Welcome back to Season 2 of our TeamTalk podcast. This season, we are talking to thought leaders, customers and stakeholders from the world of sport and physical exercise as we dive deeper into the world of volunteering.
We are also joined again by our co-host Imo Greatbatch. Imo is currently the Head of Volunteering at England Netball, she is passionate about volunteering in sports and is offering her knowledge and insight on the topic.
In this TeamTalk episode, we wanted to feature guests that explore inclusion and accessibility needs. We explore Danielle and Richard’s roles in England Netball and how we create that sense of belonging in the sport.
Listen to Season 2 Episode 5 here:
England Netball
England Netball is responsible for overseeing and promoting the sport of netball in England at all levels. They manage the England national netball team, which competes in international competitions such as the Netball World Cup and the Commonwealth Games. They also develop and implement policies and programs to grow participation in the sport at the grassroots level. This includes coaching, officiating, and volunteer development. England Netball also works with other organisations and partners to develop netball’s infrastructure and facilities, and to promote the sport to new audiences. They also have some role in managing the domestic leagues and competitions.
Danielle Hogan
Danielle is the diversity and belonging business partner for England Netball. Danielle’s background is in business psychology but she has always played Netball and been a big fan of basketball, her life has always been sports outside of any work.
Richard Evans
Richard is the strategic lead for disability at England Netball. Richard discusses how his parents played a big part in why he does what he does today as he had been brought up in a volunteering role. Richard had his first volunteering role at just 15 years old! He then carried this on all throughout university and onwards, all throughout his journey as a non-traditional physio Richard worked in a sport setting.
Thank you to Danielle and Richard for joining us on the podcast, and sharing their insightful knowledge! It was a pleasure to have you both as guests.
For TeamTalk Season 2, Episode 4, Emma Peat from Formula E joins hosts Chris Martin and Imogen Greatbatch.
Welcome back to season 2 of our TeamTalk podcast. This season, we are talking to thought leaders, customers and stakeholders from the world of sports and physical exercise. Join us as we dive deeper into sports volunteering and the volunteer managers who make it happen.
In this episode, Chris and Imogen were joined by Emma Peat from Formula E. Emma talked us through her volunteer management journey and discussed her enthusiasm for sports and volunteering.
Emma Peat is currently the Event Workforce Manager at Formula E, leading a global team of Support Staff and Volunteer Managers who deliver a vital temporary resourcing programme on the ground at Formula E events.
Her volunteer management journey started at University where she got stuck in, playing many different sports. She even started a hockey team with her friends. After university, she moved to London and got a job at a clothing company doing customer service. She had experience before in the events world due to a placement year.
Emma’s passion for hockey landed her the Events Officer role at England Hockey. She has found that a passion-fueled environment is very energising and working with volunteers is her favourite thing and that’s where she fell in love with the job role.
Emma expressed that she is always very keen to get involved and would do activities with the volunteers as well as manage them. She is now operating internationally working for Formula E.
Formula E
Formula E is a single-seater motorsport championship for electric cars. Formula E’s founding mission was for its race through the streets of the most iconic cities in the world – with a grid full of the best racing drivers and teams around – to show just what sustainable mobility was capable of, driving electric vehicles to the fore in the race for a better, cleaner future.
After six seasons of racing on the streets of the world’s most progressive cities, Formula E gained World Championship status, a move granted by the FIA (motorsport’s governing body) in December 2019.
TeamTalk is a podcast that takes a deeper dive into the world of volunteer management, hosted by Director of TeamKinetic, Chris Martin. Chris speaks to a variety of people across the third sector to get their thoughts on all things volunteering and volunteer management.
We launched our first episode in January 2022 and so far we are halfway through season 2 and our podcast is now available to listen to on a variety of platforms. This season, Chris has been talking to thought leaders, customers and stakeholders from the world of sport and physical exercise as he takes a deeper dive into volunteering and the volunteer managers who make it happen. We have been joined by a range of guests from the world of volunteering including Jenny Betteridge, Alaina Macgregor, Philippa Bass, Kristen Natale, Gethyn Williams, and James Allen and there are plenty more guests to come!
In this series, Chris has been joined by co-host Imo Greatbatch. Imo is currently the Head of Volunteering at England Netball and is passionate about volunteering in sports brings her insightful knowledge to the podcast.
Why You Should Be Listening To The Podcast
Our weekly podcast covers various topics with fantastic guests giving their insight on the volunteer management world. The podcast allows you to listen to other like-minded people’s thoughts on the sector and their journey into the volunteer management industry.
Due to the knowledgeable guests who have years of experience in the industry you are able to learn more about the sector. It’s particularly intriguing to hear the journeys each of the guests have come down to enter the sector and what they initially started out doing compared to the amazing things they are involved in now.
So if you are a volunteer manager starting out or have years of experience in the industry, it would be useful to hear the tips and opinions of others who are already involved in the sector. We can guarantee you will feel inspired after listening to an episode due to the strong passion for the sector from each of the guests.
Episode Guide
Season 1
In Season 1 Chris spoke to a range of guests across the sector, each covering a variety of topics from the importance of great leadership as a Volunteer Manager, the challenges of the pandemic on the voluntary sector and more!
Season 1 Episode 1: Starting off the season, Chris was joined by Nicola Ward and Ian Turnbull from Willowbrook Hospice. Chris, Ian, and Nicola discuss everything from Willowbrook to criminal checks, and how the TeamKinetic system has simplified their work.
Season 1 Episode 2: Talking all things Manchester women’s aid with Abi Froud from the Pankhurst Trust. Learn more about the incredible work done by Manchester women’s aid. During this episode, Abi discusses her work within the Pankhurst Trust and continues to inspire us to challenge gender inequality.
Season 1 Episode 3: If you want to know more about the importance of great leadership, this is the episode for you! Chris was joined by Ruth Lenoard, Ruth is the Chair of Association of Volunteer Managers and we are pleased to be AVMs first corporate partner. During this episode Ruth talks about her journey into where she is today and leadership skills.
Season 1 Episode 4: Next up Chris spoke to Andy Broomhead, board member at AVM and Head of Volunteering at Diabetes UK. We hear Andy talking about his challenges he’s been through as a volunteer himself and a volunteer manager.
Season 1 Episode 5: In the final episode of the season, Claire Troupe talked us through how those working with volunteers are revitalising the volunteer movement post pandemic. Claire Troupe is the Project Manager at Manchester City Councils Volunteer Inspire Programme (MCRVIP). She shared with us that if you are not fully immersed in the volunteer world, the work may go unoticed.
In Season 2 Chris explores the world of sport and takes a deeper dive into volunteering and the volunteer managers who make it happen. In this season, Chris was joined by co-host Imo Greatbatch. Imo is Head of Volunteering at England Netball and shares her insightful knowledge with the guests.
Season 2 Episode 1: Season 2 was started off by exploring the Vision For Volunteering. Chris and Imo were joined by three guests: Jenny Betteridge, James Allen and Gethyn Williams. Jenny is Stategic Lead for Volunteering at Sport England and Gethyn and James launched the market engagement that made the vision possible. In this episode we get stuck into what the vision is, what it means and how you can get involved as it evolves over the coming months and years.
Season 2 Episode 2: In Episode 2, Chris was joined by Alaina MacGregor and Philippa Bass from British Blind Sport. In this episode Alaina and Philippa talk about their jounry with British Blind Sport and we learn all about their ‘Have a Go’ day programme which has introduced hundreds of visually impaired adults and children to new sports.
Season 2 Episode 3: Next up Chris spoke to Kristen Natale who has over 10 years experience in volunteer development and is now the Head of Volunteering at Sport England. In this episode Kristen discusses her thoughts on the Vision for Volunteering and how she got to where she is today.
Season 2 Episode 4: Episode 4 is coming very soon! Chris was joined by Emma Peat from Formula E, this is a very interesting listen if you interested in this side of the sports industry.
Thank you to all our guests who have joined us so far on the podcast. If you have any topic or guest requests be sure to let us know, you can contact us on our socials using the hashtag #TeamTalk or drop us an email (isabella@teamkinetic.co.uk).
Keep your eyes peeled as Season 3 is coming soon!
You can find TeamKinetic on social media and listen to other episodes of our podcast:
For TeamTalk Season 2, Episode 3, Kristen Natale from Sport England joins hosts Chris Martin and Imogen Greatbatch.
Welcome back to season 2 of our TeamTalk podcast. This season, we are talking to thought leaders, customers and stakeholders from the world of sports and physical exercise. Join us as we dive deeper into sports volunteering and the volunteer managers who make it happen.
In this episode, Kristen Natale joins us. Kristen is the Head of Volunteering at Sport England and her passion for volunteering shines through.
Co-host Imo Greatbatch also joins us. Imo is currently the Head of Volunteering at England Netball. She is passionate about volunteering in sports and is offering her knowledge and insight on the topic.
About Kristen Natale
Kristen has over 10 years of experience in volunteer development, working with partners across various sectors. Although she didn’t plan for a career in volunteer management, she knew she wanted to do something rooted in communities and making lives better for people.
Now she is passionate about the power of volunteering and is the Head of Volunteering at Sport England. Kristen discusses her thoughts on the Vision for Volunteering and how she got to where she is today.
About Sport England
Starting out as The Sports Council, it was an independent body under the Department of National Heritage, established by the Royal Charter in 1972. The organisation now invests in sport and physical activity to make it a normal part of life for everyone in England. Two-thirds of their funding comes from lottery players, and everything the organisation spends ties into our vision that everyone in England should be able to participate in sport and activity.
Sport England believe they can be part of a bigger picture of work that helps to address many of society’s biggest challenges. Their Uniting the Movement strategy is a 10-year vision to transform lives and communities through sport and physical activity.
For TeamTalk Season 2, Episode 2, we are joined by British Blind Sport’s Alaina MacGregor and Philippa Bass. Hosted by Chris Martin and Imogen Greatbatch.
Welcome back to Season 2 of our TeamTalk podcast. This season, we are talking to thought leaders, customers and stakeholders from the world of sport and physical exercise as we dive deeper into volunteering and the volunteer managers who make it happen.
In this episode, we are joined by Alaina MacGregor and Philippa Bass from British Blind Sport. We are also joined again by our co-host Imo Greatbatch. Imo is currently the Head of Volunteering at England Netball, she is passionate about volunteering in sports and is offering her knowledge and insight on the topic.
About British Blind Sport
British Blind Sport “prides itself on making a visible difference through sport as we know that taking the first step into participating in a sporting or recreational activity can change lives for the better”. The charity was established in 1975 under the name of BASRAB (British Association of Sports and Recreation Activities of the Blind) and was created to assist blind and partially sighted adults and children to access opportunities in sports. The charity organisation has now assisted over 100,000 visually impaired adults and children to access sport.
About Our Guests
Alaina MacGregor is the Chief Executive of British Blind Sport. After a successful 16-year career in marketing, Alaina turned to charity work as she felt that she wanted to give back. Alaina became involved in disability sport as a volunteer advisor to British Blind Sport in 2010 but took up the responsibility of Chief Executive Officer in 2011.
Our other guest is Philippa Bass, Sports Participation Officer. Philippa joined the team in September 2021, having worked in Disability Football for the past 8 years, where she has experience of blind and partially sighted provision. Philippa, is responsible for the coordination and delivery of their active programme, to get more people active and enjoying participation in sports. This includes the ‘Have a Go’ day programme.
Have a go days encourage everyone, no matter their previous experience in sport, to come along, make new friends and discover inclusive activities in their community. The ‘Have a Go’ day programme has introduced hundreds of visually impaired adults and children to new sports.
As Alaina says, it’s an exciting time for disability sports but we need to get it absolutely right, we’re going to sprinkle magic and we’re going to make this happen.
Some useful links and resources will be left below for those who want to learn more about what British Blind Sport do.
You can find TeamKinetic on social media and listen to other episodes of our podcast:
Exploring the Vision for Volunteering with Jenny Betteridge, Gethyn Williams and James Allen. Introducing my new Co-Host Imogen Greatbatch.
Welcome to our latest season of the TeamTalk podcast. In this season, we will be talking to thought leaders, customers and stakeholders from the world of sport and physical exercise as we take a deeper dive into volunteering and the volunteer managers who make it happen.
A New Co-Host
I’m so happy to welcome my new co-host Imo Greatbatch. She is currently the Head of Volunteering at England Netball. Imo and I go back quite a way, and when she suggested that she might be interested in offering her knowledge and insight to this project, I was only too happy to make some room around the mic.
Our Guests
This first episode in this latest series sees us chatting to Jenny Betteridge, Strategic Lead for Volunteering at Sport England. A national public-funded organisation with a mission to enable everyone to benefit from sport and activity. Jenny has most recently been working on the Vision for Volunteering which was launched very recently at the Volunteer Expo.
Jenny is joined by Gethyn Williams and James Allen who undertook the market engagement that made the Vision possible, In this episode, we discuss how this work was conducted, what its ambitions are and what it is hoped it leads to for the future of volunteering.
Gethyn is a Volunteering strategist and non-profit specialist with twenty years of experience across the UK charity sector and central government. He’s worked extensively in volunteering, youth, sport, disability and environment sectors, He’s also held senior strategic and operational roles in policy and comms, business and workforce development, infrastructure and membership services, community development and charity governance.
James is the Director of Counsel a consultancy working with various clients across sport and physical activity. They serve private and voluntary sectors in a range of areas including public affairs, communications, research and governance.
We find out a little more about how each of our guests came to the world of volunteering. Then we get right into what the vision is, what it means and how you can get involved as it evolves over the coming months and years.
As Jenny says, The Vision for Volunteering is not the end product, but just the start of what might be possible.
You can find TeamKinetic on social media and listen to other episodes of our podcast:
Claire Troup has been Project Manager at Manchester City Council’s Volunteer Inspire Programme (MCRVIP) for just a short period of time; but that time has been used to inspire a whole city to get up and volunteer. In this week’s podcast, we’re joined by our first and longest client, Manchester City Council…
The Manchester Volunteer Inspire Programme focuses on helping volunteers find the opportunities that best fit them. It’s simple to get involved – register, create your own volunteer profile, and access a range of opportunities available to you – anyone can take part! If you’re in the Manchester area, and you’re interested in learning more, email: MCRVIP@manchester.gov.uk.
TeamTalk! The TeamKinetic Podcast…
Our podcast this week covers a range of topics. It opened our eyes to how those working with volunteers are revitalising the volunteer movement after the pandemic.
Claire noted that in her previous roles at Manchester City Council, she never noticed just how much volunteers do. If you’re not fully immersed in the volunteering world, it may go unnoticed. Volunteers do a massive amount of work and make a big impact in every organisation. For those like us, we see day to day the amount of hours volunteers put in; it never ceases to amaze us just what volunteers can do together- and the same goes for those managing them!
It’s those volunteer managers (or for Claire, project managers) that are starting to see an uptake in the amount of opportunities popping up for those willing to volunteer. The pandemic saw volunteering in areas halt, and thrive in others. It’s only over the past few months Claire has found opportunities are on the rise.
Our podcast takeaways
It’s great to hear (and see!) that volunteering is getting back to where it should be. Those millions who volunteered for the first time during the pandemic have stuck around, we hope, and are continuing to see results from their time and effort. It’s been a tough number of years, but it seems we’re on the up!
Claire dished out some great advice on this podcast episode. But we’d like to highlight one that we think will be crucial for volunteering moving forward: developing a network of Volunteer Managers. For a number of months, Claire has been developing a network of volunteer managers across Manchester and it’s been really helpful. Being able to learn from others in the same boat as you, hear new ideas, and share stories on what you’ve been doing to motivate and reward your volunteers is something we’ve always strived for at TeamKinetic. It’s one of the many reasons why we partnered with the Association of Volunteer Managers.
Thanks to Claire for joining us!
It was great to catch up with Claire and hear how she’s been adapting into her new (or not so new) role at Manchester VIP. We can’t wait to see the progression the Volunteer Inspire Programme can make to the city we reside in! You can find TeamTalk, and our latest episode with Claire on all your usual podcast sites.
If you’ve not yet joined the rebirth of the podcast then you are definitely missing out! ‘Podcasts’ I can hear many of you shout with a mix of confusion and derision, ‘what have Podcasts got to do with volunteer management?’
This form of media is exploding right now. Its unique in its ability to democratise content creation, as it is so cheap and simple to create. It offers a unique space for long-form interview and spoke word. These longer interviews and deeper examinations of issues at the heart of our sector are really insightful and give you access to thinkers from a much wider section of academia and public life than you may otherwise access. So over the next few weeks, I’m going to be sharing a few of my favourites with you, and hopefully, open your eyes to some amazing people and their ideas.
I’m starting with the Pod that inspired me to write this page.
In each episode, Reid shows how companies grow from zero to a gazillion, testing his theories with legendary leaders. Masters of Scale is the first American media program to commit to a 50-50 gender balance for guests. It won the 2018 People’s Voice Webby for Best Business Podcast.
Nancy Lublin, for those that want to know a little bit more before they commit their ears to this Pod, is an American social entrepreneur who launched Dress For Success, a charity to empower women across the globe. Lublins next challenge was to turn around the youth volunteer service dosomething.org, before finally launching her current project crisis text line. I won’t give the story away here, you need to listen, but it’s a story that I think anybody who leads in the voluntary sector will be able to relate to What is interesting is Nancy’s particular method of dealing with problems.
Hoffman uses the interview with Lublin to demonstrate the importance of ‘grit’ for any would-be entrepreneur. I enjoyed this Pod as Lublin explains how to effectively ‘pivot’ a charity as you would hear a more traditional CEO talk about change management in their business. She explains brilliantly how to take advantage of technology and the insight that technology can provide if used well.
I’d love to hear your thoughts on the topics discussed in this podcast in the comments section below. If you have a story of technological success or failure in the voluntary sector I’d love to hear your story.
So if you’re interested in how as a voluntary sector leader, you combine technology and service delivery in the most effective way, give this 30 minutes of your time. You can download the pod from any of the podcast apps, I’ve put some links below for those who want them.
