The ‘mini-budget’ was announced by the Chancellor on 23rd September (2022) due to the rapidly escalating cost of living crisis. Sadly the budget meant that there would be little in the way of support for people and communities. A further budget is now expected on 31st October 2022.
On October 17th (2022), the government announced support within its Growth Plan to protect households and businesses from high energy prices. The Energy Price Guarantee and the Energy Bill Relief Scheme are supporting millions of households and businesses including charities with rising energy costs, and the new Chancellor Jeremy Hunt plans to continue to do so from now until April next year. However, Jeremy Hunt now says that any support after April will only be targeted to those most vulnerable meaning many households and organisations could be struggling in April 2023.
The scheme may provide immediate relief to charities, but when it hits next April, charities are likely to face problems. The charity, Family Space from Cheltenham, said the government’s energy price cap would not be enough help for the most vulnerable.
For struggling families, it was “a welcome relief, but not a solution”, the charity’s manager Sarah Avery said. Family Space has a new project called #FeedCheltenham, which involves Local Charities, Schools and Churches working in partnership across the food support network to feed people in Cheltenham. Increasing numbers of people are using the service, but fewer are donating.
Due to the significant effect the cost of living crisis will have on communities and government support which will only last until April, the role of charities and volunteers will be more crucial than ever. The Joseph Rowntree Foundation and Turn2Us have also highlighted how people will be impacted by the lack of further financial help combined with an increasingly severe benefits system.
A new report by Volunteer Scotland was released on the 27th of September discussing the impact the cost of living crisis will have on volunteers and volunteering. Increased demand for volunteers is needed for charities that focus on giving support to tackle the financial, health and well-being of the cost of living crisis.
There may also be a reduced number of volunteers as a decrease in disposable income could stop people from volunteering as their free time now needs to be used up by working another job. However, volunteering may be more attractive as people can take the opportunity to ‘get out of the house’ and take their minds off the crisis during this stressful time. The health and well-being of volunteers may be largely impacted as the cost of living crisis could cause financial stress and uncomfortable living environments.
The cost of living makes the reimbursement of volunteers a vital issue. If charities can’t afford to reimburse volunteers then it could have a large impact on the inclusivity and diversity of the voluntary sector as it can mean only those who can afford to be out of pocket can volunteer.
What Extra Support Is There?
NCVO have cost-of-living help and guidance, including support, webinars and training opportunities. They also have a small charity helpdesk if any extra information or advice is needed. On the 30th of November 2022, they will also be hosting a webinar on “How to manage rising energy costs” where they will be sharing ways to help you keep costs down during the energy crisis.
More on the cost of living crisis and extra support can be found here.
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IVM day is an annual day to celebrate the profession of volunteer leadership. World Volunteer Managers Day 2022 will be taking place on Saturday 5th November and this year’s theme for the day is “Many Backgrounds – One Profession – Stronger Together”.
The day was founded in 1999 and was developed in order to bring recognition to individual Managers of Volunteers and their roles in the mobilisation and support of the world’s volunteers.
There is a group of key leaders and organisations from around the world that are helping to spread the word about IVMDay. This is known as the International Supporters Group.
IVM has some important values which they stand by. They believe Volunteer Managers change the lives of volunteers themselves and of those served by volunteers. Volunteer Managers provide the leadership and direction that allows people to build a good and just society. Without professional leadership, people’s time, talents and efforts could be wasted.
The Committee
The committee members are a dedicated team of global volunteers who are driving the promotion of IVMDay internationally.
The committee has a range of 5 volunteer managers from all around the world who have worked in different areas of the voluntary sector. From the UK, Rob Jacksonis part of the committee. Rob runs his own consultancy and training company and has worked with Volunteering England and was involved in the creation of AVM. Rob was also our keynote speaker at our TeamKinetic 2022 Conference where he shared ideas about what the future might hold for volunteering.
Ways To Spread Awareness and How To Get Involved
On the IVM website, there is plenty of content they have produced which can be posted to social media, on your website or printed out to be put up in volunteer centres.
On the IVM day website, they have suggested several different ways you can celebrate volunteer managers on this day. To spread awareness of IVM day you can post a link to the IVMDay web page on your website. Other ideas include sending cards, letters or emails to thank your colleagues for all the hard work they do and to show your appreciation for them.
Janet Compton, Head of Volunteering at PDSA National Volunteering Centre said she sent “thank you cards printed with the IVMD logo and sent it to all locations in PDSA that work with volunteers”, another idea from the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry was offering volunteers the opportunity to write a thank you note to their supervisor at the museum. They provided hand-made cards and volunteers had to write their personal messages.
If you would like to start getting involved, tweet us at @TeamKineticUK using the picture below to share what you were before you became a Volunteer Manager using the hashtag #IVMDay.
Content ideas for Social Media on IVMDay
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This year, the annual TeamKinetic conference theme was Volunteering to 2030: What might the future look like? We had a variety of incredible speakers discuss their thoughts on the future of volunteering.
Day One
Day One of the TeamKinetic Conference involved sharing some exciting new updates to the TeamKinetic system, sessions on how to onboard volunteers and providers, available reporting tools on the system, how to create and use roles and other topics covered in a series of breakout sessions.
New To TeamKinetic
Rolf started off by taking us through the next major release. New opportunity creation system, better sharing options when sharing your opportunities, scheduling bulk emails, reporting improvements, and more! You can learn more about the 2.20 version here.
Watch Rolf’s session to get to grips with our exciting new update. If you’re a TeamKinetic Admin user, youcan even test it for yourself over at https://beta.teamkinetic.co.uk/vk/admin (Just use your usual admin login details!)
Reporting With TeamKinetic
Steve gave his session on reporting with TeamKinetic and later spoke to us about onboarding volunteers and providers and opportunity restrictions. He touched on the different types of reports, maintenance, general awareness of activity, how you can measure the success of your volunteer programme and other areas of how to report with the TeamKinetic system.
Watch the session below to find out how reports can help you uncover various things about your volunteers and opportunities.
Onboarding Providers and Volunteers
In Rolf’s breakout session he spoke to us about onboarding volunteers and providers. He started off by talking about the new onboarding/help screens that will be available to new volunteers when they register. These will be available for admins to customise in the upcoming 2.2 release. Rolf then discussed how to find and customise the emails that are sent to new volunteers and providers. These emails are the first communications your new volunteers and providers get from your organisation and they are a great place to set out your stall and set the tone for your programme. Finally, we took a look at how to keep your recently onboarded users engaged using the weekly newsletters, bulk emails and search filters to extract those users that are not interacted since registering.
Super Admin Options and Customising Emails
Another breakout session was run by Steve. This was a fun and busy session with lots of questions regarding customised emails and custom areas. Steve also touched on which functions are limited to organisations with providers who work for them, and what functionality can be used by all organisations including volunteer centres. Lots of interesting points and suggestions from attendees, and overall it was a very useful session. In case you missed it or would like to re-watch Steve’s session, it can be found here.
Why use Roles? And How to Create Them
Roles are still a relatively new addition to TeamKinetic. We know they could help a lot of customers but appear to be significantly underused. This is why Chris decided to base his breakout session on this feature. He talked us through how to create roles within your system, how they can be used effectively on your opportunities, and the differences between roles and restrictions.
Are You Taking Advantage Of Opportunity Restrictions?
In our final session of day one, Steve took everyone through the different opportunity restrictions available within TeamKinetic. These restrictions are important to ensure you get the right volunteers for your opportunities every time!
There are a number of ways to restrict your opportunities in TeamKinetic to ensure you get the right volunteer for the job, but are you using them correctly? Watch the session to find out:
Day Two
Day Two of the TeamKinetic conference saw some impactful guest speakers join us. They all covered a range of topics such as expenses, volunteer retention/impact, criminal checks, and more.
Guest speakers included Rob Jackson, Ruth Leonard from AVM, Randa Bennett from vHelp, Simon Dickinson from Digital Gaps, Dan McManus from Time Tempo Credits, Felicity Adrian from General Practise Alliance, Scott Jones from 123 Internet, and Allan Merrifield from First Advantage.
Rob Jackson
Rob Jacksonwas the keynote speaker at the 2022 TeamKinetic Conference. He shared ideas of what the future might hold for volunteering. Rob had some powerful points which we think are worth sharing.
Since the pandemic and now the cost of living crisis, people’s mental health has worsened. The pandemic has caused people to be burnout and have a lack of motivation. According to a brief by the World Health Organization, the global prevalence of anxiety and depression increased by 25% in the first year of the pandemic. This could imply that in the future, volunteers may need increased support from volunteer managers due to poor mental health and lack of energy to put their time into volunteering.
The cost of living crisis could also cause an increase in stress and anxiety in people’s lives. Individuals may not have the spare time to volunteer as they have to work multiple jobs to support themselves through the cost of living crisis. The cost of living crisis also means the reimbursement of expenses needs to be prioritised. People may be reluctant to volunteer as they worry that it might leave them out of pocket as expenses are taking too long to be reimbursed.
After Rob Jackson, we then had a session choice between Simon Dickinson from Digital Gaps and Dan McManus from Time Tempo Credits discussing volunteer retention and impact in 2030.
Digital Gaps
Simon delivered a great session on providing verified volunteers for digital services. Digital Gaps’ mission is to help the public and third sector realise the financial, customer experience and improved well-being outcomes that data solutions deliver.
He talked about the work they have done with us to put in place a digital passport. Simon showed us the process that would verify a volunteer, using Yoti to verify your identity which then allows you to have a digital identity wallet which can be used when recruiting volunteers.
Tempo Time Credits
Dan McManus from Tempo Time Credits then took us through how to build and sustain a volunteer workforce in his session. Tempo Time Credits allows you to earn a time credit for each hour of volunteering.
Dan talked through some future plans for Tempo including an improved facility to donate to groups. Some thoughts Dan had on the future of volunteering was that the pandemic has had a large impact on older and vulnerable volunteers which has made it difficult for organisations to recruit volunteers.
vHelp
Randa Bennett from vHelp gave her session on how we should be handling expenses in the future. Randa has been in the technology sector for over 20 years and came across this problem around reimbursing volunteers and that’s where vHelp was born.
One key point she touched on in her session was the importance of inclusivity. If organisations aren’t reimbursing volunteers quickly, it could be excluding the less fortunate people who can’t afford to be left out of pocket, leaving only wealthier people being able to volunteer. Transparency is also a key aspect for the future of volunteering. In the future, organisations need to ensure they inform their volunteers about expenses in the early stages of recruitment.
123 Internet and General Practice Alliance
In the next session, we were joined by Felicity Adrian from General Practice Alliance. Felicity is a project manager and she helps put together the volunteer passport online platform for Northamptonshire.
Scott Jones from 123 Internet talked us through how he made their volunteer passport homepage. They gave us an overview of the concept behind the volunteer passport and discussed why the re-design was needed. To decide why the re-design was needed they held a workshop to help them understand what their key vision was for volunteering across Northamptonshire and how it could be shared through the volunteer passport.
First Advantage
Allan Merrifield from First Advantage spoke to us about Digital ID DBS. First Advantage are a global technology background screening company delivering innovative solutions and insights that help their clients manage risk and hire the best talent quickly and efficiently.
Their aim is to automate DBS checks to make it as easy as possible. During Allan’s session, he spoke to us about what services are available through the partnership that is in place between TeamKinetic and First Advantage. Allan also took us through the journey of creating a digital ID and how to use one.
A Big Thank You!
We’d just like to say a massive thank you to everyone who attended the 2022 TeamKinetic Conference and all our great speakers for their informative sessions. We hope you had a good time with us.
If you have any suggestions of things you’d like to hear about – or people you’d like to hear from – please tell us by emailing alex@teamkinetic.co.uk
We look forward to next year’s conference!
You can find TeamKinetic on social media and listen to 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:
This trend could all depend on people’s motivations for volunteering in the first place. If they are volunteering to gain new skills or experience, then they might not put in the extra effort to make new friends or stay after their shift to help out.
Quiet quitting could also stop people from wanting to volunteer all together. People who are regular volunteers but are ‘quiet quitting’ at work may also lack the motivation to complete any volunteer work too. Being exhausted from the volume of work and lack of work-life balance hit many people during the pandemic. If people are remotely working and doing their job but nothing more they may not be bothered to leave the house after a day of remote work to go and volunteer in person.
How To Prevent Your Volunteers From Quiet Quitting
If you think you might have a quiet quitter volunteer on your team or that it could affect your volunteer team in future then it could be because there isn’t a strong relationship between you and your volunteers. It’s important to create and maintain good relationships with volunteers, this way they will want to go above and beyond and spend extra time helping out as they are surrounded by people they trust and feel appreciated by. A friendly working community can also be built, which allows volunteers to be a part of a comfortable and supportive environment. To build this relationship you could have regular 1-on-1s with your volunteers, this way you can find out their interests and offer them support.
Due to the cost of living crisis, volunteers may be cautious of having expenses reimbursed quickly so they aren’t out of pocket for an extended period of time. If the reimbursement does take more than a couple of weeks then volunteers may be more reluctant to put as much effort into their shifts or want to stop volunteering all together. However, there are quick solutions that pay off expenses such as vHelp which can enable you to pay off expenses within 24 hours.
Key Takeaways…
People are becoming exhausted with work and may be feeling burnt out with a lack of motivation due to the pandemic, therefore this has maybe led to people wanting to ‘quiet quit’. This trend has the potential to affect volunteers too but volunteer managers can try their best to avoid this happening to their team. Ensure you are building strong relationships with your volunteers, and show your appreciation for them and the difference they are making to your organisation.
You can find TeamKinetic on social media and listen to our podcast:
The TeamKinetic 2022 Conference will take place on Tuesday 27th – Wednesday 28th September 2022. The fully-online conference will take a look into volunteering and volunteer management in today’s climate, while also looking ahead to how it could change in the next decade.
The conference is aimed at anyone involved in the third sector, specifically those who manage volunteers.
Day One of the conference will focus on TeamKinetic. What does the system offer to volunteer managers today? And how will our system adapt to suit the latest trends in volunteer management?
Agenda
9:30 – 10:00 Welcome: Feel free to join us at any time before our 10am start!
10:00 – 11:20 New to TeamKinetic: We have some exciting new updates coming to both the TeamKinetic web service and the mobile app. Rolf will talk you all through these updates.
11:30 – 12:20 Reporting with TeamKinetic: Steve will take you through the comprehensive set of reporting tools available to you in TK and what the data can help you uncover about your volunteering programme.
13:15 – 14:00 Session Choices
Session 1: How to Help Yourself Alex will talk you through the different support options available to you as a TeamKinetic user. Both internally and externally.
Session 2: Onboarding Providers and Volunteers Rolf will discuss best-practice for getting new providers and volunteers started on your TeamKinetic system.
Session 3: Super Admin Options and Customising Emails Steve will take you through how to use the different Super Admin options effectively, as well as how to customise emails sent from the system.
Session 4: Why use Roles? And How to Create Them Chris will outline how you can create Roles within your system and how they can be used effectively on your opportunities.
14:10 – 15:00 Are you taking advantage of opportunity restrictions? There are a number of ways to restrict your opportunities in TeamKinetic to ensure you get the right volunteer for the job, but are you using them correctly?
15:00 – 16:00 Networking / General Q&A: We’ll be sticking around for anyone who has any questions or wants a bit of a chat!
Day Two
Day Two of the conference takes a look at the wider world of volunteer management. We’ll dive into case studies and current volunteer management best-practice while also considering the future of volunteer management and how the next decade might shape up.
Our Day Two sessions are as follows:
10:00 – 11:00 Keynote, Rob Jackson Volunteering to 2030: What might the future look like?
11:15 – 12:15 Session Choice (1/2)
Simon Dickinson, Digital Gaps / Digital Coproduction Volunteer Passports: Providing Verified Volunteers for Digital Services.
Dan McManus, Tempo Tempo Time Credits: Volunteer Retention and Impact in 2030.
13:10 – 14:10 Session Choice (3/4)
Randa Bennett, vHelp Money – a dirty word in the volunteering world, how should we handle it in the future?
Stephanie Mallender, Sport England #iWill and the Vision for Volunteering: A Deeper Look.
14:25 – 15:25 Session Choice (5/6)
Scott Jones, 123Internet / General Practice Alliance Homepage Design: Why It Is Important.
Allan Merrifield, First Advantage First Advantage Digital ID DBS with TeamKinetic
Read about our Day Two speakers by clicking here, or pressing page 2 below.
You can find out more about TeamKinetic through our website or social media:
When reviewing a volunteer’s application, it is essential to look for specific qualities so you can ensure they will be a good fit for the role and match the enthusiasm of others within the organisation. The qualities and skills the volunteer has are sometimes more important than the number of volunteers you have on board. If your charity has certain goals and values, volunteers should be chosen to meet these so that these goals can be fulfilled. Here are some essential qualities to look for when recruiting volunteers.
Passion
Your volunteers should be passionate about what your organisation does and excited about getting involved. Passionate volunteers will be more motivated about doing the work and be better at what they do. If your volunteers are all passionate about making a difference then they will most likely get on well with other volunteers in your charity or organisation as they are like-minded. A shared love for volunteering is a good way to establish and build relationships with others.
Being A Team Player
Most volunteering is done in a team therefore your volunteers need to be a good fit, get on well with others and be team players as working together is what helps to make a difference. If all volunteers are enthusiastic and positive about the work the organisation does then it’s likely that everyone will get along with each other due to having similar interests. This can also help increase your organisation’s volunteer retention rate as long-lasting friendships can be created meaning people are more likely to stay and volunteer for your organisation.
Commitment
Finding long-term committed volunteers can ensure your organisation or charity has ongoing supporters over time that will be devoted to helping make a difference. By recruiting committed volunteers you can increase your organisation’s volunteer retention rate.It is important to check before recruiting a volunteer that they can do the times needed for the shifts and have access to transport. If you recruit committed and reliable volunteers that you trust then you won’t have to worry about volunteers not turning up for their shifts or cancelling last minute.
Interpersonal skills
Having excellent social skills is a key quality to look for in a volunteer. As there are many different roles available in a range of environments with new people, so it is crucial to be able to adapt to these situations. If a volunteer has strong soft skills they can maintain better relationships with others and build trust. Interpersonal skills can also mean that the volunteer is a good leader. Leaders can communicate effectively with others in the team which is crucial for a volunteering role.
Key Takeaways…
When recruiting volunteers for your organisation it’s important to look for these qualities so you are sure they will complete the volunteering tasks to the best standards. Ensure you recruit people who have knowledge about the organisation’s impact and are motivated to help make a difference.
You can find TeamKinetic on social media and listen to our podcast:
Virtual VS in-person volunteering, which is best suited to you?
Virtual volunteering enables people to be able to complete volunteer tasks remotely via the internet. There are many benefits of both, but it can depend on your lifestyle and what you want to gain from the experience. Some may think that in-person volunteering is the only way you can see the impact you’re making, but virtual volunteering allows for this too. While some people are better suited to face-to-face volunteering, others may find virtual volunteering is the best way for them to get involved.
Pros of Virtual Volunteering
Virtual volunteering, also known as online volunteering or cyber-service, has grown due to the pandemic as many volunteering couldn’t be completed face-to-face because of restrictions. There are now more opportunities for online volunteering than there were previously. A recent benefit of virtual volunteering is saving commute costs, due to the cost of living crisis many organisations are struggling to reimburse volunteers for transport costs, resulting in volunteers potentially having to cover the costs themselves. Volunteering remotely, however, means that you don’t have to worry about any commute costs.
Virtual volunteering is also time efficient, so it is a great option for people who don’t have the spare time to travel and commit to a timetable. This way people can be more flexible and help out when it’s most suited to them from the comfort of their own homes. People can also have access to a wider range of opportunities that are anywhere in the world and volunteer for organisations they might not have access to work for in person due to where they live or lack of access to transport.
Most importantly virtual volunteering is accessible to anyone, so people with disabilities who may be discluded from volunteering in person can also make a difference. All you need is a device and an internet connection and you are able to volunteer anywhere, as the UN website states, online volunteering is ‘by nature, inclusive. Anyone, anywhere, can help.’
Examples of virtual volunteering roles include translating and editing documents, over-the-phone and online volunteer counselling, completing admin tasks such as organising donations, sending out emails and many more. There’s now a large range of virtual volunteering opportunities as organisations had to adapt during the pandemic.
Pros of in-person volunteering
Some people may feel more comfortable volunteering online however you may gain more from volunteering face-to-face. In-person volunteering allows you to meet new people and build better relationships.
With in-person volunteering, you are able to develop social skills which you might not gain from virtual volunteering. However, due to the roles available with online volunteering, you may be able to gain more useful skills which can help with a career change in a different field of work.
A big benefit of volunteering face-to-face is the immediate effect it has on the people you are helping, people who volunteer online may feel as though their work isn’t having an impact as they are not seeing the immediate reaction of the people they are helping straight away in-person.
Key takeaways…
Completing virtual or in-person volunteering is a personal preference and it all depends on what you want to gain from the experience. You may be volunteering to gain new skills and meet new people or achieve a rewarding feeling of seeing your own impact help others.
Virtual volunteering can be a great solution if you are interested in volunteering but can’t attend regular in-person volunteering shifts because you don’t have time or don’t have access to transport. However, it may be easier to meet new people and build better relationships if you are volunteering in person.
You can find TeamKinetic on social media and listen to our podcast:
Diversity refers to the qualities that differentiate people as individuals. Within your organisation or charity, it is crucial to recruit a varied range of volunteers so they can bring different skills and values to the team. Inclusivity embraces all people regardless of their race, age, gender, disabilities, or experience. Inclusivity is all about giving equal access and opportunities.
Diversity and inclusion for volunteer organizations are not just about the volunteers, but also the types of volunteering opportunities available. When creating opportunities, ensure that they offer a range of long-term or short-term commitments to the role.
How your non-profit and volunteer organisation can become diverse and inclusive
It is important to be aware of barriers which could be preventing people from participating in volunteering opportunities. Barriers could include physical barriers such as opportunities not being accessible to wheelchair users or shifts that involve people needing to drive. Technology barriers could also put off people who aren’t as comfortable using technology, such as taking card machine payments in a charity shop or a shift that involves using a computer.
Also, offering a range of volunteering opportunities that are short-term and long-term means your opportunities can be inclusive for people who only have time to volunteer for a short period of time.
To create a diverse and inclusive environment, the entire organisation needs to work towards this goal so a welcoming community can be formed. Make sure your volunteer managers and paid employees come from different backgrounds with different experiences and training is completed with examples of diversity so that the staff can become more culturally aware.
Why is it important for your volunteer organisation to be diverse and inclusive?
Introducing diversity into your organisation can increase your volunteer pool. By promoting diversity and inclusion within your volunteer organisation, people with different backgrounds and experiences can bring new skills and outlooks to your team.
Having a diverse volunteer team can produce a better image for the public to see. Diversity promotes inclusion and understanding and this is one of the goals for non-profits and volunteer-involving organisations
What are the benefits of being diverse and inclusive?
Enhanced awareness within the organisation as a whole.
Being a diverse organisation can create increased social participation.
Produces a positive public image.
A broader range of skills and knowledge can be brought to the team.
If volunteers in an inclusive organisation feel comfortable in the organisation then they will want to stay, therefore by becoming more inclusive and diverse you can create better retention.
Key takeaways…
Many benefits come with practising diversity and inclusivity in your organisation. A better public image can be created for your organisation and new ideas can be brought to your team. To ensure your organisation is welcoming to a variety of people, get rid of any physical barriers which could discourage people from wanting to volunteer.
You can find TeamKinetic on social media and listen to our podcast:
is part of the committee. Rob runs his own consultancy and training company and has worked with Volunteering England and was involved in the creation of 
