I wanted to talk a little about how we adhere to the accessibility standards laid out by the W3 web consortium. These are termed Web Content Accessibility Guidelines or WCAG.
The WCAG documents explain how to make web content more accessible to people with disabilities. Web “content” generally refers to the information in a web page or web application, including:
natural information such as text, images, and sounds
code or markup that defines structure, presentation, etc.
These guidelines help people using assistive technologies, such as screen readers and text-only browsers, to navigate ever more complex websites.
An example of how the correct mark up can help is in navigation elements. We’ve all seen the standard top or side navigation bars in websites, that often have multiple sub-menus and let a user navigate quickly to any area of the website.
For instance, the Amazon navigation bar has over 100 such links hidden away in the navigation bar.
What is not apparent to users that are not using assistive technologies is that this navigation bar appears first in the content flow of the website. As a visual user you can quickly skip over that part and get on with buying a new TV by just averting your eyes. A screen reader however must read over that entire navigation section and read out every link, EVERY time a page is loaded, can you imagine the inconvenience and annoyance that would cause!
To overcome this web designers can use a specific HTML 5 element, plus a few other attributes from the ARIA set, to define a navigation section. This lets assistive technologies know that everything following that declaration is navigation, and the user can skip over them easily if they want to.
So as you might imagine the first thing we do here at TeamKinetic is to make sure all the navigation elements are enclosed in the correct element tags so assistive technologies can render them correctly.
At a minimum, we seek to make sure every public page has no errors when scanned with the WAVE accessibility checker and on each audit we attempt to address any alerts that appear.
This is the list of major conventions we use to help us adhere to the WCAG standards;
All navigation elements are enclosed in an HTML 5 nav element that is given the role=”navigation” so that newer and older assistive technologies will recognise the enclosed section as navigation
All images have a meaningful alt tag so the user gets an idea of what the image means
All anchor or link tags have meaningful text, this is sometimes hidden from the non-assistive browser in the case of icon buttons for instance.
All input form elements have a label tag which describes what data should be inserted into the form element.
The tab order of form elements is logical and follows the on-screen order so that people can tab through a form easily.
ARIA roles and landmarks are used where appropriate.
In our next audit, we are attempting to improve the experience for our dynamic content. This is content which may appear or disappear without a new page being loaded. This means that users of assistive technology may become stuck on an alert or page overlay without knowing that it is there.
There are always ways to improve and if you have any comments or suggestions we would welcome them below.
YHA England and Wales has over 120 YHA Hostels, another 25 franchise sites and 35 affiliate sites across the UK, and is the largest hostel provider in the UK. In its 85 Years of operations, YHA has been operating as a charity that aims to enable young people and schools, families and friends, travellers and individuals to explore, learn and relax the length and breadth of England and Wales. A vital part of this has been the involvement of volunteers who support the running of YHA.
Katie, Abigail, Jamie, Ros, Crewenna and Robert YHA Volunteering & Impact Team
Crewenna Dymond has been Head of Volunteering at YHA for the last twelve years. She has overseen the transition from the use of Excel sheets, paper files and a CRM system to using TeamKinetic for volunteer management. One year on, Crewenna shares her experience using TeamKinetic and the impact it has had on YHA’s volunteering.
How did you previously manage volunteers?
Previously, volunteers would have to call either the Volunteering Team or a local YHA directly to find when and where opportunities were available.
Once a volunteer had expressed interest in joining an opportunity, they would need to complete a PDF registration form, obtain references and potentially a DBS, depending on their role. Each of these items had to be processed manually and added to a physical paper volunteers folder. The process which was very timely, resulted in duplication and was very inefficient.
We also had a CRM system which was great for recording activity that had already happened, but there was nowhere to put in future activities, we always had to do this with an Excel spreadsheet.
The lack of a singular system also led to much confusion between volunteers and hostels, because there was nowhere to record what agreements had been made.
Why did you decide to look for a volunteer management software?
Despite all the difficulties of our system, it was an internal audit that sparked the need for a singular system to be put in place. There was concern that our data was spread across multiple areas leading to a higher risk to YHA than if it was to be held in one area/system, with an appropriate backup.
During the planning process, we looked to develop our current CRM system, but with the cost incurred, the continuous updates required and still no online tool for volunteers to use, we realised it would be more cost-effective to find a built-for-purpose system.
We looked at other competitors for volunteer management software before selecting TeamKinetic. We needed a system that looked and felt like the YHA website and the decision was made to use TeamKinetic because it could do this, it had the appropriate functionality and as a UK-based company, its data policies were aligned with GDPR.
Using TeamKinetic creates a singular place for the Volunteering team, Hostels and Volunteers to find and access information on the opportunities we have available.
How was the implementation process of TeamKinetic?
Before we imported our volunteer data to the system, we wanted to cleanse it (preparing for GDPR). We started with over 12,000 volunteers on our paper files. We decided to remove any volunteers who had been inactive for the last three years and the remaining 7,500 volunteers were invited to join the new system.
When the system went live in May 2017, we had 7,500 volunteers. Within 10 months using TeamKinetic we now have 10,500 registered users.
What benefits has TeamKinetic provided?
For volunteers it is the self-service side of the software, they are able to go onto the system and see everything they have booked onto, and log their hours, leave feedback and see their own progress.
For the opportunity providers, in our case the Hostels, the TeamKinetic framework has ensured opportunities are much more specific than before, including times, location and the responsibilities of volunteers. The Hostels are much more considerate of the benefits for volunteers and what is offered to them in return for their time because this is explained on all the opportunities pages of the website. This has led to a better experience for our volunteers, encouraging them to volunteer with YHA.
For our hostels, the biggest benefit of having TeamKinetic is the opportunity to create communities within their volunteers. Through the software, volunteers can be grouped into cohorts and communicated with via email or text. This direct communication enables opportunity providers to directly engage with their volunteers like never before. TeamKinetic has opened the door for opportunities to be advertised locally and attract those close to the hostel to get involved. We are finding the time it takes us to develop new opportunities is much shorter, making for a much more efficient process.
In terms of the benefit to us in the Volunteering team, it helps greatly to have everything in one place and having instant access to any of the information needed is very helpful.
How have you found the training, support and use of TeamKinetic?
Steve, the implementation consultant at TeamKinetic, took us through our training and showed us how to use many of the features. We could then refer to the training videos or training manuals both available online if we needed any further support. Of course, if there is anything additional that I need I can always access the team by calling their offices or emailing them or submitting a customer support ticket.
How did your volunteers find using TeamKinetic?
New volunteers have got on and used the website because they did not have any previous expectations. For these volunteers making full use of the Events pages has helped us to help them find the opportunities of most interest to them easily. Volunteers with less experience of using web-based technology have generally been positive about using it and with some tips and training, they have adjusted to the new ways of working fairly successfully.
We have found that the age of our volunteers is dropping. Around six or seven years ago, the average age for our volunteers would have been around 55. Now, over half of registered users are under the age of 26. We believe this is because the user-friendly system is something younger people are comfortable using, making it really accessible to them.
Do you have any other comments?
A couple of years ago we would have felt the cost of a volunteer management software system would be too much, it would be too much of a challenge and too much work to change systems. Having gone through the whole process, it’s actually not! For such a multi-site organisation to be able to transfer across to new systems in under four months, I’m sure smaller organisations will be able to do it much faster.
Thank you for your time Crewenna.
If you have any further questions or would like to learn more about TeamKinetic’s Volunteer Management Software please do not hesitate to get in touch with one of our team.
You can find TeamKinetic on social media and listen to our podcast:
For the last four years, University of Portsmouth Sports Development Team has been benefiting from TeamKinetic’s volunteer management software. This case study explores the benefits of TeamKinetic as discussed with Zoe Monk, Sports Development Officer at the University of Portsmouth.
Hi Zoe, please can you tell us about your role and responsibilities?
I am a Sports Development Officer, as part of my role I oversee all volunteering opportunities in sports and our community engagement programme. This includes the recruitment and management of volunteers from the university, starting before the academic year through to May when students focus on their exams. I also oversee the training and professional development of our volunteers.
On a day to day basis, I correspond with organisations in our community partnerships, sharing any opportunities they might have on an ad hoc basis. I also manage the sports delivery programme, which includes regular volunteers from Portsmouth University cheerleading and dance clubs delivering coaching in local schools.
I lead the volunteer training that we run for our groups of volunteers and I am seconded to academic lecturing on the side as well, in coaching and event management.
Why did you start using TeamKinetic?
We started using TeamKinetic’s software after realising our existing system, which had been designed in-house, was not really fit for purpose. It didn’t really track some of the essential pieces of information we wanted to report on. It was at that point we decided to find a designed for purpose system and came across TeamKinetic.
How do you use TeamKinetic?
The first way we use TeamKinetic is to support our students in their professional development, gaining valuable experience. For example, we had a PGCSE student needing some practical experience delivering PE to children in school, we then went onto our opportunities available and found one that matched their needs.
The other way we use TeamKinetic is in a community coaching agency. We are approached by the organisations with a need for a coach with a specific skills. We then advertise the role to our students, say if a school needed a basketball coach or referee for a tournament, then we would use TeamKinetic to advertise the opportunity and recruit a volunteer.
Could you give me some more examples of the types of opportunities you advertise?
Yes, of course. The volunteer opportunities are either structured or are ad hoc.
The structure opportunities mainly include our dance and cheer coaching opportunities. This is where we have thirty cheerleaders and fifty dancers delivering coaching in schools each week, so we keep track of that.
We then have a community football club, which is run by twenty or so student volunteers. On top of these, we have student activators that support the running of on sport. That alone is just the structured stuff we offer.
Is there a process for advertising your opportunities?
For new opportunities, either me or one of the approved providers will make sure that it has been formatted in the appropriate way before going live. This ensures there is the right amount of detail, requirements and the opportunity’s expectations are sufficiently outlined.
This authorisation makes sure we maintain a level standardisation across all our opportunities, resulting in our students knowing what to expect when they volunteers.
What role would you say TeamKinetic has played in supporting the success of these opportunities?
TeamKinetic has proved very beneficial in supporting the running of these opportunities. It has helped create an efficient, straightforward and standardised process for opportunities to recruit and recognise volunteers.
From the students’ point of view, they have an intuitive experience of signing up, searching opportunities, joining them, attending, followed by logging their hours and leaving feedback.
How has TeamKinetic helped you to recruit volunteers?
I think TeamKinetic works so well is because of how user-friendly it is. It is efficient and easy for students to sign up, find opportunities and leave feedback on those they have attended. They can keep track of what opportunities they have attended, their hours and their progress, which I think is very helpful.
What makes TeamKinetic stand out?
For us as a Sports Development Team, it is helpful that TeamKinetic is from a sports background. If you look at the products available on the market, there is nothing that really caters in the same way for the needs of sports organisations.
Would you like to add anything else?
I think my only remaining comment, would be that we use it as an agency kind of tool, but I am aware that other universities, such as Northumbria, use the software with a much more stringent approach. I think this is something we are hoping to do more of.
If you would like to find out how TeamKinetic Volunteer Management Software would benefit your University, please get in touch with one of our team.
TeamKinetic’s youngest member, James, participated in the YMCA ‘Sleep Easy’ challenge, raising a total of £250 for the charity. The experience contributed towards TeamKinetic’s wider ambition to support more causes in need of support through the contribution of our time, effort and expertise.
Read about his experience, the challenge of Homelessness and the work of YMCA:
On Friday, 2nd March, I swapped my usual routine of enjoying an evening indoors with my friends or family, for a night of sleeping it ‘rough’. Participating in the YMCA Sleep Easy Challenge, I spent twelve hours setting up my temporary shelter and sleeping out in it.
James’ Shelter Before the Rain
Arriving at Cambridge Rugby Club, I was unsure of what to expect from the night, other than to be cold and at least some rain. I joined a convoy of other stragglers finding our way to the club from the distant car park.
Arriving at the clubhouse we found the all sheltered areas had already been taken and the remaining areas we exposed to the elements. I put my rucksack and sleeping bag down at the end of a row, securing my spot on the edge of shelters. I set around to find the cardboard boxes available and created my temporary shelter, using a life bag to waterproof the roof.
Once completed, I joined the other twenty-five volunteer embracing the YMCA Challenge. Provided with some tummy warming vegetable curry, by Food Cycle Cambridge, we spoke about why homelessness was a cause for concern and how the YMCA is helping to support those vulnerable.
The ‘Rough’ Facts:
Accurate figures of homelessness are hard to capture due to different local authorities having different definitions of ‘homelessness’ and lack accurate methods of keeping track
4,751 homeless people bedded down outside overnight in 2017, up 15% from the previous year
Across the UK it is estimated 3,500 people sleep rough in the UK each night, with one-fifth of these are young people aged between 16 to 24.
The statistics show that 92 local authorities had rough sleeping rates that were worse than the national picture.
Thirty-two authorities, including Barking and Dagenham and Barnsley, claimed to have had zero rough sleepers.
(The Guardian, 2018)
The YMCA:
YMCA is the oldest and largest youth charity in the world
Provides support and advice, accommodation, family support, campaigning, health and wellbeing, training and education.
YMCA has over 58 million members in 119 countries worldwide
supports projects for vulnerable young people in over 20 countries worldwide
Over 800 dedicated volunteers in 2017
(YMCA.org.uk, 2018)
As the evening continued entertainment was provided by Joshua Francis. A talented artist who has an experienced firsthand the support from the YMCA, he bought to life his colourful experiences through a heart touching and brutally honest performance of his own songs.
Following his performance, he spoke to several of us before setting off on his way. As the night quietened down, we turned our attention to the rain that had been pouring down, testing the durability of our shelters. Although slightly damp, the shelter had survived the first bought of rain.
I climbed into my sleeping bag, crawled into my shelters and tried settling into a comfortable position to fall asleep. Eventually, I fell asleep for a couple of hours, only to be woken again by the second set of rain pouring down heavy onto my shelter. It was this bout of rain that reduced my shelter to a collection of piled up cardboard boxes, plastic wrapping and a wet sleeping. It was safe to say, if I ever did this again, I would have to consider how to better equip my shelter for the rain.
Shelter Following the Rain
As I laid in the cold, I comforted myself by counting down the hours I had left. I was fortunate enough to be able to return home, to a comfortable bed in my home once this had finished. For those who are homeless, this luxury is not an option and instead, they are faced with a much more undesirable reality.
Finally, dawn broke and I climbed out from my wet cardboard mush to seek refuge, found in a hot cup of tea to bring warmth to my body. By 6:00 am everyone was awake, packing away their shelters, with a coffee in one hand and a cinnamon roll, again provided by Food Cycle. Everyone was eager to find warmth and retreat to their homes following a rather restless night. Once the site had been cleared of rubbish, the dry cardboard recycled and volunteers thanked everyone, I set off to return home.
It was the journey home that provided the opportunity to reflect on how fortunate I am to have somewhere I can call home, a network to support me and opportunities that offer a safe and secure future.
This experience has given me the smallest taste of the physical conditions they experience. I could go inside to a toilet, for food, warmth and the clubhouse if I needed. I was not subject to experience freezing temperatures, the torrential rains or snow. Nor did I experience the mental and emotional challenges that such vulnerability inflicts. To understand that, I believe you truly have to be in that position yourself.
Participating in the challenge reinforced my sentiment to supporting those affected by homelessness. I want to continue working to raise awareness of the issue, encouraging others to do so too and to raise funds that will directly benefit those affected.
The YMCA Trinity Sleep Easy volunteers collectively raised £12379.52 at the time of writing.
With donations still welcomed: https://mydonate.bt.com/fundraisers/jamesandteamkinetic
If you would like to read more about the work of TeamKinetic take a read through our blog or if you would like to learn more about volunteer management software please get in contact with one of the team.
Just before Christmas TeamKinetic announced we were hoping to do something that would raise awareness of Homelessness. Unfortunately, we were delayed due to an overly busy period and our plans were put on hold until a later opportunity.
Still eager to pursue an event that will raise awareness of homelessness and support the thousands of people affected, James, our youngest member of TeamKinetic will be taking on the YMCA Sleep Easy challenge.
Sleep Easy is a national fundraising event which aims to help prevent youth homelessness. By participating in the YMCA Sleep Easy Event at St. Catherine’s College Sports Ground, he will be experiencing one night of sleeping it rough.
Sharing his thoughts, James said:
“I have studied in Cambridge and Manchester and have become increasingly conscious of homelessness. It is hard to even comprehend the reasoning as to why people end up homeless. But the moment you take the time to speak with the, you realise these people are often a victim of unfortunate circumstances and lack a supportive network many of us fortunately have. Of course Sleep Easy does not replicate what it is really like to be homeless, but it is a good way to raise awareness and funds for a deserving cause.” TeamKinetic works to support third sectors organisations in all our operations, sharing a vision to encourage social good. This is just one part of the commitment we made to support more organisation through our time, energy and resources. Can you help TeamKinetic support this worthy cause?
Find out more about the event and the donations page here:
TeamKinetic is delighted to have been recognised as one of the 100 most innovative companies in Greater Manchester, in a report produced by BQ and the Business Growth Hub, part of The Growth Company.
This new initiative is designed to shine the spotlight on some of Greater Manchester’s most forward-thinking small and medium sized businesses.
Innovation is at the very heart of helping businesses to succeed and grow. It is key to building a sustainable and growing economy, and can be recognised not just in products and services but also across management processes and business operations.
Firms recognised from coming from right across the Greater Manchester region, and represent sectors as diverse as food & drink, manufacturing, healthcare and digital.
Across Greater Manchester alone, Innovate UK has provided funding for over 600 innovation projects since 2004 and the North West is home to a highly innovative business community that are contributing to new discoveries every day.
BQ’s Bryan Hoare said: “We’re delighted to give companies the chance to see some recognition for the hard work they put into innovation in their businesses.
“Innovation is the key to unlocking future growth, job creation and prosperity for the region, and what these businesses are already doing is incredibly impressive in lots of ways.”
Chris Greenhalgh, head of innovation at Business Growth Hub, said: “It’s our aim with Innovation100 to raise the profile of those businesses innovating in different ways, inspiring others to innovate and achieve growth.”
“What the Innovation100 companies underline is that while innovation can often be related to products, it can also apply to developing disruptive business models, applying new processes and delivering new services. Innovation is across many different facets of business, across different sectors and different sizes of companies.”
Chris Martin, Director at TeamKinetic:
“It has made us very proud to be recognised by the Innovation100. TeamKinetic has worked hard to provide leading software solutions for over eight years. We have always tried to incorporate upcoming and leading technologies into our software and provide the best solutions for our clients. To be recognised as one of Manchester leading innovative companies makes that hard work pay off.
We will continue developing our volunteer management software. Making it easier for volunteers to find, join and stay engaged in opportunities. For our clients in the third sector, we want to continue listening to their needs and understanding how we can develop our software to cater to new challenges that may arise. It all boils down to wanting to make TeamKinetic’s volunteer management software the best.”
The current world is obsessed about innovation, development and becoming the next thought leader. Yet, many of us are happy in the comfort of routine and familiarity, and rarely expose ourselves to new challenges or experiences. We simultaneously crave new technology whilst holding on to tradition and conformity, and have become experts at managing and maintaining such cognitive dissonances.
The organisations we work for often openly encourage innovation and creativity, whilst prioritising regular duties done in the regular way at the regular times. There is little time allocated to focus solely on collaborating with innovation as the desired outcome.
As volunteer managers operate mainly within the third sector, there are numerous barriers to encouraging creativity: lack of resource, inspiration, nurturing of talent, autonomy and responsibility. These barriers are often heightened with increasing legislation, regulation and concerns for safeguarding which restrains volunteer managers further.
So, how do you unshackle creativity and innovation?
You challenge, you invite and you drive a change in attitudes, moving from being failure adverse towards learning and growth through failure.
Easier said than done, right?
There is a strong consensus by successful thought leaders that it is the small changes that result in the larger positive outcomes we achieve, often referred to as the compound effect or butterfly effect. These are the micro-changes that are easy to make but harder to sustain, but if successful will lead to much grander achievements.
From conception, TeamKinetic has been striving to do just this, overcoming the issue of recruiting a large number of volunteers in a relatively disengaged community. TeamKinetic recognised the volunteer management process had become stagnant in moving with the new technological age.
By identifying the challenges of volunteering, identifying recruitment, recognition, rewarding and reporting, each aspect needed a reformed approach.
By challenging the status quo, exploring new avenues and including a different approach, TeamKinetic were able to redefine volunteer management.
Our software development is driven by an end user approach and before we start any new development we ask: “how will this improve the volunteer experience?”. This approach results in software with a humanistic touch, encouraging self selection and exploration, and promoting self-growth for volunteers. By altering the focus from what we do that can benefit you to what is it that would benefit you most TeamKinetic is able to understand the needs of its sector in an honest, open and insightful way. TeamKinetic continues the process by testing improvements and listening to the response of industry leaders, specialists and those operating in the Third Sector.
How can you drive innovation in your volunteer management?
As a volunteer manager, you have great opportunities to influence the experience of volunteers. This will impact directly on the productivity, retention and relationship between your organisation and your volunteers. To start to improve volunteer experience take a moment to consider what problems you are currently experiencing with your volunteer management and what aspects could be improved.
Once you have identified problems consider the barriers to resolving them. Listen to stakeholders and to those that problems impact most, as these are the people who understand the problems. Then consider alternative ways of solving the problem and how other sources of inspiration can be used to achieve a solution. Obvious small changes can be implemented immediately and solutions for larger issues can be implemented via a long term plan.
TeamKinetic wants to help and share our insights in volunteer management. We also love listening to your thoughts and ideas and contricutions to our blog are welcome and encouraged. Please feel free to get in touch with us:
It is no secret that the National Health Service is planning some big things to celebrate its 70th Birthday. Two leading projects are in the works: The Cultural History of the NHS and The NHS at 70. Collectively, these celebrations coincide with the bigger movement to increase volunteering within the NHS and David Cameron’s Big Society.
The excitement for such celebration and the increasing role of volunteers within hospital trusts made it fitting to share the experience of NHS Pennine Acute Trust developing its voluntary workforce through TeamKinetic’s volunteer management software.
How TeamKinetic Helped the Pennine Acute Trust
A few years ago, NHS Pennine Acute Trust acknowledged its current method of volunteer management, which used a basic version of Microsoft Access, was becoming outdated and limited in its capacity to manage and engage volunteers effectively.
Exploring the options available became the responsibility of Jo McCallister, Volunteer Service Manager at the Trust. Jo recognised that social health volunteering is different to other voluntary sectors. With a much more rigorous recruitment process, including the processing of DBS and additional documentation required due to the nature of work, a system that was capable of supporting this process was essential. Jo also understood to create a strong, reliable and motivated workforce the software needed to provide effective channels of communication.
“Creating strong lines of communication is essential to any engaged team, more so in the voluntary sector as you have to understand what the volunteer is seeking and if you are able to fulfil their desire through an opportunity.”
When searching the different volunteer management software systems available, TeamKinetic was “a standout product, with a fresh and easy to use interface” prompting Jo to explore it further. With key features that surpassed the capabilities of the previous management method, such as logging hours, personalised and group emails, links to social media and the ability to upload additional documentation, the TeamKinetic software was an ideal match for the Trust.
To date, the TeamKinetic volunteer management software has successfully assisted in the recruitment of 550 volunteers, of which 90% are actively volunteering. Jo relates the success of the volunteering programme to everyday improvement the software has made: “Day in, day out, we know what we are doing, what our volunteers are doing and what needs to be done”. Being able to have a structured system in place has made her job and those in her department much easier. It also provides a sense of security and continuity with new or alternative administrators able to pick up the system quickly and easily if required.
The multi-tier system, between volunteers, admins and opportunity providers, benefits all of those involved. By devolving the workload of information input, documentation upload, opportunity posting, the collection of feedback and generating reporting, it reduces the workload on volunteer managers. This saved time can then be used more effectively in building those interpersonal relationships with volunteers. Furthermore, volunteers are able to access and view opportunities online, which appeals to the growing amount of younger volunteers, with a quarter being under the age of 25, and for those older volunteers the system requires little to no training. Commenting on the experience of using TeamKinetic:
“We definitely advocate the benefits of TeamKinetic. As volunteering evolves, so must the system used to manage it. You need a system that is live and up-to-date, which TeamKinetic definitely does.
The team is very receptive to feedback. They listen to your thoughts and suggestions, putting them on your wish list. They then see if it is feasible and would benefit other volunteer managers, and then add it to the software’s RoadMap for future inclusion.
We highly recommend you get one of the team to speak to you about how TeamKinetic can improve your volunteer management, or get in touch with us at NHS Pennine to see how we are benefiting from the software each day.”
To learn more about TeamKinetic’s volunteer management software and how it could help your trust celebrate the NHS 70th Birthday or any other voluntary workforce needs please contact one of our team.
Here at TeamKinetic we often enjoy reading and sharing with one another articles that challenge and explore our values, opinions and actions. This week I received an article on appreciation. Having read the article, I felt that others should also be able to appreciate its message.
Just before you read this article, I encourage a moment of reflection.
Ask yourself: when was the last time I really said thank you? I don’t mean as you rush away from the cafe with your morning coffee or as you pass someone holding the door. When was the last time you went out of the way to show your gratification to another person?
Similarly, when was the last time someone went out of their way to appreciate what you did?
It doesn’t take long to realise how satisfying it is to be appreciated and to appreciate. For me the last time was at the end of my summer job, before I returned back to university.My manager, who I had only known for a couple of months at the time, gave me a handwritten thank you card and a gift voucher. The gift voucher was for our favourite coffee shop chain so that I could get my favourite coffee after stressful times, just as we would do after completing a hectic day at work. The unexpected appreciation and thoughtful gesture had taken me by surprise and has stuck with me.
I now welcome you to click through here:
http://jkglei.com/appreciation/
TeamKinetic is a company whose staff often demonstrate their appreciation for one another and I hope that appreciation flows on forward to our clients.
Kind Regards,
Welsh Cycling recently decided to refine its strategy for its volunteer workforce of officials, judges and event volunteers. This refinement included making the recruitment, retention and recognition of volunteers an easier and more integrated process. Maxine Rhodes, Volunteer Coordinator, was responsible for implementing these changes and chose TeamKinetic to help. She wanted to change from an internal document based system to an accessible purpose built cloud-based software solution.
After receiving an initial recommendation by Cardiff Metropolitan University and others, Maxine was eager to explore how TeamKinetic could support the core purpose of the national governing body to get more people cycling.
Maxine explained that the objectives for Welsh Cycling were to increase the number of volunteers involved in existing events, expand the calendar of events and promote the accessibility of the sport. With a large contingent workforce, made up of officials, judges and volunteers one of the key requirements for Welsh Cycling was to have a system that allowed the effective management of a large pool of volunteers.
Maxine outlined the key criteria that Welsh Cycling would be looking for in a new system. Functionality was key and the ability for the software to “point, click and work the first time” was a fundamental requirement. The software also needed to be future proof and easily scalable to allow Welsh Cycling to connect with other pools of volunteers outside of cycling.
On a personal level, Maxine believes motivating volunteers to be essential in maintaining a workforce. We were able to demonstrate how TeamKinetic helps Institutions, National Governing Body and Local Councils, to look at how they are rewarding volunteers. Volunteers can log their hours, which provides useful data, collect achievement badges and use the Volunteer Hour Trade Vouchers, which enables them to exchange hours logged with the organisations, from t-shirts to coaching badges.
Maxine comments, “I think this is a brilliant way to expand the reach of your organisation as you are creating relationships, rewarding volunteers and establishing a community around your sport”.
The software has further enhanced Maxine’s role by making a greater depth of data and insight available through reports which can be used to show the value and impact of a voluntary workforce.
Commenting on her experience with TeamKinetic Maxine said, “The thing that really impressed was the friendliness and accessibility of the team. They were so good at demonstrating the possibilities of the software. It’s so much more dynamic than just a matching system. Then of course there is the setup. It has been very straightforward. TeamKinetic performed the initial steps and then showed us what to do so that we could just crack on – it’s great!
“Steve is just great, taking me through the implementation and training process. I love the sense of humour in the team. They are a lovely team to work with and I found this system in all honesty very simple to use.”
Welsh Cycling is now live with the TeamKinetic’s Volunteer Management Software in preparation for the Youth and Junior Championships and the Icebreakers Event which will run from January through to March. You can check out further information on:
