Another day, another lockdown. Lockdown 3.0 is upon us and we know the volunteering world are just waiting to read about the new guidelines from the government. We have found some useful information in regards to volunteering during this lockdown. Each is relevant per country…
As this is a fast changing situation, please make sure you are checking for latest guidance from your national government and/ or infrastructure body.
England
A ‘reasonable excuse’ for leaving your home includes volunteering – you can also leave home to provide voluntary or charitable services, where it cannot be done from home. For further guidance, see below:
Examples of reasonable excuses to go out include to provide voluntary or charitable services, but only where that cannot be done from your home. For further guidance, see below:
Tthe new rules allow volunteers to go out to provide care or help to a vulnerable person, including emergency help. This includes getting food and medicines for them. For further guidance, see below:
Where possible, you should volunteer from home. If you cannot do so, you can volunteer outside your home, if you are able to meet the regulations and guidelines applicable at that time. For further guidance, see below:
Micro-volunteering is the idea of volunteering in ‘short bursts’. This means volunteering in short and convenient ways, at times and places which suit everybody’s schedule. What makes micro-volunteering different from standard volunteering is that it can be done online or face-to-face, and doesn’t require any long term commitment. This means that the volunteer also doesn’t have to go through an application or training process first. Micro-volunteering is perfect for both volunteers and organisations! It has the potential to attract a wider diversity and greater number of people, including individuals who wouldn’t have got involved otherwise due to conflicting schedules.
Delivering supplies to those isolating from covid-19
Signing online petitions
Writing blogs
Retweeting and posting relevant content to social media
Two minute litter pick
Buying a homeless person food or a hot drink
Researching and completing online surveys
Donate old clothes and goods to a charity shop
Remember this..?
Remember when the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge went viral in the summer of 2014? Where everyone, including big celebrities like Mark Zuckerberg, would tip a bucket of ice water over their head to raise awareness of Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS).
Well, this was a perfect example of micro-volunteering. While this wasn’t classified as your ‘typical’ volunteering, it engaged people all over the world and encouraged them to donate their time and resources into raising awareness of ALS. This viral challenge raised $116 million over two years from people engaging in this challenge who previously might not have got involved if it wasn’t for micro-volunteering.
How has COVID-19 impacted this?
The rates of micro-volunteering will have naturally increased from COVID-19. This comes from people having too much spare time and wanting to use their time to help others during such a negative time.
COVID-19 has made the majority of the population go into self isolation to protect themselves and to protect others. This then meant many volunteers had the suspend their volunteering duties- this is where micro-volunteering comes into play! Micro-volunteering has allowed volunteers to continue their contributions whilst isolating at home. For example, VolunteerScotland has seen 60,000 people come forward as a response to COVID-19, prepared to help in the most difficult of times- and this is just Scotland!
The future of micro-volunteering…
Micro-volunteering is only going to continue to grow, especially considering the current climate, and this is something we need to encourage. It’s simple, without micro-volunteering there would be less people volunteering their time- especially during COVID-19.
One of the biggest barriers to volunteering is people not having the time. Work commitments is the biggest barrier at (49%), with people ‘doing other things with their spare time’ closely following (35%), and child commitments following at (23%). Micro- volunteering allows people to contribute to volunteering around their schedule. This can even be sharing something on social media to raise awareness.
With COVID-19 now also causing volunteering barriers, micro-volunteering has come to the rescue. Micro-volunteering has allowed volunteers who are self isolating to continue to contribute to a cause from the safety of their home. This could prove to be the future for many volunteers who may not feel safe to return to face-to-face volunteering for a while. This then allows organisations to continue to receive volunteer support, despite the current COVID-19 situation.
How can you encourage micro volunteering with TeamKinetic?
During the peak of the COVID pandemic, we added an entirely new feature set around micro community volunteering. It includes a new admin and provider management page. Your volunteers also have access to their own progressive web app, allowing them to join micro volunteering tasks and record their progress using their phone.
Step 1 – Enable the community tasks feature from your super admin options menu
As you can see above, there are a few options available. Remember to give access to your volunteers and allow them to download the web app in order to access your community tasks.
Step 2 – Add your community tasks
Select ‘Community Tasks’ from the ‘Opportunities & Providers’ menu. Once you have enabled them in the super admin options menu.
Hit the big GREEN plus button to add your first community task.
There are some important things to know when adding your community tasks;
All the data you add in the red section is visible publicly to your volunteers.
The first set of data in the yellow section headed ‘Private Data’ is never revealed to volunteers.
The second set of data in the yellow section headed ‘Data Shown to Assigned Volunteers’ is only revealed to the volunteer that applies and is accepted for the task.
You can describe the task here and provide a location for the recipient. This is as well as restricting which volunteers have access to see and pick up these tasks. You can restrict by their ID check, criminal check status, and whether they are linked to the assigned provider or not.
All your volunteers that have logged into the web app will receive notifications when new tasks are added. This will either be in the app for Android/Chrome devices or via email for iOS devices.
Step 3 – Get your volunteers completing the tasks
By enabling access to volunteers in the super admin options menu, your volunteers can login at ICanHelp.teamkinetic.co.uk. Additionally, by switching on the relevant options, you can also select to advertise the web app to your volunteers when they login on their dashboard.
When they login they will see a familiar mobile app interface and can search and select community tasks and apply to join.
Once they have applied you will see their application in your admin community tasks management page. From there you can assign them to the task. The volunteer will receive a notification that they have been assigned a task and can then view the full details in the app. Once they have completed the task, the volunteer can then update the status within the app.
It’s a super easy and fast way to encourage participation with those small micro-volunteering activities in your community. This will also help to build lasting connections.
Don’t hesitate to get in touch or open a support ticket if you need more help setting up your community tasks. You can chat to us through our website or directly email us at chris@teamkinetic.co.uk.
Volunteer Management Software. A scary term which sounds completely crazy to those who have religiously used Excel to manage their volunteer workforce. So, I get it, it can be frightening going from years of working on hundreds of excel sheets to just one piece of tech. But, what if I showed you how easy it can be?
So let’s take a look at some of the most common sayings non-profits have when talking about volunteer management software.
What even is volunteer management software?
Volunteer management software is an online system which allows your organisation to manage all of your volunteers in one simple space. With TeamKinetic, our system allows you to recruit, manage and retain volunteers through various methods. You can create volunteer opportunities, events, rewarding systems and much more.
I’m no good with technology!
With volunteer management software you don’t have to be tech savvy! Most software nowadays is very straight forward and is made to be user friendly, otherwise, no one will use it. So, there is no need to be nervous about using this particular software. TeamKinetic have easy to read tutorials which guide you through your site to help get you started and understand the different areas. We also hold training sessions so you and your staff can gain an advanced knowledge of the software.
We have a limited budget!
We understand this so we offer not only a free trial but also a free version! This allows organisations with limited budgets to use our software and have unlimited active opportunities and unlimited volunteers. Giving your organisation the chance to manage your volunteers FREE of charge!
We don’t want to change!
Change can be hard but sometimes it’s for the best. Today, many young people are becoming more interested in volunteering, especially for non-profits. The youth and technology go hand in hand so in order to attract the younger generation you will need to start heading down the tech route. But don’t fear TeamKinetic is here. Research shows our software is effective at recruiting younger volunteers. This could be down to our digital tools that let you share to social media or the fact the younger generation prefer that digital approach. This is a great way to start building up a variety of volunteers whilst still retaining past volunteers.
Other departments take priority when it comes to new software!
Every non-profit relies heavily on their volunteers, so, having a good system to allow for the proper management of your volunteers must be a big priority. However, we understand that perhaps you feel you don’t have the time to set up the software and that your time could be better spent doing other things. That’s fine! We understand – that’s why we try to make the setting up process as easy as possible! At TeamKinetic we have tutorials which can be followed when setting up a site and even training with our team to help configure that new system to meet your organisations requirements.
We are a small organisation – We won’t need it!
No matter how small, organisations need this type of volunteer management to be able to better manage their volunteers. Having a system which ultimately runs itself means less time creating and maintaining Excel documents and more time promoting your volunteer service and helping volunteers. TeamKinetic is host to many small organisations, so we know our volunteer management software is flexible for all companies.
TeamKinetic for Non-profits
At TeamKinetic we want to ensure that your organisation is reaching their full potential when it comes to volunteer management. You can recruit and retain volunteers, create opportunities and events, give rewards and gain feedback, and many other features. Our software gives you the chance to have all of your volunteer management in one convenient space. And for a limited price.
We hope that your hesitations about trying out volunteer management software have disappeared, but, if they are still lingering call us on 0161 914 5757 we are more than happy to talk you through our software in more detail!
Alternatively, take a look at our website to find out more and start your FREE trial today! Or, read through our social media pages for more tips and tricks – Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn and YouTube.
Ben Nevis is one of the UK’s most famous natural landmarks, and is the tallest mountain across the British Isles! It is a long and strenuous climb that takes around 7-9 hours, guaranteed to leave you with stiff legs the next day! But it also leaves you with a big feeling of accomplishment.
This mountain is a lofty 1,345 meters high. To put this into perspective the London Eye stands at 135 meters high and Big Ben at 96 meters high. They don’t call it the tallest mountain for nothing! And our TeamKinetic Software Engineer, Rolf Herbert, is about to climb it in aid of Macmillan.
Rolf’s Ben Nevis Adventure…
On the 27th September our software engineer is taking on the Ben Nevis challenge! Rolf is taking this challenge on with 30 team members, with only a few having real experience for such a challenge!
“Macmillan is a superb charity that helps so many people in a positive way, it helps celebrate and appreciate what you have even when you are at risk of losing so much. Sharing an adventure with friends in a stunning location, whilst raising some money, seems an apt way to help” – Rolf Herbert
About Macmillan…
At Macmillan Cancer Support, they understand the many ways in which a cancer diagnosis can affect your life. But from the moment you’re diagnosed, through your treatment and beyond, Macmillan are right there with you, offering emotional, physical and financial support.
They take the time to understand you as a person, so that they can provide the support, tools and inspiration you need to find your best way through. They do it like this because they understand that everyone’s cancer journey is unique.
Macmillan Cancer Support is a group of millions of supporters, professionals, volunteers and campaigners. And together, they make sure you are treated like a person- not just a patient- and get the support you need to live life as fully as you can.
Everyone here at TeamKinetic applauds Rolf for taking on this challenging climb to raise money for a brilliant charity! We wish you the best of luck and we can’t wait to hear all about it (and make sure you wear some good shoes)!
If you wish to support Rolf on his endeavour for Macmillan, follow the link below.
Celebrities are some of the richest people in the world, whether they be actors, footballers, or singers. Today, we take look at the celebrities who really care. The ones who donate their money and time to causes they’re truly passionate about.
Here are a few of the celebrities doing great work, and maybe it can inspire you to follow in their footsteps…
Angelina Jolie
Angelina Jolie has always been associated with being charitable, and today is no exception! Despite becoming one of the biggest names in Hollywood, she still used her time to help others…
Since 2001, she has embarked on field missions around the world and met with refugees in more than 20 countries.
In 2003 she set-up the Maddox Jolie Program that is today known as the Maddox Jolie-Pitt Foundation (MJP). The foundation is dedicated to eradicating extreme rural poverty, protecting natural resources and conserving wildlife. They even donated $1 million to Doctors Without Borders.
2016 saw her set up the Education Partnership for Children of Conflict which aims to ensure that children and young people affected by conflict, internal displacement, and refugee status are not denied their fundamental human right to education.
David Beckham
Has been a UNICEF ambassador since 2005 and travelled across the world to see the work that they do. Beckham has visited Swaziland, Sierra Leone, South Africa, and the Philippines.
In February 2015, to mark his tenth year, UNICEF and David launched ‘7: The David Beckham UNICEF Fund’. The 7 Fund states that they are “tackling bullying, violence, child marriage and missed education, and making sure children – especially girls – get a true chance to realise their potential”.
The 7 Fund has also supplied polio vaccinations, drilled wells and brought clean water to schools and communities. They’ve also provided HIV medicine to pregnant mothers and given life-saving food to malnourished children.
Miley Cyrus
Miley often speaks out on social issues too – here she is at the Women’s March in 2017.
From rising to fame as Disney Channel’s Hannah Montana to creating media frenzies with her provocative live performances, Miley has had quite a journey in the public eye! But through it all, she’s kept her charitable spirit…
In 2009, she started a program for Youth Service America called ‘Get Ur Good On‘. Its purpose was for youth to support each other in their missions to do ‘good’ in their communities. Get Ur Good On Grants awarded 100 $500 grants to support projects that addressed critical community needs such as poverty, education, and environmental sustainability.
In 2014, she founded theHappy Hippie Foundation.The foundation provides homeless youth, LGBTQ youth and other vulnerable groups with consistent support services, education and employment opportunities.
Finally, in 2018 Miley, and her then-husband Liam, donated $500,000 to Malibu Relief after their home burned down due to the California wildfires. They noted that they wanted to give back to the place that “created so many beautiful memories for themselves and others”.
Feel inspired?
Do you now feel inspired to take part in some charity work to help make a difference but don’t know where to start? Check out our website as a starting point to see the clients we work with, and the volunteering opportunities they have on offer.
International Youth Day (IYD) is a time to celebrate young people and their contributions to the world. In 1999, the UN General Assembly marked August 12th as International Youth Day. It serves as an ‘opportunity to celebrate and mainstream young people’s voices, actions and initiatives.’
Each year, the United Nation of Youth create a theme for IYD. This year is: Youth Engagement for Global Action. This theme seeks to highlight how young people are engaging at local, national and global levels enrich themselves, institutions and processes.
Youth Engagement to You
So, Youth Engagement for Global Action… what does this mean to you?
As a young person myself, this statement is important. Allowing young voices and opinions to be heard is crucial to making changes at all levels.
Whilst the world is stuck in a limbo-like situation, local, national and global action is needed to find new ways we can overcome this period. Change is needed now more than ever – having young voices at the forefront allows for fresh input into processes being made. Therefore ultimately paving the way for themselves and future generations.
However, youth engagement to you may mean youth volunteering. This kind of engagement will be important to you and your organisation as it allows for fresh, new input. Giving your youth volunteers the chance to voice their opinions may help improve your future volunteering opportunities.
Education plays a vital part in getting young people to engage. 69% of 10 – 20 year olds get involved with volunteering through their school, college or university. With this, a survey found almost all of youth volunteers reported these opportunities had benefited them in some way.
1.6 million people volunteer abroad yearly, with an astonishing 84% of millennials also saying they would travel abroad to participate in volunteering activities.
With the pandemic clearly showing an increase in youth volunteering, I’m sure you are wondering how you can start to engage this generation and use their ideas to help your organisation.
TeamKinetic is here to help as our research shows our software is extremely effective at recruiting younger volunteers. This could be down to our digital tools that let you share to social media or the fact the younger generation prefer that digital approach.
You can trial our software for FREE to see how TeamKinetic can help you. Just head over to our website to learn more or follow us on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn and YouTube for more tips and information about volunteers.
International Youth Day allows us to celebrate all young people and their hard work, whether it be on a local, national or global level. Join us today in saying thank you to all of the young people in our lives!
How is COVID-19 affecting social care charities and what they can do to manage volunteers during and after the pandemic.
English and American notes with masks
COVID-19 has impacted us all in different ways. For charities, this impact has resulted in a significant loss of income with ‘only 60% of the public [saying] they’ve given to charity in the last 3 months, down from 69% in January this year’. Social care charities have been particularly hard hit. As not only have they seen a reduction in income but people are more reliant on their services during this pandemic.
Pandemic to TeamKinetic
As lockdown has started to ease many organisations are starting to explore how their volunteers can return to their roles. For social care organisations this comes with some specific risks that need to be carefully assessed and managed before volunteers can return fully. Here at TeamKinetic we have been looking at how our technology might be useful in managing and mitigating some of these risks.
PPE
Many roles involve close personal contact for your volunteers so appropriate PPE is necessary. It is essential for volunteers to wear their PPE if their is a potential of working in close proximity or going to people’s houses. Although we cannot provide this, we can make it easier for you to make your volunteers aware of when to wear and how to wear. This can be done through training which can be made mandatory before a volunteer joins an opportunity. The training can include information on where volunteers would need to wear PPE and also demonstrations on how to wear them correctly.
House visits may be a possibility for some of your volunteers, so risk assessments can also be uploaded on to each opportunity.
Recruiting New Volunteers
64 – 75 year olds are the age group most likely to volunteer but since the pandemic started there has been a huge decrease in this number, with this age group more at risk if they catch the virus. Volunteers will be less likely to return to their volunteering roles because of this, meaning there will be less people available to undertake the essential work your organisation needs to do.
You may be worried about recruiting new volunteers but with our software the on boarding process is simplified. Once a volunteer registers there profile will be available to view and they can begin to complete any training for join opportunities. This then allows you to track their training or provide additional online support, all of this done through the web.
Our research also demonstrates TeamKinetic is more effecting at recruiting younger volunteers. This could be down to our digital tools that let you share to social media or the fact young volunteers like a digital approach.
Spending Money More Effectively
At a time when there may be a shortage of cash, it’s important to invest it in technology that can offer significant return on investment. Volunteers have never been more important. So, investing in a good volunteer management software will increase your volunteer retention and should lead to significant efficiencies in how you deploy and manage your volunteers workforce. “This sounds expensive though” you say, but what if I told you there is a more affordable software?
TeamKinetic Can Help
TeamKinetic volunteer management software is free for 30 days. Starting a free trial is easy, just go to our website to get started! Our system can help you create volunteering opportunities, recruit volunteers, and unite you with your community.
For example, the introduction of our community task dashboard makes it even easier to create COVID-related volunteering opportunities to help the vulnerable people in your community.
Don’t hesitate to reach out on social media! You can find us on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn and YouTube. You’ll see examples of the features we have to offer and some of the people we already work with.
If you have any questions call us on 0161 914 5757 or visit our website to chat to us online.
Four months on from when the pandemic’s first case started and how life has changed! Shops, pubs, restaurants, cinemas and some attractions are finally starting to reopen with COVID-19 safety measures in place. Although an end appears to be in sight (fingers crossed there is no second wave), we are going to have to adapt to what has become the ‘new normal’ for the foreseeable future. What does this mean for volunteer managers?
1. Expect fewer former volunteers
Previously, the volunteer community was largely depended on the older generation. These volunteers have since decreased due to COVID-19 and the urgency to self-isolate. Before COVID-19, an estimated 10 million volunteered at least once a month. Initial findings have suggested that this figure has now halved. This is because many of the former volunteers are now classified as high risk. Meaning they have suspending their volunteering duties to shield or because they no longer feel safe. The knock on effect of this will potentially put millions of older or vulnerable people at risk from the loss of their social relationships by giving up volunteering.
What should volunteer managers do? We think volunteer managers should ensure they are still communicating with all volunteers who are now self-isolating. This can be sending updates in engaging newsletters, or by setting up group video calls to ensure former volunteers still get some form of interaction with their friends. You could also start offering volunteering from home so volunteers can still get involved in helping others, and stay connected.
With TeamKinetic, you can stay in touch with your volunteers through email or text straight through our system. You can also create amazing newsletters using our built in email tools to keep volunteers who are shielding up to date.
2. Target Youths for Volunteering
Another impact of COVID-19 is more young people getting involved in volunteering. Many have wanted to help their local community in hope to reach a sense of normality in life and to help keep people safe. This has seen volunteer levels dramatically shift nationally for the first time since WW2. This change in patterns gives the volunteer sector hope that the number of young people will continue to increase in what had previously been an older volunteer community.
Volunteer managers should continue to try and engage younger volunteers in the ‘new normal’, especially students while schools and universities are closed or online. A key resource to engage younger volunteers is technology. Volunteer managers might consider technology that will allow young people to easily sign up for volunteering opportunities on their phone or laptop.
Here at TeamKinetic, you can take full control on engaging your younger volunteers. Our software is available as a native app from the app store and as a responsive design; meaning you can access the system on any device. This allows the younger generation the find new and exciting volunteering opportunities from one click. Also, did we mention we offer reward systems so you can continue to engage your volunteers?
3. Communication is Key
COVID-19 has undoubtedly caused confusion and uncertainty among the population. This includes volunteers, making the need for communication and transparency in the ‘new normal’ essential for volunteers to feel safe.
With volunteer rates increasing quickly, volunteer managers need to be on top of communication. This includes communicating important COVID-19 information. This is especially important when former volunteers are ready to return to their duties. Volunteer managers need to communicate with volunteers about how their roles might have changed, opportunities available, and ensure they are fully comfortable returning. This all needs to be communicated in an efficient and easy manor.
With TeamKinetic, we ensure you can communicate with your volunteers all from one software, allowing easy communication with volunteers instantly! Also, did we mention this can be done through email or text straight from your dashboard? And to make it even better, you can schedule any texts you want to send!
4. Training is Essential
To help new and returning volunteers feel safe and comfortable volunteering again, training is a must. Volunteer managers should communicate to volunteers the importance of the new way of working. This could be achieved through training or induction days, to help them understand new rules around hygiene and social distancing. These elements may also affect returning volunteers old volunteering roles, so training may be beneficial for volunteers to understand the changes around their roles. This is to ensure they feel safe and make an informed decision about the possibility of returning to volunteering.
When setting up training for volunteers, TeamKinetic allows effective communication. With our software you can easily update volunteers through email, text, or even newsletter to inform them of training and induction days.
For more information on volunteer management software visit our website or call 0161 914 5747
Can you afford to miss out on the enthusiasm and energy of the youth today? Although, this isn’t a one-way street, many teenagers and younger adults need volunteering experience to help them with future employment to broaden their social networks and develop key life skills. Volunteering in youth boosts academic achievements, health and well-being and teens who participate in an organization that strives to make a difference are more likely to say they will attend higher education.
Despite the many benefits volunteering can clearly have on our young people, organisations still struggle to engage this audience. But hopefully, after reading this you might be able to capture some of that enthusiasm and energy for your organisation!
Be a Known Presence
Visibility for any organisation is always going to be a contributing factor for success, no matter how big or small your organisation is. So, getting on the radar of teens and young adults can help increase your reputation and volunteer numbers. Here are a few ways you can do this…
Attending or hosting events in further and higher education facilities will certainly heighten your visibility and will help get you talking to this youth demographic. Many universities have events and partnerships with 3rd sector and community businesses. For example, some universities will have connections with their city councils to help find students volunteering roles.
Connect with social media managers at colleges and universities, as most universities have a large social following of past and present students, any posts on their socials are sure to get a loud response.
Getting current young volunteers to post their experiences with the organisation to help increase awareness. Using personalised hashtags (#) with your organisation’s name will help increase your popularity amongst the youth.
Be prepared, post your opportunities well in advance. Post on to local volunteering sites, and with colleges and universities. Try to find where your audience’s presence is.
Be sure to state teenagers and young adults are welcome, they tend to like that!
Speak The Language of The Enigma
Don’t worry, we’re not going to be teaching you youth slang, ‘WYD’ and ‘LOL’ are firmly not on today’s agenda. However, social media is a major form of entertainment for young and old with ‘almost 4.57 billion active users globally in April 2020′. That’s ‘9 out of 10 teenagers aged 13-17 [who] use social media platforms’.
Social media is a huge way to keep in contact with this generation, here’s how…
Most young people, including myself, would much prefer to do everything via our phones, book a table, book tickets and sign up for volunteering roles. Giving teens this opportunity will increase your amount of volunteers.
Reaching out on social media is one of the best ways to interact with teens. With Facebook being the highest used platform with 77.3% of 15 – 25-year-olds using it, to Twitter being the least-used platform with 48.6% using it. Create your social media pages on the most popular sites so you can reach out to the youth of today.
Know your audience. Create events and opportunities specifically designed for teens and young adults. Having a role which is attractive to the younger crowd will give you that boost in numbers you need.
Stay Engaging
Getting the youth market to fixate on something is tricky. Most young people tend to lose interest when something becomes well… boring. So engaging is essential and can help retain younger volunteers and recruit new ones. Take a look below at ways you can do this.
Give young people a voice. Allow younger volunteers to be a part of the team when planning. This will help give your organisation a better insight into the mindset of your younger volunteers.
Teens and young adults tend to prefer working more creatively, so motivate them, let them develop new ideas and be supportive of the things they want to try. Always encourage, be open and create an environment where their ideas are respected.
Make events and opportunities fun! It’s simple. You could include music, time to socialise, creative activities and the chance to work with friends. Use your existing youth volunteers and imagination to help make your event or opportunity more fun.
Sell your opportunity or event as interesting and exciting. Gloss it up a little, identify key roles and outline the responsibilities that the volunteers will have and how it may help that volunteer develop that all-important experience they desire.
Pulling Down The Barriers
Finding time to get to know your volunteers can be tricky especially when you have a million and one other things to do. getting to know your younger volunteers might seem a bit tricky, working out how you can relate, but here are some simple ideas you could try.
Get to know your volunteers. You can do this by saving 10 minutes to talk to one or two volunteers. Get to know what they like and don’t like, what interests them, and why they are there.
Communication is key. Be available and be welcoming.
Update and make yourself a known social presence. Create a mailing list of youth volunteers who might want to be emailed, and send out a weekly email or blog sharing stories of success and great efforts.
How TeamKinetic Can Help You!
So, I can only assume you are wondering how on earth you will be able to do all of this and still manage ALL other volunteers. Well, TeamKinetic is here to help. With TeamKinetic you will be able to manage all of your volunteers in one convenient space, giving you more time to focus on promoting to new volunteers.
You can also:
Create and manage opportunities
Send bulk emails to certain groups
Gain unlimited volunteer registration (no cap)
Internal email communications
Volunteer opportunity feedback
DBS checks
Reward and recognise your volunteers
The software gives your volunteers the chance to sign up online to volunteer roles, log their own hours and leave feedback. They can also then post via socials the volunteering they have done which will attract more volunteers.
You can find TeamKinetic on social media and listen to our podcast:
I’m writing this blog with three days left working at TeamKinetic. It’s been a year full of learning, personal growth, and questionable tea bag choices (Yorkshire is best, obviously). When I got the call back in March last year telling me that I’d gotten the job I was nervous but excited. I had no idea what to expect, but stepping into the office for the first time in July, my nerves were calmed by the friendly faces of the team!
New Challenges = New Memories
Going from university, which is heavily theory based, into a full-time job was a challenge but I loved it! Now I sit here, exactly a year after my first day, it’s clear to me that anyone at university should strongly consider taking a placement year. The experience I’ve gained over the past 52 weeks is incredible. From volunteering at the LFC Foundation to visiting Nightstop Greater Manchester, I’ve also been introduced to a first-hand view of the tireless hard work that goes on in the third sector.
I think my best experience while working at TeamKinetic was attending AVM’s National Conference in London. I got to talk to current and potential customers about what TeamKinetic has to offer – something that was a totally new experience for me. As someone who’s only been to London to watch Sheffield United lose at Wembley, it was nice to have a more positive memory to associate with the city!
Those days when Steve would bring his VR headset into the office for us all to have a play with at lunch.
Here’s Milo having a fight with an invisible man… I think he’s winning.
The ‘Team’ Behind TeamKinetic
A personal highlight has been working alongside Chris, Steve, and Rolf. Thanks for making work so enjoyable and supporting me and my professional growth this past year. Contributing towards the growth of TeamKinetic for the past year has been an absolute pleasure.
Also spending my placement year alongside someone else from the university made settling in that much easier, so I want to say a big thank you to Milo too.
I’d like to wish the best of luck to Sammy and Chloe who will be taking over from myself and Milo, you can find out more about them by reading their introduction blogs below!
Education plays a vital part in getting young people to engage. 
