It is with some sadness that TeamKinetic and Do-it.org will no longer be working together. Users who take advantage of the link between the two applications will no longer be able to share opportunities to Do-it after Friday 27th September.
For those who do use this feature, you may have noticed over the last few months it had become a little unstable and prone to misbehaving. Do-it has decided that they no longer wanted to support this feature and it will be removed on Friday the 27th September. It would be safe to assume all existing opportunities will be removed though we strongly suggest you check if this could affect you after the 27th.
Do-it.org did not provide detail as to why they no longer wanted to support the TeamKinetic link, but we know they continue to review their platform and develop their technology and sometimes these types of features are no longer a priority for an organisation to support. We thank Do-it for their support over the last 3 years and wish them all the very best, moving forward.
All our customers will still be able to link their opportunities to our own free national platform at TryVolunteering.com, which will continue to give you extra reach and exposure. We recommend always sharing with TryVolunteering if you can.
TeamKinetic customers in Wales and Scotland can also continue to link with Volunteering-wales.net and VolunteerScotland.
TeamKinetic continues to look at how we can use our data to benefit the volunteer sector and stand by our ‘open data’ principals. We will continue to explore opportunities to work with partners to grow volunteer participation and we hope those customers who used this feature are able to work with us as we look at new partners for them to share their opportunities with.
If you have any questions as to how this might impact you, please don’t hesitate to get in touch via email, twitter, facebook or give us a call here in the office.
It’s been over two months since the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2019 captured the nation’s attention with some thrilling games; the tournament didn’t fall short of goals with 146 in total, and England’s semi-final v USA had us on the edge of our seats.
In the early 20th century, women’s football was very popular and grew in popularity as men went to war. The famous Dick Kerr Ladies played St Helen’s Ladies on Boxing Day in 1920, attracting over 53,000 spectators to Everton’s Goodison Park with thousands of fans watching from outside. Higher attendance figures than most football clubs today!
However, in 1921 the FA decided it would implement a ban on female participation in the sport. Football was considered to be unsuitable for women and they believed it should not be encouraged. Luckily, views began to change in the 1960s, with the Women’s Football Association (WFA) being formed in 1969. The ban on women’s football was officially rescinded in 1971 by the FA after persuasion from the WFA. We have to wonder what would have happened if women’s football was never banned… Would it be more popular than the men’s game today? Would we see more equality – or even total equality – in the sport?
England wasn’t the only country to ban the sport either, with bans in Norway (1931), France (1932), Brazil (1941), and West Germany (1955). In contrast, in 1972 the USA added legislation (named Title IX) that prohibited discrimination on the basis of sex in any educational program or activity that received federal funding. In other words, when it came to football (or soccer) in school, men and women were awarded equal rights. This is probably why the USA are such powerhouses of women’s football today! However, they still can’t get equal pay from the US Soccer Federation.
On the rise again…
Since the first FIFA Women’s World Cup in 1991, football has seen steady growth amongst women across the world. With an average of 150,000 female players competing in the affiliated league and cup competitions in England alone. Nevertheless, there is still room for improvement and growth.
Referee Stephanie Frappart also took charge of the 2019 UEFA Super Cup, making her the first woman to take charge of a major men’s UEFA cup final.
The game has come on a long way in many ways, in terms of the Womens’ World Cup which we all watched this summer and showed how much respect the women’s game is getting. We’re trying to make strides and there’s a long way to go but [the cup final] will be a huge moment because it’s one more step in the right direction.
Stephanie Frappart
Furthermore, the FA Women’s Championship started last weekend and the FA WSL returns this weekend with a massive game. Manchester City and newly-promoted Manchester United will battle it out for their first three points of the season at the Etihad Stadium. Tickets for all WSL and Championship games can be found here.
So how do we get more young females involved in football?
Maybe we should start by giving them the opportunity that was once taken away from them? Or maybe we could just make all women’s football more accessible to watch.
Well, The FA may have done just that! They recently announced that all 132 WSL games and select Championship games would be streamed live via their app. This is a massive step which will hopefully increase the viewership of women’s football. However, some don’t agree with the move, stating that it will lower stadium attendances.
Female involvement doesn’t have to stop at the participation level. Roles in football go beyond playing; coaches, referees, administrators, pundits, volunteers all contribute to the success of the sport too.
Organisations we work with that are making a difference:
We work with a number of organisations that sit at the forefront of football and are making a real impact when it comes to female participation. Some of these organisations include the Liverpool FC Foundation and the Manchester Football Association.
TeamKinetic caught up with Katherine Jones from the Manchester FA to talk about some of the work they do around the city to impact women’s football.
This is what she had to say…
What is being done at your organisation to ensure women’s football continues to grow, and what things could be done to improve this?
Katherine gave me a long list of great things the Manchester FA is doing to ensure the growth of the women’s game! The full list is as follows:
Work with leagues to ensure that suitable playing pathways exist, promoting the transition from youth to adult football.
Work with clubs to support them to develop a full pathway (U7-Open age) for female players to access football.
Run celebration events to enhance and celebrate the female game.
Raise the profile of the game through focussed promotion (Women’s World Cup, Women’s Euros, Olympic games).
Support clubs and organisations to run the FA Wildcats programme as the main engagement programme for 5-11-year-old girls.
Work with the local school sports organisers to facilitate and support girls football programmes across Oldham, Tameside, Trafford, Manchester and Salford.
Deliver a monthly further education football and futsal offer.
Drive and develop a monthly futsal offer for girls in the U8-U16 age group.
Deliver a recreational female football opportunity on a weekly basis.
Create a full pathway from casual entry-level participation, to our highest placed amateur teams within the regional league structure.
Support players performing well within grassroots football to access the Regional Talent Club pathway (Manchester City & Manchester United Girls RTC’s).
Support female referees and coaches along with officials working within the female game.
Have you seen higher success rates in any particular approaches so far?
“We’ve seen a lot of success across the board, to be honest, Wildcats is our flagship entry-level programme to engage new girls within football, and this has seen lots of success in bolstering mini soccer (5-11) participation. The programme has been rolled out across clubs and providers and we have 33 centres currently running across Manchester, which provides an opportunity for girls to access football, within a short travelling distance regardless of where they live within Manchester.”
Have you experienced any pushback from clubs/leagues around Manchester?
“We haven’t seen any pushback really, because the vast majority of people now understand the emphasis and importance of facilitating football opportunities for female players, and people are much more engaged with female football at the top level, so they appreciate the technical ability level that female players can reach.”
Why is it important to get more women involved in football/football volunteering?
“The importance of these opportunities and the role models involved in the game is significant to inspire the next generation of female football, and to ensure that the game continually grows as the first choice sport for women in England.”
I would like to thank Katherine for her time, answering my questions gave great insight into all the amazing work the Manchester FA do!
The importance of female volunteers in women’s football
Britain’s first female Muslim football referee
Football is the most popular sport in the world! Played by millions of people each day, but it simply wouldn’t be possible without volunteers.
There isn’t a football game or competition that doesn’t involve at least one volunteer. It goes without saying, volunteers are an integral part of sports success. This plays an even bigger role in women’s football!
The increase of female participation in football calls for more volunteers to ensure the game continues to expand and grow. By having more regular female volunteers, young girls getting involved in football/football-related activities can receive the support they deserve.
How volunteers can help football
There are a number of roles and activities volunteers can get involved in to help:
Volunteer with your local club
Most local clubs are always in need of volunteers to help out with a variety of roles on offer; from running social media accounts to being a fixture secretary.
Become a first aider
Every week teams play and every week someone gets injured, so there is always a desire for first aiders. St John Ambulance and British Red Cross run first aid training courses.
Become a coach
What better way to inspire the next generation of talented female footballers than to be the one coaching them? There are a number of ways of getting started and its a great way to challenge yourself.
For more information on how TeamKinetic can assist with your volunteer management and getting the best out of all your volunteers visit our website, or contact us on – 0161 914 5757
This blog has been inspired by Rob Preston, a senior reporter at Charity Finance Magazine and the author of a recent article highlighting that fewer people are volunteering.
The article (Fewer people volunteering, says DCMS survey), highlights that only 36 per cent of people volunteered at least once in the year to March 2019. The lowest level recorded by the survey, which was run by The Department for Digital, Culture, Media, and Sport. However, here at TeamKinetic we are committed to knocking down those barriers!
Childcare issues
Milo and his son intensely playing with Lego!
I know from being a parent myself looking after your child can be, to say the least, a tiring task. However, it is highly enjoyable, especially if you love playing with Lego as much as they do!
Childcare constraints do not need to stop you from volunteering, many volunteering opportunities can be done with your children.
MCRVIP has many child-friendly opportunities around the city like the cleaner city opportunity and the park maintenance opportunity, these are just two examples of where you and your children could volunteer and bond together. Not only is this something to do instead of being housebound but, it teaches the children the importance of volunteering and giving back to your community.
Having an illness or disability
Never let a disability hold you back, is the advice from Nicola Taylor, who didn’t let her disability get in the way of what she wanted to achieve in volunteering.
“I have cerebral palsy and am a wheelchair user. I felt very isolated as I had no social outlet. Previously I was invited to a presentation evening with Volunteering Matters and started talking to Mandy, from the SAFE project. About doing some volunteering for the project with her as I wanted to do something for myself and help others.
I have a particular interest in working with those with autism spectrum disorder as I have a nephew who is on the spectrum. When Mandy told me she would be starting a group with girls from the integrated autism service, I was very keen but felt there might be a financial impact as I would have to get an accessible taxi from my home. However, Mandy assured me that Volunteering Matters would cover the travel expenses – and that the venue would have disability access.
I am now co-facilitating the group and love it! I am helping others receive important messages and love seeing them gaining confidence week by week. Volunteering has helped me a lot; I feel pretty good about myself and I have also learned a lot from the workshops. I am keen to learn more and help out at further workshops in the future.”
Nicola Taylor
I hope Nicola’s story can inspire people to give volunteering a go. Volunteering has made a life-changing impact on Nicola’s life and It might just be able to do the same to yours.
Study commitments
Being a student myself I know the workload can be high, especially around deadline dates. So I understand finding spare time can be difficult. However, I recently got to chat with the successful student and volunteer El Afzal. El has been volunteering for quite some time now, some would say she’s a bit of a volunteering athlete!
How did you get into volunteering whilst at university?
“Through my tutors on my course (Event Management), and also through the MMU Sports TeamKinetic portal. I had very little experience in Events and really wanted to give myself the best start to my university time and career. My tutor guided me to a matchday volunteering with Manchester Futsal, running the reception and ticketing on matchdays. And I found my own volunteering through TeamKinetic where I volunteered at BUTL (British University Taekwondo League) UK Regional Taekwondo championships.”
How do you manage Studying and Volunteering at the same time?
“Despite most of it being linked to my degree and my career goals, I find the volunteering I’m doing to be my downtime. I have such a variety of volunteering under my belt that now I know what I’ll enjoy, and what will help me relax. So the first week of every month I go to Desert Island Discs with Manchester Cares in Ancoats, and have a brew with older neighbours and laugh and dance to some music. Or having post-match wings and drinks with Manchester Futsal team is a great way to spend a Sunday afternoon.
I do make sure that with my studying I have at least one evening off working and revision to do something I enjoy and that makes me feel happy, it helps keep a balance and stop me from getting too bogged down.”
Do you feel volunteering whilst being at university has helped you, and if so why?
“Yes, definitely! Volunteering has opened a lot of doors for me. It’s led me onto new roles in organisations I already volunteered at which has led to further job offers.
Volunteering genuinely has helped me develop some vital skills and industry knowledge which I needed. Also, it’s a fantastic way of naturally networking with others; I’ve had fellow volunteers wanting to help and offer introductions and work experience/internships with people they know.”
What would you say to any student who is studying at university but is apprehensive about volunteering?
“I’d say to do some research and find a role you actually want. Don’t volunteer somewhere if it doesn’t interest you because you won’t get as much out of it. Try looking at something that could fit your current skill set, or is with a company/charity you actually want to work with. But volunteering is more rewarding the more you put in, so you have to go in and be willing to get out of your comfort zone. So research, apply, enjoy and get stuck in!”
Never considered it or not aware of groups that need help
Many people don’t really know how they can get involved in volunteering, it can be on your doorstep, or abroad. Many just have never given it a second thought. But I hope I can enlighten a few people to give volunteering a go, all you need is your laptop, mobile or tablet to get started on your first opportunity near you. Here are a handful of sites which could kick start your volunteering opportunities.
Your local city or town council is the perfect place to start. Your council website will additionally assist you in being able to volunteer locally. For first time volunteers, I would highly recommend trying your council’s website as your first call to action.
You may not have realised it yet but local accredited volunteer centres are everywhere. They’re an excellent way for first-time volunteers to get involved, by understanding your interests they can match you with suitable volunteering opportunities.
TryVolunteering.com ran by us here at TeamKinetic, encourages all people from all walks of life to get involved in volunteering. TryVolunteering.com also allows people to set up accounts as opportunity providers, providers can then advertise volunteering opportunities – but don’t worry its all FREE!
Don’t just do it for yourself, do it for someone else. That’s the true motivation behind volunteering. Do-it.org connecting volunteers to volunteering opportunities from all around the country.
Charity Job is the UK’s largest site for charity jobs and volunteering. Thousands of positions can be found up and down the UK, no matter your location there will be something near you.
A final note from TeamKinetic
Life can throw up many barriers, some of which are hard to get over and may challenge us along our paths. But it’s the journey of how we get over these barriers and what we can learn from climbing over them. The secret is passion. Martin Luther King said, “A man who has not found something he is willing to die for, is not fit to live.” Perhaps an extreme sentiment, however, the point is very clear. We all must find a passion in life which we care about more than ourselves; this will give you the motivation, and inspiration to do more in life. Your passion may be volunteering and helping to improve other peoples lives; whatever it maybe it doesn’t matter, as long as your passionate – then you can overcome anything.
Those who stand to benefit the most from volunteering are less likely to be involved.
Sir Stuart Etherington, chief executive of the NCVO
We previously looked into the demographics of volunteers and why women volunteer more than men. However, there are many factors affecting the ratio of volunteers to non-volunteers. This blog will look into the impact of socioeconomic status and ethnicity on an individual’s likelihood to volunteer. Addressing the question: Is Volunteering Too White and Wealthy?
I want to start this blog by saying I am white. Therefore, I can’t speak for the experiences of BAME volunteers but I can help draw attention to them. It has been said that standing by and letting discrimination happen is as bad as actively discriminating against people yourself.
The Facts and Figures
Socio-economic Analysis
How often people volunteer, based on the deprivation level of the area in which they live.
The graph above shows us that people in deprived areas are volunteering, just not as much as those from the least deprived areas. Interestingly, the level of informal volunteering is much more similar across the levels of deprivation. Perhaps this suggests that those from lower socio-economic backgrounds do volunteer, they just prefer to give help directly, not through mediation by formal organisations. As a result, maybe we need to reach out to these types of people more and show them how useful online volunteer hubs can be to find new and exciting opportunities.
NCVO’s Time Well Spent report highlights that people from higher socio-economic groups were more likely to be recent volunteers than those from lower socio-economic groups (44% vs. 30%). 40% of those from lower socio-economic backgrounds say they have never volunteered in their lives. The instant thought here is that the people from working-class backgrounds must spend their time working to earn money and find they have no time to volunteer. Right?
Well think again; it’s actually people who are unemployed that have the lowest volunteering rates. 42% of people not working note they have never volunteered in their lives. The highest volunteering rates are found in those who have part-time jobs. 53% of those who worked less than 8 hours per week had recently volunteered, and 41% of part-timers who work 8 – 29 hours per week had volunteered recently at the time of the report.
A person’s socio-economic status also appears to affect what type of voluntary work they do. Those who would identify as working-class are less likely to be in leadership/organisational roles than those of higher or middle class. 23% vs. 15% for leadership roles. 42% vs. 33% for organisational roles.
Furthermore, the level of education a person possesses also appears to impact volunteering rates. The higher the education, the more likely a person is to volunteer.
Not Enough Ethnic Diversity
The proportion of recent, frequent, and non-volunteers by ethnicity.
NCVO’s report appears to show that participation isn’t too affected by ethnicity. However, looking at the sample size, we can see that only 464 were from BAME backgrounds while 9,606 were white. As a result, it is heavily suggested that the likelihood of volunteering is affected by an individual’s race.
Unfortunately, BAME volunteers were more likely to report negative volunteering experiences, including feeling unappreciated and excluded. For example, they were less likely to feel they belonged in the organisation they volunteered for than white volunteers (77% vs 85%). Shockingly, research by CharityJob showed that 54% of BAME voluntary workers reported discrimination based on their ethnicity.
I’m Asian and Muslim. I have come across people while working who have shown outright dislike of me from the onset and other more subtle forms of discrimination.
Furthermore, people from BAME backgrounds were less likely to say they planned to volunteer in future (73% vs 81%).
How Can Volunteer Managers Fix This?
So is volunteering too white and wealthy? Well, it’s clear that something is creating this lack of diversity in volunteering numbers. But what can volunteer managers do about it? Perhaps the most fundamental thing would be to check that you offer a wide range of opportunities, suitable for a variety of people.
Let’s look at important factors to consider:
Location – maybe there are people out there who would like to volunteer but don’t have any opportunities near enough to them and can’t afford to travel. Some sites even give people the opportunity to volunteer from home.
Skills Needed/Accessibility – making opportunities that are accessible and require no specific skills are likely to attract a wider and more diverse range of volunteers.
Flexibility – many people may not have the time to commit to regular opportunities. If you can communicate with potential volunteers and arrange a time and date that suits them, you may be more likely to increase the diversity of your volunteers.
It has also been suggested that the demographic gaps would close if more employers let staff take time off to do voluntary work, or organised company-wide volunteering schemes.
This Doesn’t Just Affect The Volunteers
It’s important to note that the lack of diversity isn’t just within the actual volunteers themselves, but also with the volunteer managers and organisation higher-ups.
Here are some quotes from BAME candidates going for volunteer management roles:
I have never seen a black female in senior management in a charity and I have been working in the sector for over ten years. As a result I feel unconscious bias which reduces my promotion opportunities.
Race discrimination may be subjective. However, it’s very real. In my personal experience, I believe that on several occasions I have been passed over for promotion to people with less experience, knowledge and competence for white colleagues.
Visible diversity within organisations matters to candidates:
Overall, we can assume that by listening to your volunteers talk about their volunteering experiences, changes can be made. This could make your volunteering roles more attractive to a wider number of people, and increase diversity.
Britain’s volunteer community is clearly tilted towards people who are white and middle-class, it’s about time that changed to become more inclusive.
How Can TeamKinetic Help?
TeamKinetic’s volunteer management software can help you analyse the demographics of your volunteers, including their ethnicity. This can give you great insight into who your volunteering opportunities are attracting – or not attracting. Our software ensures volunteers and providers both give feedback about every opportunity completed. Therefore, any problems faced (such as discrimination) can be dealt with swiftly.
The top 3 countries volunteers travel to are; The Philippines, India and Thailand, with 1.6 million people volunteering abroad every year. 84% of millennials said they would travel abroad to participate in volunteering activities and 39.52% said they would volunteer for their own professional development. So if you are one of those 84% then read on for our tips for volunteering abroad.
1. Make sure you know how to get there
“Getting lost, a good way to find yourself, unless you’re actually lost. Then you’ve got a problem”
A wise man once said
As obvious as it may sound, it’s essential you know exactly where in the world you’re going to be travelling to. Most people use websites such as GVI and International Volunteer HQ when wanting to volunteer abroad. However, you must read the small print! Most volunteering opportunities do not include flights, and few have transfers organised to and from the airport. So always be sure of the best way to go about your journey. Plan ahead and always make contact with your provider in advance, they’ll be able to point you in the right direction.
Engage with the local communities in which you plan to volunteer in, don’t just treat it as a photo opportunity. This can be done by listening and understanding what the local communities want and need. Be aware of your own prejudices and bias and listen; the community knows better than you. As a volunteer, you should consider learning about the political, social, economic and cultural histories of the places you visit. Which in better terms, will help stop you putting your foot in it!
3. Develop relationships
Building relationships
When volunteering abroad you want to ensure you develop relationships with the local community and stakeholders. Finding a real interest in someone will gain their trust over the course of your volunteering experience, by letting them know that you’re there to help. By communicating and developing relationships it will allow you to get the ball rolling between yourself and the local community and lubricate the path to what can be a rough road to the end goal. Remember your in someone else’s house, although it may be different from what you’re used to, they will be proud of their home – so always be respectful.
4. Manage your time wisely
Amazing places
Time is of the essence, you will be home before you know it. Try to make an action plan of what you want to achieve in your time volunteering – there is nothing worse than leaving a job half-finished. Assert maximum effort in all you do, hard work never goes unnoticed; it could lead to further volunteering in the future. But plan for free time! Get out and see the country you’ve travelled to, enjoy the culture and fully indulge in the experience.
5. Get something out of it
Take it all in
Your volunteering experience should help develop your skills. These could be employability skills for a future career, or they could be personal skills which you want to develop. But being out of your comfort zone and learning to adapt is a broad skill which can be utilized in many areas of your life. We all have to adapt, volunteering abroad will definitely take you out of your comfort zone.
Maintain your connections once you have finished, take down all the contact details and social media accounts of all the people you have met throughout your experience, they could be the sofa stop you need on a future magical experience.
TeamKinetic respects all areas of volunteering, locally or internationally. At the heart of it all, volunteers sacrifice their free time to help someone else, making the world a better place. By uniting communities and people together, mankind can truly do great things – Some of us just need a chance to show we can.
Pride season is in full swing and many events across the UK have already run smoothly thanks to the work of thousands of volunteers. However, it’s not over yet as we look ahead to one of the biggest Pride events in England: Manchester Pride. The festival is taking place over the August bank holiday weekend – as it does every year. There are plenty of activities to get involved with. This year, these activities are spread across Deansgate, Gay Village, and Mayfield.
Like most voluntary work, you will be given a new opportunity to enhance your social skills, meet new people, and give back to the community. You don’t have to be part of the LGBT+ community to be a pride volunteer – it’s open to anybody and everybody!
If that wasn’t enough to convince you, volunteers will receive a range of benefits, such as free entry to the festival. This includes the live Saturday and Sunday acts such as Ariana Grande and Years & Years (if you’re over 18)! This may be especially effective as an incentive after Manchester Pride ticket prices increased heavily for 2019.
(Note: you must be over 16 to volunteer at Manchester Pride.)
We are currently looking through volunteer applications so if you’d like to apply we’d recommend doing it as soon as you can.
Manchester Pride (23/07/2019)
Find out more from Manchester Pride themselves:
Want to be at the heart of Manchester Pride Festival? This year’s volunteer applications are now open! 🎉 There are so many roles to choose from, and of course some amazing benefits to joining our team throughout the event. For more info, head to our website ❤️ pic.twitter.com/YoPkbtqLr6
— Manchester Pride (@ManchesterPride) May 25, 2019
Lack of Pride in Volunteering
Sometimes we forget the importance of volunteers. Tens of thousands of people attend Manchester Pride every year, making the work of volunteers all the more important. Without them, the event probably wouldn’t be able to go ahead. In fact, Isle of Wight’s 2019 Pride was cancelled due to a lack of volunteers. Later, thanks to community help, it was announced that the festival would return. This situation may highlight the lack of awareness around volunteering and it’s necessity for public events like these. Pride events are incredibly special to a range of people worldwide and depend on the generosity of volunteers to run efficiently.
Can’t Volunteer at Manchester Pride?
Even though pride season is coming to an end, there are still a large number of volunteering opportunities you can get involved with this summer across the country. If you’re under 16 or can’t get to Manchester but still interested in volunteering for LGBT organisations or events, check out more places to find opportunities here and here. Alternatively, you can search for volunteering near you through the Do-it site for a wide variety of opportunities.
For more information about TeamKinetic’s volunteer management software, visit our website or call us on 0161 914 5757
Volunteering contributed 17.1bn to the economy in 2016/ 2017 representing 0.85% GDP. The voluntary sector had 870,000 workers in 2018 with an estimated value of voluntary activity being 23.9bn. Opportunities created by providers and organisations are allowing these figures grow even more everyday!
A Small Thanks From TeamKinetic
TeamKinetic is proud of the organisations we works with. So we thought it was only right to give a little shout out to some of these organisations and the opportunities they have on offer.
Many of
these organisations vary in size, but the one thing they have in common is that
they are all dedicated to helping people find volunteering opportunities that
interest and challenge the volunteer.
What these organisations provide that many lack is the freedom for the volunteer to register and find opportunities in seconds. Whether its skill based, long term, one off, or more micro volunteering oriented opportunities for those people wanting to help but unable to commit to anything long term due to work and other life commitments.
So let’s find out more about these organisations and what they do around the community!
Humanity Road
Humanity Road was founded in 2010 by Chris Thompson and Cat Graham. Both twin sisters who created the organisation to connect people, animals and emergency officials with help resources when disaster strikes.
Every year, Humanity Road volunteers help thousands of people around the world impacted by disaster. In 2016, the disaster desk was active for 3,878 hours. Volunteers responded to 105 events in 45 countries, and total volunteer hours of service topped 11,000 hours.
What makes humanity road different is that almost all their opportunities are flexible and can be done from the comfort of your home. Opportunities like this are great for people wanting to help but are time poor.
Liverpool FC
Foundation
The LFC Foundation is the official charity of Liverpool Football Club. Their mission is to bring together the LFC family to create life changing opportunities for children and young people. The charity was formed in 2010 as a financially independent organisation to harness the power and passion their fans and supporters have to improve the lives of others.
The Liverpool foundation run a number of amazing events and days that volunteers can really get stuck into. Some of these opportunities include Respect4All Programme. Which is the LFC Foundation’s disability and inclusion project. Moreover the LFC Foundation make all the volunteers feel part of their community, something I experienced first hand!
University of East
London
UEL connects students to professional, career-led volunteering opportunities with charities, public sector organisations and other non-for-profit organisations across London. They Focus on volunteering that align with students career aspirations, interests and availability. They define volunteering as “time willingly given for the common good and without financial gain. It is enriching and contributes to personal development and/ or career aspirations
The university offers opportunities all across the city which vary in skill, commitment and type. The opportunities provided by the university have allowed students to feel part of the community and gain experience they might have not had the opportunity to do so in the past. Volunteering at university allows students to develop new skills that benefit them once they leave.
Glasgow Life Events
Glasgow Life is part of the city wide partnership which aims to develop volunteering opportunities and to grow volunteering skills. Additionally each year Glasgow Life provides numerous rewarding, safe, and supported opportunities for volunteers. Some being one-off major events, to more regular activities in libraries, museums, and community facilities throughout the city with around 1500 people currently involved as volunteers in Glasgow Life activities.
Glasgow Life have hosted a number of world class events including the Athletics Indoor European Championships. Events like this bring the city together and offer a number of opportunities for people to get stuck in. The great thing about Glasgow Life is that, there is no shortage of fun and rewarding opportunities.
Volunteering Wales
Volunteering Wales provides an integrated programme of volunteering support that aims to help more people get involved in volunteering. Benefiting their community and for their own personal development, and to help volunteering organisations to recruit and support their volunteers.
Volunteering Wales offer thousands of opportunities across Wales, working with various providers. Enabling potential volunteers to be able to select from a wide variety of activities, that they may wish to be apart of. In addition previous events have included fund raising events in support of the Samaritans and other charities.
Volunteering Wales enables younger people to get involved with volunteering. Providing a platform which connects younger people to opportunities they may have never thought about doing before, leading to the development of their social skills and creating new friends in volunteering along the way.
YHA
YHA believe that everyone should have the opportunity to discover, explore and experience something new – and what better way than through volunteering. Youth hostels offer a place to stay, a warm and safe welcome, accessible and flexible accommodation, activities and education packages and best of all they are open to everyone, whatever age or where they are from.
YHA have an extensive list of opportunities available from caretaking opportunities to hostel placement opportunities. Together with placement opportunities available in the city, country or in coastal areas across Britain. Hostel and student placements are perfect if you would like to gain hospitality experience, complete a work placement as part of your course of study, or to simply get away from home and lend a hand.
YHA opportunities provide unbelievable experience’s for those who may have came from harder upbringings and poorer family backgrounds. YHA is a unique organisation because they allow the opportunity to stay somewhere quite amazing. I stayed at the Snowdon Bryn Gwnant hostel, which is amazing and in a truly beautiful location!
Manchester VIP
Manchester VIP identifies, trains, and deploys volunteers to support sport and physical activity across Manchester. Recruiting people from all backgrounds and developing their skills signposting them to opportunities within sports events, sports clubs, local communities and schools.
MCRVIP unites people together in a common cause; museum workers, park maintenance, city cleaning, library workers, or even athletics coaching. Their platform is bringing everyone together, showcasing masses of opportunities for people to get involved with across Manchester. Manchester volunteers feel part of something larger and their retention rate is phenomenal.
TeamKinetic is massively thankful to be able to supply these wonderful organisations with our volunteering management software. We recognise and understand the value of volunteers, and so we support the opportunities, providers and volunteers that are contributing to the voluntary sector.
Across the UK 20.1 million people volunteered via a group, club, or organisation between 2017 and 2018, and over one in five people volunteer at least once a month. A small amount of compassion will improve someones day or even their week, but this is not just a one way experience. Volunteering can help improve your own health and develop your skills – no one said it had to be boring! You don’t just need to stack shelves in a library.
– L.B. American Author
“Don’t spend your precious time asking “Why isn’t the world a better place?” It will only be time wasted. The question to ask is “How can I make it better?” To that there is an answer.”
Leo buscaglia
Why volunteer locally?
Volunteering locally can help expand communities by uniting people in a common cause. But most people have no idea of how and where to begin. Don’t worry! Here is some inspiration and practical help on how you can start to make a small difference go along way.
Be apart of your local Beavers, Cubs, Scouts and Explorers
74th Silverdale Scout group
Scouting first began in the early 20th century founded by Robert Baden Powell. Attracting boys and girls from all age ranges to participate in a variety of educational, and fun activities focused on the outdoors. Scouting groups heavily rely on volunteers to run weekly club meetings and trips. Could you help in your community?
I was a part of The Silverdale 74th scout group located in the ex-mining village in Stoke on Trent. Personally I have witnessed the true good scouting can have on the local community. Scouting encouraged me to give back to the local community, and help out with local community events and fund raisers. Silverdale scout group also provided me with a second home after I had finished a school day, keeping me occupied and off the streets. I would add that scouting equipped me with many skills and qualities, that are essential for a developing young person.
Today The Silverdale scout group continues to grow within the local community. Equipping the younger generation with life skills and valuable behavioral qualities. Over the years Silverdale’s scouting group has matured, but the scouting code remains firmly in place. To help other people at all times.
Volunteer at your local sport club
Swimming Club
Sports clubs provide a real benefit to the surrounding communities. My son is a part of the local swimming club in Manchester. Swimming is a hobby he is highly enthusiastic and passionate about – which I am very pleased about as a parent. The club does not only provide him with lessons so he can learn how to swim. Better yet, it is also a place where he can chat and giggle with many of his friends from school, and make new ones along the way.
However many community clubs suffer from being over crowded and under resourced. Long waiting lists are a result of this overcrowding, in consequence clubs are in desperate need of an extra pair of hands to help out.
The sports club survey of 2013 by the Sport and Recreation Alliance, reckoned there were 151,000 sports clubs in existence across the UK. An average club has over 100 members and 24 volunteers. Which is somewhere in the region of 3.6 million volunteers helping out local sports clubs!
With participation growing at a greater rate than volunteer recruitment, now is a perfect time to find a local sports club you want to help out.
However there are opportunities that can help tackle this rising social issue. There are a number of group support networks which aim to help the homeless across many of the big cities within the UK (London, Birmingham, Liverpool). The Street Support network, or NightStop in Manchester are two examples of many that provide a gateway where prospective volunteers can help the homeless locally.
Across the local community of Manchester volunteers from networks such as NightStop can be found to be, allowing homeless people into their own homes for a night. Providing them access to: a hot shower, comfy bed, hot meal, and a friendly ear to console with. These are just some of the basic essentials volunteers are providing that we all take for granted. But can mean the world of difference to someone sleeping rough.
Act Now Not Later
Find resources below on how you can volunteer today.
Local accredited volunteer centers are everywhere but you may not have even realised it yet. There an excellent way for first time volunteers to get involved, by understanding your interests they can match you with suitable volunteering positions.
TryVolunteering.com ran by TeamKinetic, encourages all people from all walks of life to get involved by volunteering. TryVolunteering.com also allows people to set up accounts as providers, providers can then advertise volunteering opportunities – but don’t worry its all FREE! The simple selfless act of kindness is only one click away, benefiting individuals and communities.
Don’t just do it for yourself, do it for someone else. That’s the true motivation behind volunteering. Do-it.org connects potential volunteers to volunteering opportunities from all around the country. From 1 mile to 50 miles away from you, try Doit.org and find the opportunity that best suits you.
Charity Job is the UK’s largest site for charity jobs and volunteering. Thousands of positions can be found up and down the UK, no matter your location there will be something near you.
How TeamKinetic is supporting volunteers
TeamKinetic encourages communities to expand and be brought together through volunteering. Supporting any organisation which aims to allow volunteers to help make a difference. Helping organisations connect with volunteers in the simplest way possible is a problem our volunteering management software solves.
Recent data from Time Well Spent shows that there are more women in volunteering than men. Taking a closer look at the data might tell us why.
NCVO’s demographic analysis shows that 40% of women have volunteered in 2017/18 compared to 35% of men. Furthermore, 23% of women had volunteered in the month before data collection, but only 21% of men had.
Similarly, the Office for National Statistics found that although participation rates for men and women were similar (41% and 42% respectively), the time each gender spent volunteering was very different. Women, on average, spent 15.7 minutes per day volunteering while men only spent 11.3 minutes per day in voluntary work.
TeamKinetic’s data supports this analysis with 60% of registered volunteers identifying as female and 40% as male from a total of 100,000 volunteers.
These discrepancies suggest that either something is preventing men from spending more time volunteering, or something is pushing women to volunteer more.
A Way To Make New Friends?
The NCVO report mentioned that women viewed the social aspect of volunteering as a motivation to sign up. 23% of women joined to make new friends/meet new people in comparison to the 18% of men who signed up for the same reason. As a consequence of volunteering, women reported that they felt more confident (76%) than men (71%). Interestingly, female efforts to make new friends appeared to have been more successful than their male counterparts’. Women reported fewer instances of conflict or tension compared to men (25% vs 32%).
I volunteered at a local charity shop a few years ago to gain work experience and because my friend worked there. I had a great time and it definitely helped me get a job afterwards.
MMU Student, Lois.
If using volunteer work to
gain relevant work experience is a trend amongst young people, perhaps the
gender differences in volunteering rates will become level soon. However, we
must also acknowledge the various other factors that affect volunteer rates such
as age, socio-economic status, and race.
Not All Sunshine and Rainbows
Despite the majority of volunteers being female, there are still some aspects of volunteering that may be letting these hard-working women down. Many women (62%) don’t believe they can have much impact on the organisations they volunteer for. Men are more confident in this area, with 70% of them believing they can make a significant influence on organisations. A reason for this could be the higher ratio of men to women in representative roles. Research suggests that women are more likely to help at an event rather than go to meetings on behalf of the organisation like male volunteers.
This behaviour could be seen as stereotypical and may be due to outdated societal norms. These norms are being broken down. Men and women are becoming more equal. As a result, the expected stereotypes are fading away, but it is happening too slowly.
Flexibility First?
Stereotypes do not appear to affect the number of women in volunteering roles. So why do they volunteer?
Data suggests that flexible roles attract female volunteers. This can refer to the organisation being flexible themselves, or the volunteering opportunities they are offering. For example, perhaps the sessions are one-offs or aren’t set to certain times/days of each week. The want for flexibility may be driven by a range of factors such as family, work, or social commitments. Organisations and volunteer managers should recognise the needs of their volunteers to get the most out of them.
Let’s Flip The Question
We’ve asked why there are more women in volunteering than men, but why are there fewer men in volunteering? What’s stopping them?
Societal norms could be blamed; the conditioning of men to be the main provider may make them think they have no time for volunteering, or even that it’s a waste of time! In the past, a lack of male-focused roles may have been to blame. Nowadays there are a large variety of roles available on a range of websites, such as universities, councils, and sports clubs.
TeamKinetic’s volunteer management software can help you analyse the demographics of your volunteers, e.g. the ratio of male to female volunteers. This can give you great insight into who your volunteering opportunities are attracting.
Find out how TeamKinetic can work with you to recruit, manage, and retain your student volunteers by visiting our website or calling us on 0161 914 5757.
You can also find us on social media: Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, andYouTube. We share and create content suitable for anyone interested in volunteering!
For
the last 7 years I’ve been surrounded by volunteers, but I have only now
realised their true value in my life.
Boxing
is a massive part of my life which over the last 7 years has transformed me to
the man I am today. If it wasn’t for the
volunteers behind the clubs I’ve been a part of and represented, I would not be
writing this blog. I’ve learnt
volunteers can be a part of many different walks of life and each unique to its
own. My personal experiences have shown
me that volunteers can provide a family, a friendship, and create a sense
belonging.
Education has equipped me with many skills, however I have developed further attributes from volunteers in boxing which have aided my own professional development at university these include: physical, social, team working and mental skills. Also, I have developed key traits to my behaviour. I am focused, hardworking and determined in learning new concepts and ideas to the best of my ability.
Entrance to boxing club
Currently
I am boxing from a gym in Manchester called Team Northside Boxing Club, I’ve
been at this club for 2 years now. When
I reflect on my time at this club, I am overwhelmed by how much I have
developed physically and mentally as a person; because of the volunteers which
are behind Team Northside. They
consistently push me to reach new heights in my boxing career, and are opening
a vast amount of potential for my future pathways, be that behind the pads or behind the gloves.
Education
Setting aside the boxing gloves, my educational pathway has always gravitated towards business. I chose Public Relations and Marketing at Manchester Metropolitan University as the course opened up opportunities to engage my creative side. Many modules I’ve completed are real-life working situations professionally developing me for a working career ahead; these have included creating PR and marketing campaigns. I believe this will help me during my placement with TeamKinetic, as I have an idea of what will be expected from me. Furthermore, I have developed a true self confidence from working in teams at university when completing real life scenarios.
In
addition to the boost in my confidence was gaining a placement opportunity at
TeamKinetic.
“Hard work beats talent, when talent doesn’t work hard.”
A
saying not only applicable to the boxing gym but real life, opportunities do
not always necessarily come easy but with consistency and a lot of heart
anything can be made possible. It all depends
on the determination behind the person, I will ensure I apply this philosophy
during my time with TeamKinetic.
Pass times
In my pass times I am always on a constant mission to further challenge myself by finding new interests and hobbies. Recently I’ve embarked on a new challenge to learn to play the guitar. I’ve always had a passion for music and various music genres, it was only when I found an artist called The White Buffalo, that sparked an incentive in me to learn guitar. Ten days in and so far so good, not sure I’ll ever be Jimmy Hendrix… but a man can dream.
On a final note
I have always had high aspirations of where I see myself in life. I understand that my time at TeamKinetic is a crucial element to my own professional development of not only the existing skills, but the ones I am going to uncover along the way from the support of an exceedingly motivated and professional team behind me.
Milo James Marketing Coordinator info@teamkinetic.co.uk
