Category: Charity Page 1 of 3

Retail Volunteer Recruitment

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On 1st February 2023

In Charity, Hospice, News & Views, Volunteer Management

New data from Charity Finance Magazine’s ‘Charity shop survey for 2022’ reveals that there has been a decrease in charity shop volunteers since the Covid-19 pandemic. The number of volunteers at charity shops in the UK has fallen by 24% since 2019. People who took part in the survey said that they have struggled to operate as usual due to volunteers not returning to their roles once the restrictions lifted. How can retail volunteers be successfully recruited in 2023?

Successful Retail Volunteer Recruitment

An example of successful and efficient volunteer retail recruitment is an idea which came from Dorothy House. Dorothy House provides compassionate care and support for people in our community with life-limiting illnesses. They have 25 high street shops that sell pre-loved items which provide a large part of their income. Dorothy House have shared its success in recruiting volunteers for retail. 

After the pandemic, Dorothy House found that many of their volunteers decided not to return or felt they were no longer able to continue volunteering. At the end of 2019, they had 674 volunteers however in 2022 this decreased to just 470 volunteers. Dorothy House started by reorganising its volunteer team in 2022 and engaging with its retail team to see what they felt was needed. They ended up recruiting a deputy shop manager from one of their shops to be their Retail Volunteering Support Officer. As the shop manager already worked in a Dorothy House shop they were able to understand the challenges and how crucial retail volunteers are to ensure their shops are running efficiently.

Their approach was to visit all 25 of their shops to access their needs for volunteer recruitment. They supported them with in-store recruitment such as putting up posters in the local community and identifying potential sources of volunteers. The managers for each shop were worked with closely so they could create their own ongoing plan for recruitment. The outcome of this is that Dorothy House has now achieved a net gain of a hundred extra volunteers since March this year.

Other Strategies To Successfully Recruit Retail Volunteers:

  • Attending community events and connecting with potential volunteers in person. This can include fairs, festivals, and other gatherings where you can set up a booth or table and talk to people about your volunteer opportunities.
  • Utilising word-of-mouth marketing. Encourage current volunteers to spread the word about opportunities to their friends and family.
  • Developing clear and concise job descriptions for volunteer positions, including responsibilities and expectations.
  • Having a clear and easy application process encourages people that it is a quick and easy process to become retail volunteers.
  • Offering perks for volunteers such as discounts, special offers, or early access to new products.
  • Being open to feedback and adjusting the recruitment strategy accordingly.

 

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Let’s Help To #ChangeTheStory

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On 18th January 2023

In Charity, News & Views

Reach Volunteering have created a campaign to celebrate the humanity that exists in the world. Reach Volunteering is the leading skills-based volunteering charity and the UK’s single biggest source of trustees for the voluntary sector. Their vision is to create a world where people come together to create a thriving, fair and sustainable society.

Reach Volunteering are encouraging people to #ChangeTheStory. Millions of people in the UK volunteer their time to help others, creating a better society. As a volunteer you can change the story and create change and inspire others to do the same.

The Common Cause Foundation Human Values 

Values help determine what is important to us and shape how we interact with other people and the more-than-human world. Values are important influences in many aspects of our lives. They also influence how we act on issues that affect the world around us. Research from The Common Cause Foundation found that 74% of us hold compassionate values as the most important. Yet 77% believe that everyone else holds selfish values as the most important. The misperception of other people’s values holds us back from tackling society’s challenges.

How You Can Help To #ChangeTheStory

Every day in the UK, people are acting on their compassionate values through volunteering. People need to see this and celebrate and encourage it. Both volunteers and organisations that involve volunteers can take part in helping to spread the message. 

  • Talk about the #ChangeTheStory campaign with other volunteers, your friends and people around you to encourage them to participate.
  • Volunteers can share their reasons for volunteering, this can inspire and motivate others to volunteer. Reach Volunteering have suggested posting a video to social media explaining your volunteer story. 
  • Whether you are a volunteer, or an organisation that involves volunteers, you can spread the message and post promotional content on social media using #ChangeTheStory until the end of January 2023.
  • If you are already a volunteer, keep doing what you are doing. You could also find new places to volunteer and encourage your friends and people around you to do the same.
  • As a volunteer, you can share your expertise with a charity that aligns with your values. You can find new opportunities here.
  • Get inspiration for how you can share your compassion and be kind to others with this article of 52 ways to spread love through acts of kindness.
  • As an organisation that involves volunteers, you can become a campaign partner which involves promoting the campaign and seeking quotes from your volunteers to share. You can email Reach Volunteering here to get involved: changethestory@reachvolunteering.org.uk

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Volunteering Is For Life, Not Just For Christmas

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On 11th January 2023

In Charity, Community, Education, Hospice, Local Authority, NHS, Sport

Charity work and volunteering are usually largely associated with the festive period, people want to donate their time to give back to help those less fortunate during Christmas.

Before Christmas, we posted a blog discussing the many available opportunities and ideas of where to volunteer at Christmas time. The reality is these organisations need help and support from volunteers all year round and not just during the festive period and volunteer managers may also find a large decrease in volunteers after this time. People in need aren’t just homeless or lonely during the festive period, similar to the well knowing saying from the Dogs Trust organisation, “A dog is for life, not just for Christmas”.

Support for people in need will need volunteers and donations more than ever especially due to the cost of living crisis. There are plenty of opportunities where organisations need help from volunteers all year round below and some ways volunteer managers can retain these volunteers throughout the year. 

Volunteering At Crisis

Crisis is a charity for people experiencing homelessness, each year they support thousands of people to help find safe and stable accommodation. Over the festive period, Crisis had thousands of volunteers across the UK providing companionship and serving and delivering hot meals. These volunteers are still needed throughout the year as homelessness is an ongoing issue, Crisis estimated that around 227,000 people were experiencing the worst forms of homelessness across England, Scotland and Wales in 2021. The charity is consistently creating new opportunities so you can find the one that suits you best.

You can find available volunteering opportunities near you on the Crisis website. 

Volunteering At Age UK

Age UK is a charity that helps older people that don’t have care or support from others or anyone to turn to, leading to 1.2 million older people in the UK experiencing loneliness each year. You can become a part of the Age UK community and provide support and raise money so people can get the help they deserve. Although older people may be particularly lonely during the festive period, they will also experience this all year round. A simple way you can make a difference is the telephone friendship service, just as little as 30 minutes of your time a week to talk to an elderly person over the phone can largely impact an older person’s life.

Volunteering At Charity Shops 

Volunteers for charity shops are needed now more than ever, since the pandemic thousands of volunteers in retail have been lost. The number of volunteers at charity shops in the UK has fallen by 24% since 2019.

There are plenty of organisations including Barnardo’s UK, British Heart Foundation and more that have hundreds of charity shops across the UK. Roles could include working the tills, decorating window displays or managing donations. Barnardo’s UK currently has 10,000 shop volunteers keeping their 700 shops up and running, but without the help of volunteers, these organisations could struggle. 

Tips For Volunteer Managers

As a volunteer manager, it may be difficult to retain these volunteers to carry on volunteering throughout the year and not just at Christmas time. Promoting that volunteering is a rewarding New Years’ resolution idea on your organisation’s website or social media, could encourage people to continue volunteering. 

Another way to retain your volunteers throughout the year is to offer flexible scheduling options for roles. People may be drawn to volunteering over Christmas because it means they only have to volunteer for a day or two. By making future opportunities flexible, people won’t have to commit to volunteering full-time.

You can read more about how to engage and retain your volunteers in 2023 here!

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Are you Missing out on Billions from Corporate Volunteering?

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On 1st December 2022

In Charity, News & Views

According to research from Pilotlight, corporate volunteering could generate up to £17 billion for UK charities. The report also calls for UK employers to do more to support skills-based volunteering in their communities.

So what’s stopping corporations from encouraging their employees to volunteer? Some leaders say it’s difficult to find opportunities that align with company goals. Maybe some corporate leaders just aren’t looking, or aren’t aware, of the vast opportunities available. Not to mention the benefits they can provide.

It’s not as if the demand isn’t there, the report states that 45% of adults would like to use the skills or knowledge they have developed at work to help out charities, good causes or community groups on a voluntary basis.

There is a push to move towards a ‘workout culture’. This involves actively encouraging and supporting employees to use their time and skills to support charities and get involved in their community. Overall, it builds a stronger, more progressive company culture.

Promoting the Benefits

Allowing workers to volunteer is known to increase employee well-being, improve retention, and increase attraction to potential employees.

Furthermore, while volunteering helps the community, it could also help improve an organisation’s culture. Corporate volunteering days provide a chance for employee bonding – especially relevant due to the face-to-face time lost during the pandemic.

Recent research from the Charity Retail Association shows that charities are experiencing volunteer shortages, with many reporting that these shortages have had a negative effect on income. What better way to fill these gaps than through corporate volunteering? Promoting the benefits of volunteering and tugging on the heartstrings a little bit can’t hurt anyone.

What can Charities do?

An area on your website specifically dedicated to outlining what corporate volunteering is on offer is a great help. The first step is to make key information easy to access.

Any organisation with volunteering opportunities should be promoting them digitally. This is the best way you can reach a wide audience. This might involve posting on social media, or investing in a volunteer management system.

We appreciate some organisations may not be able to afford digital tools like volunteer management software, that’s why we created TryVolunteering.

TryVolunteering allows you to advertise your opportunities for free on our national platform. Get started today by signing up as a Provider. You can set up your own profile and invite your existing volunteers to sign up. We will also automatically link all volunteers who sign up using your link to you.

An example of a public-facing profile on TryVolunteering.

In addition, our varied pricing options mean there’s something to suit organisations of any size. With our cheapest option starting from just £19 per month. Find out more on our website. You can even share your opportunities to other local TeamKinetic sites to really maximise your reach.

What can employers do to encourage their employees?

  • Talk to your employees.

    Firstly, find out what it is they might want to get out of volunteering. Find out what they’re interested in, particularly if it aligns with your company’s goals. Employees will be more enthusiastic about volunteering if it connects with their values.

  • Reach out to charities.

    Find charities that work in the fields you’ve identified as important to your company and employees. This could even end up becoming a long-term partnership for ongoing corporate volunteering days.

  • Start spreading the word!

    Tell your employees how they can join in, explicitly promoting the benefits. Why not give them a paid day off to get involved? Mention it in your meetings, newsletter, emails – basically any communication channel.
    You should also set up a way for employees to give feedback on what worked and what might not have worked, this allows you to improve your volunteering days as time goes on.

  • Celebrate your achievements.

    Volunteering is a great way to pick up new skills and put those you already have into practice. Posting about your volunteering on social media and internal email updates can also be a great morale booster for employees.

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How Your Fundraising Can Inspire Others…

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On 20th April 2022

In Charity, Community, News & Views

Bean baths, vows of silence and walking mountains- the ways in which people decide to raise money for a charity are vast. But they all give people a sense of adventure and purpose. Our day-to-day looks at the volunteering done by organisations, as opposed to the fundraising aspect. That doesn’t mean we don’t love hearing the stories of people bathing in beans or walking the 3 peaks for a charity close to their heart. Sometimes, those fundraising inspire others to do the exact same thing. 

We also love helping when we can! Which is why we’re bringing you Allen’s story- some of you may know him as Tiny- currently cycling from Cornwall to Scotland for a charity helping the veterans of this country…

Allen’s Story

We first heard of Allen’s story through our Lead Software Developer- Rolf. Residing in Wales, Rolf welcomed Allen in for some well-earned kip and to get cleaned up and fed for the rest of his journey.

Having served in the foreign legion for many years (having first signed up at the age of 17!) He has set himself the task to raise £40,000 by the time he’s completed his cycle. Not only is he cycling, but apart from the odd couple of nights recuperating, Allen has decided to sleep roadside too battling every kind of weather (quite literally- Britain eh?)

Amazingly, Allen has pledged to start on another route if his target isn’t met by the time his cycle is over. An incredible commitment already, Allen’s determination to raise money for a cause so close to his heart is as inspiring as it is remarkable. We hope that Allen’s story only encourages others to get out there and fundraise!

Read more about Allen and his journey and donate if you can.

Inspire Others.

For many, signing up for a run/walk/swim/cycle can be daunting. Stories just like Allen’s may be the push you need to put pen to paper and get started. It isn’t just Allen who’s set themselves tasks this year…

Mother and Daughter duo, Lucy and Greta are among a group just shy of 50 soon to set off on a trek of the Sahara. Having 90% of the funds raised already, the group is focused on sending the money to funding a construction for a new and larger hospice in Pease Pottage. 

This is just another example of those pushing their comfort zones to raise money for where it’s needed most. We’re wishing Lucy and Greta, along with the rest of the team all the best ahead of their upcoming hike!

It comes as no surprise that hearing others fundraising stories inspires so many others to start their own. People might think that they’re too small to make a difference- this shouldn’t stop you from getting up and fundraising for an organisation you love. Any difference, big or small, means so much to charities and organisations. A difference, big or small, is still making a difference. 

Wondering how you can fundraise?

Stories like Allen’s, like Lucy and Greta’s, inspire people every day to donate or start a fundraising journey of their own.

If you’re feeling inspired, why not start your fundraising journey today! You might be wondering what activity you can take on. We’ve got you covered with some simple fundraisers you can take on to start your passage…

Runs and Walks: 5k, 10k or marathons, walking up (and down) mountains. The weather is getting warmer- so why not get out there and put one foot in front of the other. If you’re looking for something more casual, why not try a step challenge? 100,000 steps in a certain time frame?

If walking or running isn’t quite your forte, why not follow in Allen’s footsteps. Find a route, jump on your bike and start pedaling. Become your own Allen! With the East Coast and Scotland left to go- we’re sending Allen all the best. You can read more on his story and donate if you can here.

The Lasting Impact of the Pankhurst Family

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On 8th March 2022

In Charity, Heritage & Culture, News & Views

In 1903, the Women’s Social and Political Union (WSPU) was founded on 10 October at 62 Nelson Street in Manchester, home of the Pankhurst family. It was an independent women’s movement with the motto ‘Deeds not words’.

Museum of London on Twitter: "News that Asquith had called an election quickly reached the Women's Social and Political Union and plans for a peaceful deputation of the WSPU to the House

The fight for the right to vote

The WPSU fought tirelessly to obtain the right to vote for women. They started out with an array of peaceful tactics. However, these proved ineffective and led to a complete lack of government action.

The WPSU grew exasperated, leading them to more violent acts and illegal activity such as attacks on public property. From these acts, many members were imprisoned. In Holloway Prison, WPSU leader Emmeline Pankhurst staged a hunger strike, aiming to improve conditions for other suffragettes in nearby cells. Other suffragettes who were imprisoned joined Pankhurst in her strike. However, this resulted in brutal force-feeding for the women.

I shall never while I live forget the suffering I experienced during the days when those cries were ringing in my ears.

Emmeline Pankhurst on the force-feeding, ‘My Own Story’ [1914]

The force-feeding and suffering the women underwent in prison caused an uproar across the country. These negative public relations resulted in the development of the Cat and Mouse Act. This act would allow the release of prisoners facing ill-health due to hunger strikes.

The cycle of suffragettes being imprisoned, staging hunger strikes, and being released due to ill health continued for years. Between 1912 and 1914 the WPSU instigated a bombing and arson campaign targeting public buildings and infrastructure. This was a much more violent approach, resulting in the departure of key members, and was only ended due to the start of World War I in 1914.

The Women’s Party

In 1917, the WPSU was dissolved and Emmeline and Christabel Pankhurst founded the Women’s Party. Their slogan was ‘Victory, National Security and Progress’, hoping to tie the right for women to vote in with World War I victory.

The right to vote obtained?

In 1918, the Representation of the People Act was passed. This allowed some women to vote so long as they fit the following criteria:

  • aged 30 or over
  • resides in the constituency
    • or who occupied land/premises with a value over £5

This Act also abolished previous restrictions for men, extending the vote to virtually all men over 21 years old. Therefore, although this was a victory for women, it still did not produce the political equality the movement had been fighting for. It did, however, give women over the age of 21 the right to stand for election as a Member of Parliament.

Women finally achieved the same voting rights as men in 1928, with the Equal Franchise Act.

A lasting legacy

On Thursday 14 June 1928 Emmeline Pankhurst died, at the age of 69. Today she is remembered as a pioneer for women’s rights and her impact is not forgotten. For example, The Pankhurst Centre in Manchester is the only museum dedicated to telling the story of women’s fight for the right to vote.

The Pankhurst Trust (Incorporating Manchester Women’s Aid)

In 2014, The Pankhurst Centre and Manchester Women’s Aid merged with the shared goal of women’s liberation and support for women. The Pankhurst Centre is home to a museum and a variety of women-only activities. While Manchester Women’s Aid is the city’s largest provider of domestic abuse services. Many are unaware that a large portion of the work done by these organisations is due to the hard work of volunteers.

We found out more about The Pankhurst Trust (Incorporating Manchester Women’s Aid) when Chris sat down with Abi Froud to record an episode of our new podcast – TeamTalk.
Abi is the Volunteer Coordinator, giving her first-hand experiencing managing the Trust’s volunteers.

You can listen to the episode here:

Volunteers’ Activities

To kick things off, Abi told us about the main services delivered by the Trust.

The Trust currently has over 150 registered volunteers who get up to a whole range of activities. One day they might be in the museum, the next they could be cooking lunch for a group of women.

The demographics of the Trust’s volunteers is predominantly women, with 95%, but within that Abi notes that they are quite diverse. Their volunteers are also mostly younger and they’re very engaged which is amazing to see!

The Impact of COVID

When we asked about the impact of COVID, it was clear that it affected the Trust’s work. It’s clear that their volunteers are very hands-on and a lot of the work they do requires face-to-face activity.

Despite this, a door was opened for the development of remote activities such as a telephone befriending service and getting volunteers involved in research for the museum. After COVID restrictions lessened, the number of volunteer registrations spiked with more and more people wanting to get involved.

People were coming back from COVID and thinking about what their values are and what they want to do. I think [The Pankhurst Trust] align[s] with that.

Abi on the spike in registrations

With COVID also came a rise in the use of digital solutions. Here’s where we come in…

How TeamKinetic helped

Abi notes the ability to quickly and easily communicate with her volunteers as a key benefit of having a digital volunteer management system. She also noted that when she first came into her role, the details stored against each volunteer profile really helped her get to know her volunteers.

She also noted the logistical side, with the system making the process of volunteering more effective. TeamKinetic gave them the ability to create rotas, send out weekly emails, and have volunteers log their own hours.

Abi also touched on the reluctance of some volunteers to get involved with digital, but acknowledges the system’s user-friendliness.

I think quite often you’ll tell someone: “We use an online system for our volunteering”
You see a bit of a drop in their face. A lot of the people that we work with, they’re not necessarily super tech savvy. Then I show it to them and they think “Oh actually I think I can do it!”.

Abi on showing new volunteers the system

Want to Get Involved Yourself?

Want to help out at The Pankhurst Trust (Incorporating Manchester Women’s Aid)? You can register to volunteer or check out their volunteering opportunities by clicking the links.

The work they do is so valuable to the local community, but if you don’t feel like you can volunteer right now, you can check out other ways to help on their website.

Need Your Own Volunteer Management Solution?

If you think TeamKinetic can help you like it helped The Pankhurst Trust (Incorporating Manchester Women’s Aid), reach out to us! We can give you a tour of the system and set you up with a trial site to see if it works for you. You can find us on our website – just start a live chat. You can also find us on social media:

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Christmas Volunteering

Christmas: Volunteering is needed now more than ever

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On 15th December 2021

In Charity, Christmas, Community, News & Views

“It’s Chrisstmaasss!” For many this festive time of year is to relax and enjoy time with friends and family; but, for many, Christmas is a time of sadness, loneliness and stress. 2021 has been another tough year for charities, and those that they help. At Christmas time, charities rely on volunteers, donations, or fundraisers to help them through this festive season. With at least 3.5 million people not looking forward to Christmas this year for a myriad of reasons, It’s time to unleash your inner elf, and start volunteering or fundraising in your local community.

Befriending Services 

According to Age UK, more than 2.5 million older people have no one to turn to for help and support. The charity’s network of local groups means there are a number of opportunities available for you to engage with- they aren’t limited to just Christmas, but maybe Christmas is the best time to start.

These opportunities also include their befriending scheme, both face-to-face and through telephone calls. Partnering with The Silver Line, Age UK offers free phone friendship services, meaning you’re able to comfort someone over the phone, from your own home. At many Age UK branches, you can become a befriender volunteer and visit an older person in their home or accompany them to doctor’s visits or the theatre. You can hear more about the befriending services through Rose and Sarah’s story here.

Age UK isn’t the only charity who offer these types of befriending services, Independent Age and Royal Voluntary Service offer similar services, open to volunteers just like you.

Befriending services are across the country this Christmas. No one should feel lonely.

Crisis at Christmas

Charity Crisis has been helping those take their first steps out of homelessness since 1967. Christmas donations of just £29.06 helps provide a place that’s safe to stay at, hot meals- including a Christmas Dinner, companionship and year-round support such as training and education to help someone end their homelessness for good.

Crisis this year has setups in London along with multiple other regions across the country, including our very own Manchester. In London, Crisis will be providing accommodation during the Christmas and New Year period to those who would alternatively be spending Christmas on the streets.

They’ll also be opening their day centres in the capital along with their other sites across Britain delivering hot meals and providing advice, health and wellbeing services. For those who may still be cautious to volunteer due to the pandemic, Crisis will be continuing to provide their volunteering opportunities in a socially distanced way. If you’d like to know more about Crisis, and the ways you can help this Christmas, have a look here.

Crisis at Christmas: Together we will end homelessness.

Local Community Based Organisations:

Local volunteering opportunities are just a few clicks away, and you’re likely to find an opportunity that fits you perfectly. If you’re struggling to find opportunities, head to our TryVolunteering site, or look for national schemes set up specifically for this time of year.

Why not look at opportunities that focus on helping young people within your local community. For those less fortunate, it can be a confusing and frustrating period. With around half a million people, including 200,000 children being pushed into poverty by the universal credit cut, volunteering, fundraising and donations may be needed more than ever.

Become a Secret Santa and raise money to help bring food, love and warmth to vulnerable children this Christmas. Last year, Santa’s across the UK reached 604,000 young people and their families. Supporting these children is now more important than ever- start your Santa journey today, here. 

What Are You Waiting For This Christmas? 

Volunteering this Christmas doesn’t just have to help those in need, there can be benefits for you too. Volunteering, fundraising and even making a small donation can make you feel good and  positively impact your mental health. You might even learn a new skill along the way! 

So, what are you waiting for? Start helping to make a difference to those in need, so everyone can enjoy Christmas this year. 

How to Effectively Reward Charity Retail Volunteers

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On 8th December 2021

In Charity, Volunteer Management

As an act that is entirely selfless, rewarding volunteers may seem like an impossible task – surely the work is rewarding enough? While, yes, the work is rewarding. It doesn’t keep a volunteer motivated to keep volunteering for you. So how do we reward charity retail volunteers?

In this blog we’ll go through a variety of ways, because not every volunteer will respond to the same methods.

First, why do they volunteer?

Understanding the reasoning behind your volunteer’s commitment can help you tailor recognition and rewards to them personally. Here are some common reasons:

  • Because they care about the cause/have been personally impacted by the organisation.
  • As a good way to fill their time.
  • To join friends and family who volunteer.
  • Because it’s a good networking opportunity.
  • Because it contributes to something wider – e.g. the Duke of Edinburgh award.

So how do we reward charity retail volunteers?

This is where it starts to feel complicated: formal vs informal, intrinsic vs extrinsic, physical v digital, etc. But don’t worry! We’ll lay it all out for you so you just have to worry about picking the right method for your volunteers.

Formal v Informal Rewards

Formal rewards are usually regarded as those you plan ahead of time. This could include things like award ceremonies, volunteer of the month awards, and certificates.

In contrast, informal rewards are the smaller things you would use on a day-to-day basis. Instead, it focuses on improving the experience for volunteers. You might reward volunteers in this way through bringing them refreshments while they work, having conversations about how their experience could be improved. A great benefit of informal rewards is their low cost and significant ongoing impact.

Intrinsic v Extrinsic Motivation

Volunteering can be personally rewarding to many people and this good feeling is often a big motivator. Intrinsic motivation is all about helping your volunteers continually feel good about the work they’re doing and the difference they’re making, rather than working towards one particular reward. It follows the same premise as informal rewards – you want to reward volunteers by continually improving the state of your volunteer programme.

On the other hand, extrinsic motivation involves volunteering because of outside factors, such as receiving a reward. This isn’t always a negative thing, as mentioned above, people often volunteer as part of something else. For example, a student may volunteer in a charity shop in order to fulfil one of the requirements of the Duke of Edinburgh Award.

There’s always potential to retain this kind of volunteer through intrinsic motivation. If they become motivated by the way volunteering makes them feel, rather than fulfilling a requirement, they’ll be more likely to keep volunteering for you.

Physical v Digital

Now we know about the different types of motivation and rewards, we can start thinking how to deliver them. Those of you who are not yet fully engaging with digital may feel more comfortable delivering purely physical rewards (such as thank you cards and teas/coffee).
One Welsh charity even decided to help the local community beyond their existing efforts. The Gellideg Foundation Group gave their volunteers gift cards to small local businesses as a reward, helping boost the local economy and keep local shops open!

However, there are a whole host more options available to you via digital means. And you never have to stick to purely digital or physical rewards – there’s room for both to be used effectively.

How can I reward volunteers with TeamKinetic?

TeamKinetic can facilitate a range of options when it comes to rewarding your hard-working volunteers.

First of all, after every opportunity, volunteers and opportunity providers are asked to leave feedback. This feedback serves as a way to praise the volunteer but can also be used to improve internally. If any volunteers have issues, these will be sent to you and you can deal with them. Giving volunteers a great place to work is a great step to help them feel appreciated.



Furthermore, the system offers HourTrades. These are rewards for reaching a certain number of volunteering hours logged. This can be set to anything you desire, offering a wide range of incentives to your charity retail volunteers.

We also have Opportunity and Achievement Badges.
Opportunity badges can identify opportunities that will contribute to an award, such as the Duke of Edinburgh Award. Achievement Badges are awarded over time – the more hours a volunteer logs, the better badge they receive! These are saved digitally but for an added touch you could create physical badges to match!

Try it for yourself

You can start a free trial of TeamKinetic on our website, giving you access to everything the system has to offer for 30 days.

If you want to find out more about the system, or have any questions you can use the chat feature on our website, email us, phone us on 0161 914 5757, or find us on social media:

You can find TeamKinetic on social media and listen to our podcast:

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Why Analysing Your Volunteer Programme is so Important

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On 1st December 2021

In Charity, Volunteer Management

If your organisation has an established volunteer programme, you’ll have your volunteers up and running with good quality opportunities, but now it’s time to evaluate. Maybe you’re already analysing your volunteer programme, but is it enough?

Analysing your volunteer programme can provide key insight into the impact of your programme. This could include how you’ve improved the lives of people in the local community and key demographics of your volunteers. So let’s dive right in…

The Fundamentals

Let’s start with your goals. Do you have them and are you achieving them?

Simple reporting tools can help you recognise whether you’re hitting these goals. If you are, it can inform how you go about setting new goals. If not, it’ll give you an idea of how to adjust your operations in order to achieve them. And if you’re yet to set any goals, key KPIs can help you draw some up.

What are KPIs?

Key Performance Indicators: a set of quantifiable measurements used to gauge a company’s overall long-term performance. This could include things like:

  • Total number of active volunteers
  • Volunteer retention rate
  • Total number of hours logged
  • Volunteer demographics (gender, age, ethnicity, location, etc.)
  • The monetary value of services rendered by volunteer support
  • Number of people in the community served by volunteers

So Why Is It Important?

Analysing your volunteer programme is a pathway to discovering a whole host of things.

Volunteer retention rate can suggest the happiness of your volunteers or quality of your opportunities. If volunteers aren’t happy and don’t have access to good opportunities, they won’t keep coming back. You can read more on how to fix this issue in our ‘How to Increase Volunteer Retention (and keep it!)‘ blog.
Just remember: a happy volunteer is a loyal volunteer!

Furthermore, volunteer demographics can be compared to demographics in your area to see whether your programme is attracting an expected variety of people. If not, why not?
For example, demographics showing a very high proportion of white volunteers in a very ethnically diverse area could suggest there are barriers to people in your community who want to volunteer. Our recent post ‘Is Your Pool of Volunteers Diverse and Inclusive?‘ provides valuable tips on how to improve this within your own organisation.

However, data isn’t just about spotting areas for improvement. It could also be used to identify those who are going above and beyond for your organisation. With tools like hour logging and feedback, you can see which volunteers are giving their time the most and receiving praise for their work.

How can I get started?

There’s a good chance you’re already managing your volunteers digitally, but are you using volunteer management software? Software can put everything in one place for you, allowing you to manage, communicate, and analyse your volunteers in a few clicks. You can read more about implementing volunteer management software in this blog.

While it’s possible to analyse your volunteers using spreadsheets and other software, it’s definitely much easier to have everything in one place. Instantly have everything you need to manage your volunteers all in one place, leaving you more time to focus on the important stuff.

Why not try TeamKinetic?

You can start a free trial of TeamKinetic on our website. This will let you check out all our features for 30 days. This includes features such as volunteer-owned profiles, the ability to log hours completed, and reporting tools. If you like what you see, contact us to book a demo and see how we can help your organisation manage your volunteers and start analysing your volunteer programme!

Contact us:
– Email: alex@teamkinetic.co.uk
– Phone: 0161 914 5757
– Social media:

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Is Your Pool of Volunteers Diverse and Inclusive?

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On 24th November 2021

In Charity, News & Views, Volunteer Management

Organisations should be diverse and inclusive to the communities they serve, and your volunteers should mirror that. So, how do organisations achieve this? A recent agenda consulting survey gives us some more detail into how volunteering organisations value diversity.

Agenda Consulting undertook a survey as part of their ‘Diversity, Equity and Inclusion in the UK Third Sector’ report. The report looks to understand people’s views and experiences of diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) within the organisations they work with. The survey covers 8 sectors: Gender, Gender different to that originally assigned at birth; Ethnicity, Disability, Religion, Sexual Orientation and Age.

Agenda Consulting Survey:

The overall view from survey results states the average positivity for DEI is 72%, with neutrality being 21%. The average negativity is 7%. What is most surprising is that the highest level of negativity is regarding age: at 12% negativity overall. 

It’s clear that while there are mostly positive results, there’s still work to be done: 67% of respondents feel the leadership groups display their commitment to DEI. However, just 48% of people feel their organisation is committed to promoting the representation of diverse groups. By recruiting and retaining a workforce that is diverse, you can work towards building stronger perceptions. 

Sector Results:

The results show for gender little difference between men’s and women’s perception, yet statistics from Agenda’s People Count, show that gender balance shifts as we move through levels of seniority. There may be an imbalance in results. 76% of the survey sample are female, fitting with Volunteers Count of 70% of all volunteers being female. For more information, we have a blog post which dives into the reasons why women volunteer more than men. 

For those whose gender is different to that originally assigned at birth: results suggest there needs to be education within the sector. Only 50% believe that, regardless of gender reassignment, people are treated equally. By increasing the education or knowledge of volunteers surrounding DEI, it becomes an organisation-wide initiative, instead of being held to within one department. 

There is a strong perception that there is equal treatment regarding ethnicity, with 73% of people feeling like everyone is treated equally irrespective of race/ ethnicity: but 10% disagree. Perceptions of equal treatment are considerably lower for those respondents from an ethnic minority. More awareness is needed throughout organisations: and this should be done by the very people who it directly affects. We’ve looked deeper into the socio-economic status surrounding volunteers and whether volunteering is too white and wealthy… 

Disability, Religion, Sexual Orientation and Age:

The results from disability-related questions show that 67% feel people are treated equally, with 24% neutral and 9% feel negatively. This use of ‘neutral’ suggests that volunteers don’t have enough insight. This is possibly due to the fact that just 4% of volunteers are disabled (according to Volunteers Count). If we remove those barriers, we open volunteering up to a wider community with fresh ideas and skills, representing wider society as a whole.

74% feel that people are treated equally despite a person’s religious beliefs, with 22% of people feeling neutral and 4% opposing the statement. There are several groups who are the least positive. Agenda’s report outlines those who identify in another way and ethnic minorities as standouts for those who aren’t as positive. It can be suggested that this is down to wider societal stereotypes, which are translating into the volunteering sector. 

Overall, only 1% of those who identify as Lesbian, Gay or Bisexual (LGB) felt they weren’t treated equally due to their sexual orientation, whereas 84% of people did. During the survey, it was LGB groups who thought less positively about the statements being asked of them. This possibly suggests that they are more aware than others about the inequalities minorities face.

As mentioned above, it is age that has the greatest discrepancy when it comes to being treated equally. Out of the 3% of under 25s who took part in the survey, only 59% felt positively, with 18% negative. As age increases, the negativity does too. This suggests a divide within organisations among age groups on whether certain groups of people are treated equally.

So Why Should We Increase the Diversity of Volunteer Programmes?

Harvard Business Review confirms that when a team member shares the ethnicity of their client, the entire team is 152% more likely to fully understand the client. This ability is crucial for volunteer programmes. By increasing the diversity of your organisation you receive new ideas and approaches to your work; with new volunteers, you gain people from different educational backgrounds with different soft skills, like communication. 

All of this helps your organisation, but it also helps those you volunteer for: your volunteers can be role models. Those who can see themselves within volunteers can inspire and increase their aspirations. They may also want to volunteer in some capacity too! Organisations should be looking towards becoming inclusive for all, for a stronger future.

So How Do We Increase the Diversity of Volunteer programmes?

There are a number of strategies to ensure your volunteer programme can become inclusive for all. Starting with your language. Switching up your language to attract certain groups of people can help you gain a wider audience.

Start to build relationships! Building up relationships with communities means you can speak freely and they can too! It’s important to identify those communities you want to engage with: it’s important you’re authentic. 

The policies that your organisation has may need rewriting. What you have written down versus the culture surrounding your volunteer programme can be drastically different.

Diversity, Equity and Inclusion are so important for volunteer programmes who want to move forward. It’s simple, organisations must be inclusive for all. Your pool of volunteers should mirror the community you work in. With a diverse pool of volunteers, you have an opportunity. Team bonding exercises can bring people together. 

AVM’s Making an Inclusive and Accessible Recruitment and Onboarding Experience

Save the Date! Wednesday the 27th April, 9:30am- 12:30pm, AVM are hosting an event helping you to create an inclusive and accessible recruitment and onboarding experience! Straight from AVM, at this event you will…

  • Hear ideas on how you could adapt your recruitment and onboarding process to be more inclusive
  • Learn how organisations have overcome some of the barriers to inclusive recruitment
  • Reasonable adjustments that can be made to ensure your recruitment process is accessible to all
  • How to attract a diverse range of volunteers and what you might need to consider
  • Have an opportunity to plan your next steps, in small groups with your peers

Learn more about the event and how you get your tickets here! 

Manage Your Volunteers:

We now know how important diversity and inclusion are to volunteer organisations and volunteer management. An efficient and effective management system is needed to help you help your volunteers and the community. TeamKinetic can help you recruit, retain and realise the potential of your 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.

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