Category: Volunteer Management Page 9 of 12

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.

Becoming a TeamKinetic Enterprise Customer

By Chris Martin

On 7th April 2021

In TeamKinetic Features, Volunteer Management

Welcome to the family! Its great that you are about to join hundreds of other organisations that use TeamKinetic to manage their volunteers. We have put together this short blog that tells you what happens next and how to get ready to launch your site.

Once we have your contract signed we can have you up and running in no time, this blog outlines the steps to get your site ready and the pit falls to avoid.

Trial Site

If you already have a trial site up and running, you can get started playing around and getting to know the TeamKinetic service right away. We have a simple to follow “Getting Started” lesson program for you to follow. Just click here and follow the 10 quick and easy lessons. If you get stuck just drop us a support ticket or a chat message direct from your help menu.

If you don’t have a trial or demo site set up yet, just let your TeamKinetic contact know and they will have that sorted out for you in no time. This will help you get acclimatised to the product and give you a good idea of how you might like to use the service.

We’d love your feedback on our Getting Started lessons, so if there is something we can do to make it easier for you please let us know.

Getting set up on our implementation management system.

To help make your implementation go super smooth we use a service that ensures you know what you have to do and what we have to do. This system provides you with detailed information on how you undertake each task and lets you record what you have done, when you are ready to pass things back to us and if yo have any questions you can ask them really easily.

As soon as the contract is signed we will invite the key members of your project team to join us on the task list and you can get going right away with your tasks, getting your site ready to go live.

Choosing A URL

As an enterprise customer, you get to choose where your TeamKinetic powered website will live or what URL you want to use. There are a few options available to you. It has a tendancy to get a little technical here so my apologies in advance. The options are:

You can set up your TeamKinetic powered site as a “Sub-Domain” of your existing website. That means you can have something like https://volunteer.YourOrgNamehere.org
You can have a new domain that no one else has yet. To choose a new domain use a service such as NameCheap.com and see what’s available.

What ever you choose, your TeamKinetic implementation advisor will help you with the technical aspects of getting your trail site moved onto your new URL. You wont lose anything you have done up to this point if you don’t want to, or we can always delete the data and let you start again, its completely up to you.

Setting up the ‘Look and Feel’ of your TeamKinetic site

You can start this process as soon as you have your trail or demo site set up, it is actually part of the 10 steps mentioned above in the ‘trial site’ section of this blog.

All settings and changes to the look and feel of your site will be copied over when your site is moved to its final website address.

To make changes to the look and feel of your site, first click on the cog in the top right of your screen which will display the super admin menu.

(NB. If you can’t see it, you may not be a Super Admin, don’t worry drop us a quick message and we will get you sorted!)

This menu is where you find all the settings for your site and its where you go if you want to change the colours, fonts, messages and images on your site.

From here you can change all aspects of the site as you require. Some of the more advanced options can require a little technical ability, but we are here to support you through the process. There is lots of detailed help to support you and we are always at the end of the phone or available on live chat if you get stuck.

You can read the help documents for customising your website at the top right of the screen as shown below.

All this is covered in your training and implementation support but if you want to get started there is nothing stopping you.

Getting your site working the way you want it!

TeamKinetic offers so many options and choices to make sure you can manage your volunteers in the way that works for you and them. Many of these options you only really need to think about once.

Again, in the Super Admin menu you have choices that cover Profile, Set Up and Options. If you want to start to have a play around with these then feel free.

We have this (really long, sorry!) video that walks you through each option and what impact they might have on how you choose to use TeamKinetic. Break it into manageable chunks and start to make your way through the menus until you have the setting you think will work for you. Again, we will go through all this with you in your training, but there is nothing to stop you having a play around as you get to know what TeamKinetic can do.

The default settings are fine for a lot of our customers so don’t worry too much about investigating them all straight away.

Training

As soon as your contract is signed we will be looking to get your training booked. This is normally delivered online over two half day sessions, though there is lots of flexibility and all this can be adjusted to meet your needs.

We want you to get the most out of these sessions, so if you have followed the instruction in this blog and had a play around you will come to that first session with lots of questions that we can help you with.

If you are a little nervous, please don’t worry. No matter what your technical ability we will have you up and running in no time.

Go Live!

Once you have got your site set up as you want, and you have started the process of adding your opportunities to the site, you are almost ready to tell the world about your new system.

Our implementation team will work with you on a plan to make all this happen and will provide advice on how to link up your TeamKinetic powered portal with your existing web site.

We are often asked how long this takes, and its a tricky one to answer, as it really depends upon how quickly you are able to get through the set up tasks and how many providers and opportunities you need to add. We have had customers up and running in less than a week and others who have taken 3 or 4 months. The key consideration is that you are comfortable with the system and how it works and that it has lot of interesting opportunities for your volunteers to look at.

Remember, we are with you every step of the way, its really difficult to break TeamKinetic so don’t be worried or sacred about having a play around and good luck on your first step in taking your volunteer management to the next level. We look forward to working with you.

Before we go

Keep up to date with everything TeamKinetic by following us on the following social media channels where you will find useful content, support and access to offers and discounts you will not want to miss.

YouTube for great interviews and how to videos.

https://www.youtube.com/TeamKinetic

LinkedIn to read our latest blogs and thoughts (TeamKinetic) https://www.linkedin.com/company/15082852/admin/

Twitter for the inspirational quotes and funnies (@TeamKineticUK) https://twitter.com/TeamKineticUK

Facebook to talk with our other volunteer managers and to join our master class sessions. (TeamKinetic) https://www.facebook.com/TeamKineticUK/

We want you to help us grow this community.

See you all soon

Chris and the Team

3 Reasons Why You Don’t Use SMS Text Messages

By Chris Martin

On 18th March 2021

In TeamKinetic Features, Volunteer Management

If you are reading this, you might not be using SMS text messages to manage your volunteers. And you will have your reasons as to why you feel that SMS text messages would not benefit you, your organisation, or your volunteers. This is where we come in. We’re here to debunk some of the common reasons why organisations think they don’t need text messages to manage their volunteers.

1) You don’t know how to use them

If you have never bought them before, then of course you’re not going to know how to use them. But, it is very easy to pick up. In fact, we have created a video that shows you exactly how to turn text messages on, how to set up automatic messages, how to send texts to specific volunteers, and how to send texts to the volunteers on a specific opportunity. Sending text messages to volunteers has never been so easy!

2) You don’t know the Impact

So, you think your organisation doesn’t need SMS text messages. But, do you know about the impact?

It will make you wonder why you didn’t use them earlier. Here are just a few ways it can ompact your volunteers:

You can automatically alert your volunteers by text when they have a session coming up, if their criminal check is due for renewal, or even when one of the providers they follow adds a new opportunity. Not only does this help engagement and encourage volunteers to attend sessions, it also makes your life a lot easier.
Our SMS text messages function has been proved to be a more effective way to reach people and ensure they read your message over email. No longer will you have to worry about people not receiving your email because it either got lost in their inbox, they rarely check their emails, or it just went to spam; sending texts gives a higher chance of volunteers seeing your message.
You can easily text groups of volunteers, individual volunteers, or all volunteers on a particular opportunity, and give them the information they need. Alternatively, if you enter a valid mobile number as the reply-to number, volunteers will be able to text you back and continue the conversation. Or you can provide a short name that will let volunteers know where the message has come from, but they will not be able to reply directly. This makes communication a lot easier for both the volunteer and the volunteer manager.

Let’s look at some scenarios for example:

3) It costs too much money

You may worry that using text messages is just another ongoing expense for your organisation, and it is, but, it’s all the brilliant benefits, like the ones mentioned above, that makes it worth the expense.

We also have an offer available for a short time, which may help your organisation if one of your reasons for not buying SMS messages is money. Currently, for every 2 messages you buy, we give you one for free. So when you buy 500 texts, you get 750 and when you buy 1000 texts, you get 1,500. Meaning, the more you buy the more money you save! Perfect for communicating with volunteers, both when in a lockdown and when out of a lockdown.

So, should I use them?

After reading all through the reasons why you thought you didn’t need SMS text messages, you might be thinking there could be benefits after all. So why not check out our SMS text offer? After all, it is saving you money in the long term. Take a look at our video below which explains how to do this:

Should I Be Using SMS Text Messages?

By Chris Martin

On 18th March 2021

In TeamKinetic Features, Volunteer Management

Yes, yes and yes. That is the first thing you see when you Google ‘Should I be using SMS text messages when managing volunteers?’. And the research isn’t wrong, using texts as a form of communication to your volunteers is incredibly beneficial. Not only does it improve communication, but it can also increase engagement and volunteer return rates. And let’s not forget the speedy responses that come from sending text messages, perfect for those time-sensitive situations.
However, the one thing you don’t really see when you Google this question is how beneficial SMS texts are from someone who is currently using them.

This is where we come in. If you are considering using SMS text messages but are still a bit unsure, hear from Claire at Halton and St Helens Volunteer Centre about her personal experiences using them.

Halton and St Helen’s Volunteer Centre

First, a little bit of background. Halton and St Helens is an organisation that provides advice, information and development support to voluntary, community, non-for-profit, faith organisations and volunteers in the Boroughs of St Helens and Halton. Here, Claire spoke to us about her experiences using SMS text messages in her TeamKinetic system.

1) When did you start using the SMS text message feature?

So, we started to use the text message feature fairly early on into the first lockdown of the pandemic. It was also around the same time that we first launched our TeamKinetic portal.

In addition to this, it was around March/April that we had quite a substantial funding grant come through, which allowed us to buy a great big text bundle. And I already knew of the texts and how they worked from the work we have done with TeamKinetic before.

2) How do you use your text messages?

Initially, we used text messages for our volunteers who were supporting local residents during the pandemic with the community tasks. We would use the function to send a text to show they are a verified volunteer for us, this was pre the ID cards. It was a quick and easy way for us to give them something that was mobile that they could show the person they were working for that they were a verified volunteer.

When the ID cards came into play on the community task dashboard, we started to use the texts to message our ‘Street Champions’ about ongoing tasks that hadn’t been picked up that needed to be done. I’d say that is the main way we used them now.

3) Do you find the SMS text messaging feature helpful in communicating to and engaging volunteers?

Yes, definitely. Between that and emails, we can have more of an impact in terms of communicating straight away with volunteers. And it’s that instant impact that is important for us particularly when there is an urgency in terms of volunteer support.

Recently we have also used them with our vaccination volunteers. For example, when volunteers have dropped shifts and we have then asked other volunteers to quickly log in and see if they can pick up a shift. So, that’s been really helpful as we’ve now had full commitment and maximum volunteers throughout our vaccination programme which is great.

4) How have you benefited from the SMS text message feature compared to a time when you didn’t use them?

For me, it’s just an added bonus in terms of being able to communicate quite directly with that we’re not always in connection with and we don’t see physically. It wouldn’t even matter that much when we’re back into the ‘new normal’ after COVID-19 and we do see people on a regular basis. This is because the text messages would still be a massive benefit in terms of that quick turn around and communication with volunteer around shift patterns etc.

For example, we have worked with the TeamKinetic portal for years at Warrington Hospital, and we have never used the text message feature with them. This is mainly because we have never had the funding to be able to do that. But, again with some added funds, we have been able to out a little bit of a bundle on there too. So, we have now used it for when we have needed to contact our away finders, when there’s been an urgent need for people to support the vaccination centre, or when we’ve needed a quick turnaround on support. I think we could probably do that again going forwards, even when we start to bring our volunteers back, it will be a great tool.

We also use them differently in the Hospital in terms of the communication that we do in Halton and St Helens through the Volunteer Centre. So, with the Hospital it’s linked directly to a phone number which helps that two-way communication. With the Volunteer Centre, we actually just link it to a name so they understand it’s just from us and there’s no response from that.

5) What would you say to another organisation that is considering using the SMS text message feature but is still unsure?

For me, it’s a great way of quickly communicating and getting action from volunteers very quickly too. Particularly if you have got an event on for example or you are providing urgent response support; it’s a great way of supporting that quick action of volunteers to get engaged, get involved, and get moving.

Thinking About Buying SMS Texts

If after reading this, you realise SMS texts would benefit your organisation and your volunteers, then check out this video explaining how to take up the offer!

Managing Micro Volunteering

By Chris Martin

On 12th October 2020

In COVID-19, News & Views, Volunteer Management

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.

Examples of micro-volunteering include:

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..?

Going Beyond the Ice Bucket Challenge | Ipsos

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 for non-profits? I don’t need that!”

By Alex Evans

On 1st October 2020

In Charity, News & Views, Volunteer Management

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.

We hope you enjoy our system!

Volunteer Managers in the ‘New Normal’

By Chris Martin

On 27th July 2020

In News & Views, Volunteer Management

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

How Can You Really Engage The Youth of Today?

By Alex Evans

On 8th July 2020

In News & Views, Volunteer Management

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:

Twitter Facebook LinkedIn YouTube Instagram Podcast

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

A Strong Opportunity Can Increase Your Volunteer Retention Rates

By Rolf Herbert

On 23rd June 2020

In Application Features and Tutorials, Volunteer Management

Advertising an engaging volunteering opportunity is not always the simplest task. And often the clearest messages can become disfigured, resulting in your opportunity becoming less attractive to prospective volunteers. Below we’ve identified some examples of how to design and present a strong volunteering opportunity on your TeamKinetic platform. Each element has been streamlined to guide you through an on-brand TeamKinetic experience that is engaging and most importantly, eye appealing to your volunteers.

Where should your opportunity live

The most obvious place of all is your own website, for your prospective and current volunteers your website provides a safe and secure portal in which you can display your volunteering opportunities clearly for all to see. In turn, it will also allow you to easily collate data on the number of people viewing your opportunities page, by monitoring web analytics with Google Analytics.

Name your opportunity

Be clear and concise, over the years we’ve seen many volunteer managers fall victim to the mistake of over advertising their volunteering opportunity. The best practice would be describing the opportunity in its simplest form by using as few words as possible, for example ‘volunteer caretaker’. By over complicating simple roles with complex names will only off put your volunteers. You may also wish to add a location, contact email and phone number as these are the key details which your volunteer is likely to need straightaway.

Outline your opportunity

Now here’s your opportunity to say more, no pun intended… When writing your descriptions keep them short and sweet, whilst listing the main tasks the volunteers will be expected to do during the opportunity.

Why not offer an incentive? We’ve found from customer feedback that these make the opportunities more appealing to volunteers. For example, an incentive may be unlimited tea and biscuits or a free T-shirt. If we know anything about volunteers we know they love tea and biscuits.

Finally, summarise the benefits. In this part you will want to describe how this volunteering opportunity will bring your volunteer’s fulfilment. How will their volunteering efforts make a direct impact?

Be clear in your presentations of your opportunity, make key information stand out.

When and where?

These are the fundamental outlines which are absolutely necessary when creating your volunteering opportunity. Day, time and location will outline the commitment time frame in which your volunteers will have to make. Also if possible make clear what type of volunteering opportunity this is, event, ongoing or just a one-off.

Show off the good REVIEWS

Make your feedback visible, think of your feedback like your own personal catalogue of reviews. In a modern world filled with decisions, reviews offer simple and relevant guidance. Similarly to this, the feedback from previous volunteers will provide guidance to your potential volunteers, encouraging them to enjoy the same positive experience.

Call for action

Always leave some visible call to actions, these will encourage the volunteer to perform some form of action. Call to actions may be subtle but they are all nudging your volunteer to do one thing. And that’s registering on your opportunity.

Call actions can include

Social media sharing links
Document printing
Internal links (other opportunities, company website)
Register / Logging in options

Here at TeamKinetic we can help with all your volunteer management needs. Go to our website to create a demo site – it’s completely free! You can also call us on 0161 914 5757 with any questions.

Don’t hesitate to reach out on social media, you can find us on Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn. You can also go to our YouTube channel to see some examples of the features we have to offer and some of the people we already work with.

The Community Fund

By Chris Martin

On 2nd June 2020

In Community, Funding, News & Views, Volunteer Management

We know that the world feels a little uncertain right now and for many of our customers and users, there is significant unease about how they will be able to fund some of their services during this crisis and beyond.

So when we hear of a potential funding source we like to try and share that information with our customers and users. The Community fund has been around for a long time and is a tried and test source of funds for community organisations of all sizes.

They are prioritising funding for communities affected by COVID-19 with a new £200 million fund.

Prioritising projects and organisations supporting communities through the COVID-19 pandemic. To apply for funds click the links below:

Apply for funding under £10,000

Apply for funding over £10,000

What types of projects they can fund 

The Community Fund want to fund activities supporting people and communities affected by COVID-19.  They are prioritising:  

organisations supporting people who are at high risk from COVID-19
organisations supporting communities most likely to face increased demand and challenges as a direct result of COVID-19
organisations which connect communities and support communities to work together to respond to COVID-19.

Anyone who applies for our funding needs understand the Community Fund safeguarding policy. If you have any questions, get in touch with the Community Fund.

If you know of other sources of funding that might be of benefit to our other TeamKinetic users and would be happy to share that information please feel free to get in touch and we will do our best to share that information.

Why You Should Be Customising Your Volunteer Registration Emails

By Alex Evans

On 24th April 2020

In Application Features and Tutorials, TeamKinetic Features, Volunteer Management

Did you know that you can customise your TeamKinetic system’s volunteer registration emails? Changing the first email your volunteers receive can be a big step in improving your volunteer management.

How do I change the registration email?

Go to the Admin Settings Cog → Customise Emails

Find the ‘volunteer registration’ email and click ‘Edit’.

You can now edit the default text and style it accordingly. When you click on the blue buttons on the right, a placeholder will be added to your text, and when sent, that placeholder will be replaced with the appropriate text; in this case you can use placeholders for your organisation name, organisation contact number, the volunteers email address, and a login link for the volunteer to follow.

What changes should I make?

That first email after registration should layout the next steps you want the volunteer to take. For example, this might be to upload a photo and a piece of ID. You could also direct them to the Resources & Help, where all the documents in your document hub are available, if your volunteers require extra information after registering.

You can alter options regarding volunteer photo/ID uploads via the Admin Settings Cog → TeamKinetic Options → Everything Else.

Volunteers can easily access these things through the left-hand-side menu on their dashboard.

They should go to the underlined tabs to upload a picture, ID, and view the document hub (in that order).

You can also add links to various areas of the system for easy access and attach files to the email. For example, you could share the link to take them straight to a search for COVID-19 related opportunities. This will help highlight ways volunteers can help their local communities.
You can find your shareable link to all COVID-19 opportunities on your admin homepage:

If necessary, make sure to tell new volunteer about inductions, DBS and ID checks when they first join to allow them to get started with you as soon as possible. As an admin, you can keep track of DBS checks via Volunteer Management → Criminal Checks as well as visiting a volunteer’s profile directly via Volunteer Management → Search Volunteers.
You could also customise the ‘joined opp’ email that is sent when a volunteer joins their first opportunity to let them know what you want them to do next. Perhaps explaining the keywords used on the site, such as sessions, the different opportunity types, and how to log hours.

What else can I do to get volunteers started?

Switching on text messages is another great way to keep in contact with your volunteers. Text messaging can be switched on by going to the Admin Settings Cog → TeamKinetic Options → Notifications → Switch on Text Messaging.

Building your Document Hub can also be highly beneficial to your volunteers. You can add documents, links and text for your volunteers and providers, e.g. a code of conduct or training manual for new volunteers.
To access the document hub, go to the Admin Settings Cog → Document Hub

Want more TeamKinetic tips?

Subscribe to our blog for more like this as well as other pieces relevant to volunteering and volunteer management. You can also follow us on Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn.

You can visit our YouTube channel to find further help navigating your system or call us on 0161 914 5757, we’re always happy to help you out!