TeamKinetic has over a decade of experience working in the volunteer management sector. In these blogs we offer our insight and hope to shed light on new tips for volunteer managers everywhere.
With a main focus on digital solutions, we’ll take you through best-practice advice for volunteer management and operating in the third sector as a whole.
IVM day is an annual day to celebrate the profession of volunteer leadership. World Volunteer Managers Day 2022 will be taking place on Saturday 5th November and this year’s theme for the day is “Many Backgrounds – One Profession – Stronger Together”.
The day was founded in 1999 and was developed in order to bring recognition to individual Managers of Volunteers and their roles in the mobilisation and support of the world’s volunteers.
There is a group of key leaders and organisations from around the world that are helping to spread the word about IVMDay. This is known as the International Supporters Group.
IVM has some important values which they stand by. They believe Volunteer Managers change the lives of volunteers themselves and of those served by volunteers. Volunteer Managers provide the leadership and direction that allows people to build a good and just society. Without professional leadership, people’s time, talents and efforts could be wasted.
The Committee
The committee members are a dedicated team of global volunteers who are driving the promotion of IVMDay internationally.
The committee has a range of 5 volunteer managers from all around the world who have worked in different areas of the voluntary sector. From the UK, Rob Jacksonis part of the committee. Rob runs his own consultancy and training company and has worked with Volunteering England and was involved in the creation of AVM. Rob was also our keynote speaker at our TeamKinetic 2022 Conference where he shared ideas about what the future might hold for volunteering.
Ways To Spread Awareness and How To Get Involved
On the IVM website, there is plenty of content they have produced which can be posted to social media, on your website or printed out to be put up in volunteer centres.
On the IVM day website, they have suggested several different ways you can celebrate volunteer managers on this day. To spread awareness of IVM day you can post a link to the IVMDay web page on your website. Other ideas include sending cards, letters or emails to thank your colleagues for all the hard work they do and to show your appreciation for them.
Janet Compton, Head of Volunteering at PDSA National Volunteering Centre said she sent “thank you cards printed with the IVMD logo and sent it to all locations in PDSA that work with volunteers”, another idea from the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry was offering volunteers the opportunity to write a thank you note to their supervisor at the museum. They provided hand-made cards and volunteers had to write their personal messages.
If you would like to start getting involved, tweet us at @TeamKineticUK using the picture below to share what you were before you became a Volunteer Manager using the hashtag #IVMDay.
Content ideas for Social Media on IVMDay
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This year, the annual TeamKinetic conference theme was Volunteering to 2030: What might the future look like? We had a variety of incredible speakers discuss their thoughts on the future of volunteering.
Day One
Day One of the TeamKinetic Conference involved sharing some exciting new updates to the TeamKinetic system, sessions on how to onboard volunteers and providers, available reporting tools on the system, how to create and use roles and other topics covered in a series of breakout sessions.
New To TeamKinetic
Rolf started off by taking us through the next major release. New opportunity creation system, better sharing options when sharing your opportunities, scheduling bulk emails, reporting improvements, and more! You can learn more about the 2.20 version here.
Watch Rolf’s session to get to grips with our exciting new update. If you’re a TeamKinetic Admin user, youcan even test it for yourself over at https://beta.teamkinetic.co.uk/vk/admin (Just use your usual admin login details!)
Reporting With TeamKinetic
Steve gave his session on reporting with TeamKinetic and later spoke to us about onboarding volunteers and providers and opportunity restrictions. He touched on the different types of reports, maintenance, general awareness of activity, how you can measure the success of your volunteer programme and other areas of how to report with the TeamKinetic system.
Watch the session below to find out how reports can help you uncover various things about your volunteers and opportunities.
Onboarding Providers and Volunteers
In Rolf’s breakout session he spoke to us about onboarding volunteers and providers. He started off by talking about the new onboarding/help screens that will be available to new volunteers when they register. These will be available for admins to customise in the upcoming 2.2 release. Rolf then discussed how to find and customise the emails that are sent to new volunteers and providers. These emails are the first communications your new volunteers and providers get from your organisation and they are a great place to set out your stall and set the tone for your programme. Finally, we took a look at how to keep your recently onboarded users engaged using the weekly newsletters, bulk emails and search filters to extract those users that are not interacted since registering.
Super Admin Options and Customising Emails
Another breakout session was run by Steve. This was a fun and busy session with lots of questions regarding customised emails and custom areas. Steve also touched on which functions are limited to organisations with providers who work for them, and what functionality can be used by all organisations including volunteer centres. Lots of interesting points and suggestions from attendees, and overall it was a very useful session. In case you missed it or would like to re-watch Steve’s session, it can be found here.
Why use Roles? And How to Create Them
Roles are still a relatively new addition to TeamKinetic. We know they could help a lot of customers but appear to be significantly underused. This is why Chris decided to base his breakout session on this feature. He talked us through how to create roles within your system, how they can be used effectively on your opportunities, and the differences between roles and restrictions.
Are You Taking Advantage Of Opportunity Restrictions?
In our final session of day one, Steve took everyone through the different opportunity restrictions available within TeamKinetic. These restrictions are important to ensure you get the right volunteers for your opportunities every time!
There are a number of ways to restrict your opportunities in TeamKinetic to ensure you get the right volunteer for the job, but are you using them correctly? Watch the session to find out:
Day Two
Day Two of the TeamKinetic conference saw some impactful guest speakers join us. They all covered a range of topics such as expenses, volunteer retention/impact, criminal checks, and more.
Guest speakers included Rob Jackson, Ruth Leonard from AVM, Randa Bennett from vHelp, Simon Dickinson from Digital Gaps, Dan McManus from Time Tempo Credits, Felicity Adrian from General Practise Alliance, Scott Jones from 123 Internet, and Allan Merrifield from First Advantage.
Rob Jackson
Rob Jacksonwas the keynote speaker at the 2022 TeamKinetic Conference. He shared ideas of what the future might hold for volunteering. Rob had some powerful points which we think are worth sharing.
Since the pandemic and now the cost of living crisis, people’s mental health has worsened. The pandemic has caused people to be burnout and have a lack of motivation. According to a brief by the World Health Organization, the global prevalence of anxiety and depression increased by 25% in the first year of the pandemic. This could imply that in the future, volunteers may need increased support from volunteer managers due to poor mental health and lack of energy to put their time into volunteering.
The cost of living crisis could also cause an increase in stress and anxiety in people’s lives. Individuals may not have the spare time to volunteer as they have to work multiple jobs to support themselves through the cost of living crisis. The cost of living crisis also means the reimbursement of expenses needs to be prioritised. People may be reluctant to volunteer as they worry that it might leave them out of pocket as expenses are taking too long to be reimbursed.
After Rob Jackson, we then had a session choice between Simon Dickinson from Digital Gaps and Dan McManus from Time Tempo Credits discussing volunteer retention and impact in 2030.
Digital Gaps
Simon delivered a great session on providing verified volunteers for digital services. Digital Gaps’ mission is to help the public and third sector realise the financial, customer experience and improved well-being outcomes that data solutions deliver.
He talked about the work they have done with us to put in place a digital passport. Simon showed us the process that would verify a volunteer, using Yoti to verify your identity which then allows you to have a digital identity wallet which can be used when recruiting volunteers.
Tempo Time Credits
Dan McManus from Tempo Time Credits then took us through how to build and sustain a volunteer workforce in his session. Tempo Time Credits allows you to earn a time credit for each hour of volunteering.
Dan talked through some future plans for Tempo including an improved facility to donate to groups. Some thoughts Dan had on the future of volunteering was that the pandemic has had a large impact on older and vulnerable volunteers which has made it difficult for organisations to recruit volunteers.
vHelp
Randa Bennett from vHelp gave her session on how we should be handling expenses in the future. Randa has been in the technology sector for over 20 years and came across this problem around reimbursing volunteers and that’s where vHelp was born.
One key point she touched on in her session was the importance of inclusivity. If organisations aren’t reimbursing volunteers quickly, it could be excluding the less fortunate people who can’t afford to be left out of pocket, leaving only wealthier people being able to volunteer. Transparency is also a key aspect for the future of volunteering. In the future, organisations need to ensure they inform their volunteers about expenses in the early stages of recruitment.
123 Internet and General Practice Alliance
In the next session, we were joined by Felicity Adrian from General Practice Alliance. Felicity is a project manager and she helps put together the volunteer passport online platform for Northamptonshire.
Scott Jones from 123 Internet talked us through how he made their volunteer passport homepage. They gave us an overview of the concept behind the volunteer passport and discussed why the re-design was needed. To decide why the re-design was needed they held a workshop to help them understand what their key vision was for volunteering across Northamptonshire and how it could be shared through the volunteer passport.
First Advantage
Allan Merrifield from First Advantage spoke to us about Digital ID DBS. First Advantage are a global technology background screening company delivering innovative solutions and insights that help their clients manage risk and hire the best talent quickly and efficiently.
Their aim is to automate DBS checks to make it as easy as possible. During Allan’s session, he spoke to us about what services are available through the partnership that is in place between TeamKinetic and First Advantage. Allan also took us through the journey of creating a digital ID and how to use one.
A Big Thank You!
We’d just like to say a massive thank you to everyone who attended the 2022 TeamKinetic Conference and all our great speakers for their informative sessions. We hope you had a good time with us.
If you have any suggestions of things you’d like to hear about – or people you’d like to hear from – please tell us by emailing alex@teamkinetic.co.uk
We look forward to next year’s conference!
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For TeamTalk Season 2, Episode 3, Kristen Natale from Sport England joins hosts Chris Martin and Imogen Greatbatch.
Welcome back to season 2 of our TeamTalk podcast. This season, we are talking to thought leaders, customers and stakeholders from the world of sports and physical exercise. Join us as we dive deeper into sports volunteering and the volunteer managers who make it happen.
In this episode, Kristen Natale joins us. Kristen is the Head of Volunteering at Sport England and her passion for volunteering shines through.
Co-host Imo Greatbatch also joins us. Imo is currently the Head of Volunteering at England Netball. She is passionate about volunteering in sports and is offering her knowledge and insight on the topic.
About Kristen Natale
Kristen has over 10 years of experience in volunteer development, working with partners across various sectors. Although she didn’t plan for a career in volunteer management, she knew she wanted to do something rooted in communities and making lives better for people.
Now she is passionate about the power of volunteering and is the Head of Volunteering at Sport England. Kristen discusses her thoughts on the Vision for Volunteering and how she got to where she is today.
About Sport England
Starting out as The Sports Council, it was an independent body under the Department of National Heritage, established by the Royal Charter in 1972. The organisation now invests in sport and physical activity to make it a normal part of life for everyone in England. Two-thirds of their funding comes from lottery players, and everything the organisation spends ties into our vision that everyone in England should be able to participate in sport and activity.
Sport England believe they can be part of a bigger picture of work that helps to address many of society’s biggest challenges. Their Uniting the Movement strategy is a 10-year vision to transform lives and communities through sport and physical activity.
This trend could all depend on people’s motivations for volunteering in the first place. If they are volunteering to gain new skills or experience, then they might not put in the extra effort to make new friends or stay after their shift to help out.
Quiet quitting could also stop people from wanting to volunteer all together. People who are regular volunteers but are ‘quiet quitting’ at work may also lack the motivation to complete any volunteer work too. Being exhausted from the volume of work and lack of work-life balance hit many people during the pandemic. If people are remotely working and doing their job but nothing more they may not be bothered to leave the house after a day of remote work to go and volunteer in person.
How To Prevent Your Volunteers From Quiet Quitting
If you think you might have a quiet quitter volunteer on your team or that it could affect your volunteer team in future then it could be because there isn’t a strong relationship between you and your volunteers. It’s important to create and maintain good relationships with volunteers, this way they will want to go above and beyond and spend extra time helping out as they are surrounded by people they trust and feel appreciated by. A friendly working community can also be built, which allows volunteers to be a part of a comfortable and supportive environment. To build this relationship you could have regular 1-on-1s with your volunteers, this way you can find out their interests and offer them support.
Due to the cost of living crisis, volunteers may be cautious of having expenses reimbursed quickly so they aren’t out of pocket for an extended period of time. If the reimbursement does take more than a couple of weeks then volunteers may be more reluctant to put as much effort into their shifts or want to stop volunteering all together. However, there are quick solutions that pay off expenses such as vHelp which can enable you to pay off expenses within 24 hours.
Key Takeaways…
People are becoming exhausted with work and may be feeling burnt out with a lack of motivation due to the pandemic, therefore this has maybe led to people wanting to ‘quiet quit’. This trend has the potential to affect volunteers too but volunteer managers can try their best to avoid this happening to their team. Ensure you are building strong relationships with your volunteers, and show your appreciation for them and the difference they are making to your organisation.
You can find TeamKinetic on social media and listen to our podcast:
When reviewing a volunteer’s application, it is essential to look for specific qualities so you can ensure they will be a good fit for the role and match the enthusiasm of others within the organisation. The qualities and skills the volunteer has are sometimes more important than the number of volunteers you have on board. If your charity has certain goals and values, volunteers should be chosen to meet these so that these goals can be fulfilled. Here are some essential qualities to look for when recruiting volunteers.
Passion
Your volunteers should be passionate about what your organisation does and excited about getting involved. Passionate volunteers will be more motivated about doing the work and be better at what they do. If your volunteers are all passionate about making a difference then they will most likely get on well with other volunteers in your charity or organisation as they are like-minded. A shared love for volunteering is a good way to establish and build relationships with others.
Being A Team Player
Most volunteering is done in a team therefore your volunteers need to be a good fit, get on well with others and be team players as working together is what helps to make a difference. If all volunteers are enthusiastic and positive about the work the organisation does then it’s likely that everyone will get along with each other due to having similar interests. This can also help increase your organisation’s volunteer retention rate as long-lasting friendships can be created meaning people are more likely to stay and volunteer for your organisation.
Commitment
Finding long-term committed volunteers can ensure your organisation or charity has ongoing supporters over time that will be devoted to helping make a difference. By recruiting committed volunteers you can increase your organisation’s volunteer retention rate.It is important to check before recruiting a volunteer that they can do the times needed for the shifts and have access to transport. If you recruit committed and reliable volunteers that you trust then you won’t have to worry about volunteers not turning up for their shifts or cancelling last minute.
Interpersonal skills
Having excellent social skills is a key quality to look for in a volunteer. As there are many different roles available in a range of environments with new people, so it is crucial to be able to adapt to these situations. If a volunteer has strong soft skills they can maintain better relationships with others and build trust. Interpersonal skills can also mean that the volunteer is a good leader. Leaders can communicate effectively with others in the team which is crucial for a volunteering role.
Key Takeaways…
When recruiting volunteers for your organisation it’s important to look for these qualities so you are sure they will complete the volunteering tasks to the best standards. Ensure you recruit people who have knowledge about the organisation’s impact and are motivated to help make a difference.
You can find TeamKinetic on social media and listen to our podcast:
Virtual VS in-person volunteering, which is best suited to you?
Virtual volunteering enables people to be able to complete volunteer tasks remotely via the internet. There are many benefits of both, but it can depend on your lifestyle and what you want to gain from the experience. Some may think that in-person volunteering is the only way you can see the impact you’re making, but virtual volunteering allows for this too. While some people are better suited to face-to-face volunteering, others may find virtual volunteering is the best way for them to get involved.
Pros of Virtual Volunteering
Virtual volunteering, also known as online volunteering or cyber-service, has grown due to the pandemic as many volunteering couldn’t be completed face-to-face because of restrictions. There are now more opportunities for online volunteering than there were previously. A recent benefit of virtual volunteering is saving commute costs, due to the cost of living crisis many organisations are struggling to reimburse volunteers for transport costs, resulting in volunteers potentially having to cover the costs themselves. Volunteering remotely, however, means that you don’t have to worry about any commute costs.
Virtual volunteering is also time efficient, so it is a great option for people who don’t have the spare time to travel and commit to a timetable. This way people can be more flexible and help out when it’s most suited to them from the comfort of their own homes. People can also have access to a wider range of opportunities that are anywhere in the world and volunteer for organisations they might not have access to work for in person due to where they live or lack of access to transport.
Most importantly virtual volunteering is accessible to anyone, so people with disabilities who may be discluded from volunteering in person can also make a difference. All you need is a device and an internet connection and you are able to volunteer anywhere, as the UN website states, online volunteering is ‘by nature, inclusive. Anyone, anywhere, can help.’
Examples of virtual volunteering roles include translating and editing documents, over-the-phone and online volunteer counselling, completing admin tasks such as organising donations, sending out emails and many more. There’s now a large range of virtual volunteering opportunities as organisations had to adapt during the pandemic.
Pros of in-person volunteering
Some people may feel more comfortable volunteering online however you may gain more from volunteering face-to-face. In-person volunteering allows you to meet new people and build better relationships.
With in-person volunteering, you are able to develop social skills which you might not gain from virtual volunteering. However, due to the roles available with online volunteering, you may be able to gain more useful skills which can help with a career change in a different field of work.
A big benefit of volunteering face-to-face is the immediate effect it has on the people you are helping, people who volunteer online may feel as though their work isn’t having an impact as they are not seeing the immediate reaction of the people they are helping straight away in-person.
Key takeaways…
Completing virtual or in-person volunteering is a personal preference and it all depends on what you want to gain from the experience. You may be volunteering to gain new skills and meet new people or achieve a rewarding feeling of seeing your own impact help others.
Virtual volunteering can be a great solution if you are interested in volunteering but can’t attend regular in-person volunteering shifts because you don’t have time or don’t have access to transport. However, it may be easier to meet new people and build better relationships if you are volunteering in person.
You can find TeamKinetic on social media and listen to our podcast:
Diversity refers to the qualities that differentiate people as individuals. Within your organisation or charity, it is crucial to recruit a varied range of volunteers so they can bring different skills and values to the team. Inclusivity embraces all people regardless of their race, age, gender, disabilities, or experience. Inclusivity is all about giving equal access and opportunities.
Diversity and inclusion for volunteer organizations are not just about the volunteers, but also the types of volunteering opportunities available. When creating opportunities, ensure that they offer a range of long-term or short-term commitments to the role.
How your non-profit and volunteer organisation can become diverse and inclusive
It is important to be aware of barriers which could be preventing people from participating in volunteering opportunities. Barriers could include physical barriers such as opportunities not being accessible to wheelchair users or shifts that involve people needing to drive. Technology barriers could also put off people who aren’t as comfortable using technology, such as taking card machine payments in a charity shop or a shift that involves using a computer.
Also, offering a range of volunteering opportunities that are short-term and long-term means your opportunities can be inclusive for people who only have time to volunteer for a short period of time.
To create a diverse and inclusive environment, the entire organisation needs to work towards this goal so a welcoming community can be formed. Make sure your volunteer managers and paid employees come from different backgrounds with different experiences and training is completed with examples of diversity so that the staff can become more culturally aware.
Why is it important for your volunteer organisation to be diverse and inclusive?
Introducing diversity into your organisation can increase your volunteer pool. By promoting diversity and inclusion within your volunteer organisation, people with different backgrounds and experiences can bring new skills and outlooks to your team.
Having a diverse volunteer team can produce a better image for the public to see. Diversity promotes inclusion and understanding and this is one of the goals for non-profits and volunteer-involving organisations
What are the benefits of being diverse and inclusive?
Enhanced awareness within the organisation as a whole.
Being a diverse organisation can create increased social participation.
Produces a positive public image.
A broader range of skills and knowledge can be brought to the team.
If volunteers in an inclusive organisation feel comfortable in the organisation then they will want to stay, therefore by becoming more inclusive and diverse you can create better retention.
Key takeaways…
Many benefits come with practising diversity and inclusivity in your organisation. A better public image can be created for your organisation and new ideas can be brought to your team. To ensure your organisation is welcoming to a variety of people, get rid of any physical barriers which could discourage people from wanting to volunteer.
You can find TeamKinetic on social media and listen to our podcast:
Sustainable volunteering is making a difference with long-lasting change without leaving a destructive footprint behind. Doing good by volunteering doesn’t always mean that you are having a positive impact on the environment around you. For example, many charities with shops could be working with suppliers who have not followed sustainable practices.
People who want to be ethical and sustainable when volunteering believe it is important to contribute to long-lasting change. You may think you are doing the right thing by volunteering but if your efforts and contributions are not making a long-term difference then it might not be worth volunteering for that specific organisation. It is crucial to do research into the charity or organisation as there are many that leave a community in worse conditions than they were when the organisation initially approached them.
The benefits of sustainable and ethical volunteering include becoming more aware of environmental issues and learning how to tackle them. By completing sustainable volunteer work, you are not only doing good for the environment but also doing good by helping others.
What makes a volunteer manager ethical?
It is essential when wanting your volunteer work to be ethical and sustainable that your volunteer manager is also ethical when creating opportunities. Some ways a volunteer manager can achieve this is by:
Ensuring criminal record checks have been completed for each volunteer.
Making sure volunteers don’t replace paid employees.
Actively seek feedback from volunteers to be able to improve and maintain healthy relationships with them.
Giving up the time to train volunteers if necessary for the opportunity they are involved in, this also shows that the volunteers are valued.
Offer flexibility, so that if a volunteer wants to take time off they are able to.
Sustainable and ethical volunteering opportunities
There are so many charities and organisations with volunteering opportunities available in the UK that it can be hard to tell which organisations are influencing change and not leaving behind destructive footprints. Charities and organisations that work towards having a lasting impact on communities and the environment are just as important as having a primary goal of helping others.
Other sustainable volunteering ideas are collecting and recycling rubbish or any other items that may pollute the environment. There are many litter-picking charities such as Cleanup UK and Keep Britain Tidy that have groups all over the UK with many available litter-picking volunteering opportunities.
Key takeaways…
If you are adapting to a sustainable lifestyle then it’s a good idea to also take part in volunteering that is sustainable and ethical too. You may think all volunteering must be ethical but that’s not always the case, many organisations leave behind a destructive footprint in communities they’re supposed to be helping. To confirm they are also ethical, ensure the volunteer manager is ethical in their actions and completes all the necessary measures before approving a volunteer.
You can find TeamKinetic on social media and listen to our podcast:
Discipling a volunteer is never an easy task. As volunteers aren’t paid employees, some volunteer managers may feel as though they don’t have a right to discipline or even dismiss them. However, volunteer managers can’t put up with problematic behaviour just because they may feel guilty for having to discipline them. Keeping a volunteer on board with poor behaviour also might do more harm than good for your organisation and other volunteers around them.
Before deciding if you should dismiss a volunteer it is essential to step back and find the main cause of the problem. The volunteer may not understand their job role or are going through something in their personal life which could be affecting their behaviour. Getting another person’s perspective on the situation may also help you make a decision.
How to deal with problematic behaviour
The problem could be that the volunteer simply lacks a strong work ethic or lacks skills for the role so it can’t be completed correctly or they aren’t the right fit for volunteering for a particular organisation.
Once the reason for the behaviour is pinpointed then it’s important that the conversation had with the volunteer is face to face and not done over email. The conversation can be warning them about their behaviour and simply giving them a chance to improve or to dismiss the volunteer if they have extremely poor behaviour and it is affecting other volunteers within the organisation.
It needs to be upfront and direct and you should ensure you are not tip-toeing around the subject just because you may feel bad. Including some affirmations in the conversation may help you feel better when dismissing the volunteer.
For example, thanking them for their positivity for volunteering but letting them know their behaviour isn’t acceptable. A follow-up conversation is also a good idea to have after you have either dismissed the volunteer or given them a warning.
As a volunteer manager, you should always document your volunteer’s behaviour, this way you can note down any behaviour traits before and after the conversation to see if the volunteer’s behaviour has changed and improved.
How to avoid this in future
Be careful not to treat volunteers the same as you’d treat employees. Employees are getting paid to give up their time and have access to a lot of employment rights which volunteers don’t have access to.
Due to organisations not being obliged to have a formal agreement with their volunteers, it is still important to create one for your organisation so volunteers are aware of how to act and it can help establish expectations.
Ensure you have a policy that states how you treat disciplinary action with volunteers and your expectations for volunteers’ behaviour. Having a policy also shows your volunteers that they are important to you.
Key takeaways…
Communicating with your volunteers is crucial to ensure you have a comfortable relationship with them. This way if they start to show signs of bad behaviour, it can be discussed easily and put to a stop.
You can find TeamKinetic on social media and listen to our podcast:
Research completed by vHelp on volunteer expenses shows that 88% of respondents from volunteer leadership roles and organisations were aware of volunteers choosing not to claim expenses. However, this figure of volunteers claiming expenses is expected to increase. The rising cost of fuel prices could also affect charities and organisations that now have to reimburse a larger amount than before which could leave them struggling.
Expenses
8% of charities still don’t reimburse volunteer expenses. This could put off people from wanting to volunteer for these organisations due to higher travel expenses and the volunteers refusing to pay for these costs themselves. This is why it is extremely important to reimburse volunteers’ expenses otherwise it can lead to a loss of volunteers for your organisation.
Organisations with a complicated expense claiming process, where reimbursement takes a long time can also put volunteers off. 44% of respondents from vHelps research show that ensuring volunteers get paid was a concern of theirs.
Here at TeamKinetic, we provide a quick way for volunteers to claim expenses on our system so they get paid back straight away. We also have a masterclass session for TeamKinetic customers on the ‘Expenses Module’ which will be taking place on the 4th of October so make sure you sign up now to secure a place.
The effect the cost of living will have on charities
The increase in expenses may also be worrying to charities. But volunteers bring much more value to your organisation than the cost of expenses. According to vHelp, the increase in fuel price mostly impacts volunteers who support charities in rural areas due to the only mode of transport to get there for their shifts is by car, which can cost more for the charity to reimburse compared to a bus ticket or no cost for travel at all.
Not only will charities and organisations be affected by the cost of living crisis due to struggling to afford to reimburse volunteers, but charities will also be affected by the decrease in donations by the public. The cost of living crisis means that people’s disposable income will be greatly affected so they might not have the funds to donate as much to charities as they did previously.
Charities need to start planning now to tackle the cost of living crisis which could massively affect their organisation and their volunteers. Support from funders and the government may be needed in order to help the charity sector during this crisis.
More support on how charities should adapt to the cost of living crisis can be found here.
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is part of the committee. Rob runs his own consultancy and training company and has worked with Volunteering England and was involved in the creation of AVM. Rob was also our keynote speaker at our TeamKinetic 2022 Conference where he shared ideas about what the future might hold for volunteering.
