounded by a friendly and welcoming environment. 

Online catch-ups with all of your volunteers or in-person social events can help them to feel comfortable around one another and develop relationships. Having fun catch-ups or socials with volunteers can also allow them to feel engaged and supported through their volunteering experience.

Training And Upskilling 

Understand the motivations of your volunteers, this way you can help them to accomplish what they want to achieve. You can talk to your volunteers to understand what they would like to learn from their volunteer experience. This can help you provide value to your volunteers which can keep them engaged. Motivations could be people wanting to gain different skills or improve current ones. By training volunteers they can feel supported and volunteers can feel valued. Improving their skills can also benefit the organisation too as fully trained staff can help make an effective difference to the organisation. If volunteers are fully trained they can complete the volunteering to the best standards and feel satisfied with the hard work and the support they have been given.

Key Takeaways

Overall 2023 could be a very challenging year to engage and retain your volunteers, a combination of strategies may work best to keep people volunteering for your organisation. Flexible opportunities may be more suitable as people might not have the time to volunteer as they are picking up extra paid work elsewhere to help them through the current cost of living crisis.

You can find TeamKinetic on social media and listen to our podcast:

Twitter       Facebook       LinkedIn       YouTube       Instagram       Podcast

 

Have you enjoyed using TeamKinetic? If you could leave us a review on G2, we’d really appreciate it! We’ll even send you a little thank you.

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