We always try and avoid jargon but sometimes it is a little difficult when talking about the internet and software. When we talk about ‘domains’ we are really talking about the address or URL that your website will use so people can find you on the internet.
This is the address they type into their web browser to access your website.
TeamKinetic offers a variety of options with regards to the domain’s you can use, these options are somewhat dependant upon your choice of subscription.
In every subscription, there is some room for customisation and personalisation of this address.
So what are your options and what do they mean.
FREE subscription.
tryvolunteering.com/yourname
If you join us on our free version to use of TeamKinetic, you will be hosted on our FREE to access site TryVolunteering.com.
This means you will be assigned a web address that starts with “https://tryvolunteering.com” and you this will then be followed by your organisation’s name with all the spaces removed. So if your organisation name is “Harchester Utd FC” your website address will be.
Our Advanced level subscribers have their own application and as such have their own ‘subdomain’. What this means is you can add your organisation name to the start of the web address. An example would be
https://harchesterutdfc.teamkinetic.co.uk
From a user experience perspective, users feel more assured as your name is first in the address, and because the Advanced subscription offers significantly more customisation this combines for better overall user experience.
Enterprise Subscription
yourdomain.com
Enterprise subscribers have the benefit of greater customisation and personalisation. As an enterprise customer, you can select an available new and unique address for your site. Examples from our customers include
https://mcrvip.com
Or
https://Hockeymakers.co.uk
These URLs are purchased on behalf of our customers and remain the property of our customers but are managed by TeamKinetic on behalf of our customers as part of our ongoing agreement. In the event of that agreement coming to an end, we can arrange for that domain to be transferred or released depending on the needs of our customers.
A new domain is very easy to set up, requires no technical support or resource from our customer to manage, as TeamKinetic manage all this on our customer’s behalf.
Enterprise customers can also use a ‘sub-domain’ of an existing URL they already use our own. An example of this might be our customer the Youth Hostel Asociation who’s main website address is:
The volunteer team at the YHA wanted the TeamKinetic system to look and feel like it was part of the wider YHA web site. The best way to achieve this is to embed the TeamKinetic system into the YHA’s existing web brand. So the TeamKinetic system now live at
No matter what subscription you wish to use, TeamKinetic will support you in setting up your site and getting the address you want. We are available to walk you through your options and help you find the set up that you require for your volunteers.
For more information on how we can assist with your volunteer management and getting the best out of all your volunteers visit our website or contact us on – 0161 914 5757
Our ambition was to build the very best online volunteer management application in the world. Part of our definition of the very best means easiest to use, as well as the most useful features. Unfortunately when you build software there is a real danger of “JARGON”! We know volunteer managers want to be great at managing volunteers not specialists in information technology. So I wanted to try to explain in plain English how TeamKinetic works
Software and Application
We sometime use these words interchangeably, but they often share the same meaning, which is to describe the TeamKinetic product. Application does not necessarily refer to mobile specifically, but it can do sometimes. So now I’ve cleared that up!
Cloud-based
The TeamKinetic application uses a group of computers that are connected via the internet to enable the website and mobile apps you see to work. These computers or servers as we call them form our cloud. This cloud contains a combination of our own private servers and third part services from people like Amazon and Google.
All our computers are based in the UK.
Software as a Service
As the internet has become faster, the need to go to the shop to buy your software on disk or CD is now a distant memory. Now your Software does not even need to be on your actual computer but lives on the internet and is provided by someone who’s only responsibility is to make that software great.
Back in the day you would go to a shop and buy a physical disk or CD (depending on how old you are) with your software on there. Once you got home you would install that software onto your computer, those were such innocent times. That software would then remain on your computer until you replaced your computer or bought the next version from the shop and put that on your computer.
The someone in the case of TeamKinetic is us. That’s Steve, Rolf, me and the rest of our team. We have built and continue to improve TeamKinetic for you to use. We take your advice and feedback, mixing that with the user data we collect and we try to look at the best ways to continue to improve the TeamKinetic experience.
Being on the internet means that you can browse the web from anywhere, you can access your TeamKinetic application on the go or comfort of your home. More importantly, this approach means you can concentrate on your volunteer management, whilst we focus on keeping the website working or ‘live’ as we call it. TeamKinetic make sure your data is stored appropriately and in accordance with regulations such as GDPR. We concentrate on making TeamKinetic work on all the different devices, such as iPhones, tablets and laptops. We have even start to look at Alexa. You don’t need to worry about things like servers, security or accessibility standards as we take care of all that.
TeamKinetic’s Software as a Service approach means you can be confident that your volunteer management system will always work and will always be making the most of the latest developments in technology, social media, regulation and user behaviour trends.
Licencing
As we provide TeamKinetic as an ongoing service we have developed a business that requires an ongoing fee or subscription, we call this our licence. To keep the servers working and up to the job, to ensure the developers continue to improve TeamKinetic, our customers to continue to support our work through the licence fee. This fee ensures you continue to get the help and support, software updates and that we can keep the power lights on all those computers here a TeamKinetic.
The team believe strongly in a ‘no-surprises’ approach to pricing. Our customers can be confident that we will not hit them with hidden costs. Our licence covers everything you will ever need to set up and keep your volunteer application running day-to-day. We are transparent about the few things that fall outside the licence fee.
Volunteer Management Software (VMS)
Different companies may each have a slightly different explanation as to what is volunteer management software, but for TeamKinetic we want to offer a place where volunteers can go to manage their volunteering, where organisations can post, recruit, on-board, training, deploy and track volunteer engagements. Where a volunteer reward and recognition is built into the experience. Where data and insight are generated in real time.
This is all delivered in a website that is easy to use and super flexible for your needs and that can integrate with your other digital systems. It is not the same as Customer Relationship Management software and its also not the sames as Human Resource software or scheduling applications that are out there, but it’s a curious mix of all the above built for your volunteers. If you want to know more about the differences and similarities feel free to read more about it here.
Get in Touch
There will no doubt be more jargon to contend with as you look through the product description, so please feel free to get in touch if we have failed to explain it in plain English.
If you want to talk about the more technical aspects of TeamKinetic SaaS then please do not hesitate to email me or call the office on +44 (0)161 914 5757 or contact us via our website
TeamKinetic is an online platform that helps you recruit, onboard, manage, deploy, audit, recognise, reward and retain your volunteers.
Making it easy for individuals to find the opportunities they want and love. Organisations can safely and effectively use volunteers across their business.
TeamKinetic allows your volunteers freedom and flexibility, using the very latest technology to give their time to the causes and activities they love.
Why Do You Need Volunteer Management Software?
The days of using spreadsheets or that old access database to store volunteering information are well and truly numbered! Never has there been an easier more efficient way to manage your volunteers and track their progress.
Going for over 10 years, TeamKinetic has a host of clients who have left glowing testimonials about our service.
TeamKinetic software makes organising and searching for your opportunities, childs play, rich in data and insight about what exactly your volunteers are wanting to do and what they actually do!
We have made our system ‘Volunteer-centric’. What we mean by this is that we always put the volunteer at the heart of all our decisions. We never want a good volunteer to be sent to a bad opportunity or vice-versa. With built-in volunteer feedback and a range of features that offer insight to the volunteer experience we want you to be informed as volunteer managers.
We make it simple to identify your superstar volunteers and with a range of built-in reward and recognition fetaures, you can be confident those volunteers will feel appreciated.
Pricing!
We want every organisation, no matter what their size to benefit from TeamKinetic.
Start with our FREE to use TryVolunteering product. All the core features of TeamKinetic for small charities and clubs, For FREE.
TeamKinetic ADVANCED is designed for organisations that want more control of their volunteers, branding and support. Starting at £39 p/m for an advanced system.
TeamKinetic ENTERPRISE provides unparalleled levels of customisation, telephone support and access to our training and support team. Starting from £149 p/m.
If you would like to have a chat about how we can help you please call 0161 914 5757 or visit our web site https://teamkinetic.co.uk/
Who Can Benefit From Volunteer Management Software?
We work with a host of clients in numerous sectors and this is something that we are proud of. Here are examples of some of the sectors we operate in:
Universities/Education
NHS
National Governing Bodies and other Sporting Organisation
Major Events
Charities / Clubs
Parks/Museums
Local Authorities
Volunteer Centres
Hospice
Plus So Many More!
Request A Demo With Us
No matter what sector you are working in we would love to have a conversation with you. You can request a demo through our website or call us on the number below.
Many roles go unfilled… why is that?Do volunteer managers need to have a deeper understanding of volunteer demographics? Can we continue to assume that empty roles will fill up because they’re helping a good cause?
Unfilled volunteering roles
Having a good understanding of your volunteers and the roles you offer is key. Unfilled roles can have a negative impact on your volunteer management and make it difficult for tasks to be carried out.
Volunteers want to volunteer! Don’t make it difficult for them.
All volunteer managers need to prioritise roles that are crucial to the organisation because they involve tasks that drive long-term goals to be met. By prioritizing the most important roles it allows you to focus the energy and time on the areas that are most likely to have a greater impact on the organisation and its development.
Knowing your volunteer capacity and demographic
The one-size-fits-all is approach has long past its expiration date. Knowing who volunteers for you is crucial for developing relationships, providing opportunities and understanding who to target when recruiting volunteers. Volunteer trends are always changing and adapting, with volunteers being much more diverse. Here are some demographics to consider :
Age
The idea that only older people volunteer is diminishing. Today students in higher education regularly volunteer and are part of the most likely groups to volunteer. Different age groups will have a variety of skills they can utilise in their volunteer work.
Gender
The gender gap has become almost even with more men getting involved in volunteering than ever before. Women consistently volunteer in all areas, whereas men are typically more likely to volunteer in sport. It’s important to consider how your operations could be improved to create a more gender-inclusive environment for your volunteers.
Location
There are countless organisations offering ways to volunteer. This has created a great spread of opportunities contributing to better communities across the country. Within your organisation, you might consider mapping your volunteers to understand your key areas. Then you can ensure your opportunities are easily accessed by these areas.
Studies show higher levels of austerity among communities in the north of England and the local authority spending has fallen nationally by half since 2010. The lack of resources and inequalities mean many people are excluded from taking part in certain opportunities
Research conducted by our good friends at Jump highlight that a lower proportion of volunteers come from lower SEG (42%) compared to the representation of that group in the national population (50%).
Some of the barriers faced by lower SEG to volunteer include health barriers (illness or disability), caring responsibilities, and age constraints.
More information on Jump’s work and their report on “Why is volunteering biased towards higher socio-economic groups?” can be downloaded on their website.
So how can we help you fix these problems?
TeamKinetic is centralised around providing volunteer managers with resources to create accessible, easy-to-find opportunities for their volunteers.
Our volunteer management software works to eliminate issues such as filling roles and allows for a greater understanding of your volunteer base.
Advanced Search Functionality
Volunteers can search for opportunities with our search functionality which includes searching by location, opportunity name, and categories. This allows volunteers to find the nearest opportunities available to them without searching the whole internet.
Map Volunteers & Opportunities
Volunteer managers can view the number of opportunities and volunteers through a map format. This is useful in decision-making and creating opportunities according to your volunteer demographics.
Reports and Analysis
You can gain insight into the success of your volunteer programme by evaluating your volunteer sign-ups (including those who are active and repeating), the number of opportunities you have created and other demographic information.
These functions can help with providing suitable roles and ensure opportunities are filled.
Every year people all over the world set them selves new year’s resolutions. Many of which do not get fulfilled, in fact, 66% of resolutions don’t even last a month. What can you do that really makes a difference?
Volunteering is something that you can do all year round. This is a resolution that not only helps yourself but others as well.
DO – HELP SOMEONE ELSE
“We can’t help everyone but everyone can help someone”.
Former US President Ronald Reagan may not be everyone’s cup of tea but he certainly got this one right. Why not make your changes for 2019 ones that can help others. There are plenty of opportunities to volunteer all over the UK and worldwide, this year your help really could change a life. TeamKinetic is lucky enough to work with organisations who offer these amazing opportunities and we’d love to help you get started.
DON’T – BE A HASHTAG HALFWIT
Social media gives us an audience never before imagined in human history. It’s so easy to get caught up in what’s trending and follow the crowd. The cringy popular ones every year are ‘#NewYearNewMe’ and ‘#WatchOut2019’. As we’ve seen, less than half of new years resolutions stick, so now we are in February, revisit your new year’s hopes and aspirations. It is great to let people know what you’re planning on doing over the of course of the year. Just do not let it become embarrassing when come the end of the year you have not acted on your goals. Hashtags are easy, real change needs a little more effort!
DO – USE VOLUNTEERING TO YOUR ADVANTAGE
Helping out can make you so much more employable. Volunteering does not have to be at a charity or something ‘uncool’. There will likely be opportunities for you to get a voluntary role in your future profession. This will help you stand out from the crowd as people will see you have a genuine passion for your career. Almost every University will have a department that will be able to help, or your town will have a volunteer centre that will have be able to signpost you with volunteering opportunities. These life experiences can be worth it’s weight in gold in the long term.
DON’T – GIVE UP!
February is coming to an end and I’m sure that many of you have already given up, with most challenging tasks the easiest thing to do is to jack it in!
This is our biggest DON’T. It’s ok to give up, but don’t give up on trying again, you only need to succeed once to make that difference. If you don’t give up on your volunteering resolution, you will be making a difference to someone else and yourself. Volunteering can genuinely change lives – both yours and those your work supports.
Last year TeamKinetic joined Liverpool Football club to help with a disability football session. We got the chance to speak to volunteers first hand and see what volunteering meant to them and hopefully you can see the difference being involved with something you are passionate about can make to your life and others. Check out how Liverpool FC use TeamKinetic here.
TeamKinetic provides volunteer management software that can work for every organisation. We work with groups of all sizes who have had success with us in recruiting, retaining and realising the potential of their volunteer workforce.
Please visit our website to find out more about our work and how we can help you. Feel free to request a demo so we can show you around and tell you about how we can help you specifically. Alternatively, you can give us a call on 0161 914 5757.
Every Christmas it is easy to get wrapped up in the commercial side of things. Presents, parties and Xmas markets, etc. It is really a time for giving. A time where we should be thinking about the people who are less fortunate than us and how we can help them.
Every year lots of fantastic work is done up and down the country to help people in need. The amount of work that is done and the opportunities available rises during the festive period and this year is no different, which is great to see. Manchester in particular has some great ways of making sure people are helped this Christmas.
MANCHESTER
Since 2015, official Christmas carols have been a tradition at the Manchester Cathedral to raise money for the Royal Children’s Hospital. They do fantastic work all year round and funding is vital to allow them to keep doing this.
Tickets are now on sale for the Christmas Carols in the City concert. It’s a chance to experience an authentic festive choir, and part of the ticket fee goes to those who need it most. It takes place on Thursday 20th December and festive refreshments will be available. Tickets are £6 for children and concessions, £12 for adults.
The capital is also well known for the charitable work over the winter months. There are many elderly people who spend Christmas alone every year. The Rotary Club holds a Christmas day party, for over-65s living in Wandsworth. The wild shindig takes place in Battersea Park. Last year, 450 elderly people who otherwise would have been alone went along.
Volunteers are needed for Christmas Eve, Christmas Day and Boxing Day, and applications for 2018 are now open. You can do just one, two, or all three days. Jobs include preparing the venue, helping with transport for the guests, serving food, and clearing up afterwards.
As you can imagine London is packed with great volunteering opportunities. Our friends at Team London are the ultimate search tool for volunteering opportunities, ideal when Google lets you down. Type the keyword ‘Christmas’ into the search engine, if you need your volunteering to be festive.
If you are on the search for a reliable trustworthy volunteer management software, look no further than TeamKinetic. We offer a service suitable for any sized company, we can tailor your system to you. To find out more, give us a call on 0161 914 5757 or or send us an email at info@teamkinetic.co.uk.
Over the last decade, we have worked with many organisations, helping them improve their volunteer management. We have found some common problems in volunteer management.
As you know being a volunteer manager can often be a lonely job. TeamKinetic feels that it is important to get volunteer managers talking, sharing good practice and working together, this is important for the growth of the third sector and volunteering as a whole.
Recruitment Issues
Recruiting enough volunteers is one of the most common problems we hear. Our software looks to help resolve this common volunteer management issue. Although this may seem a monumental task to find the help you need, sometimes it can be simpler than you think.
Here are a few of our suggestions:
The rise of social media is a wonderful thing for the voluntary sector. Social media being free is a blessing for many industries and the voluntary sector is no different. Over one billion people are on Facebook and Twitter meaning there is an audience out there, you just have to appeal directly to them. There are many pages offering tips on how to use social media properly – cracking this medium may be the way to grow your volunteer base.
Do you know your volunteers, do you know what social media, if any they use? Do you have the IT skills to communicate with your volunteers through the most appropriate channels?
Modern marketing isn’t the only way to attract new volunteers, more traditional means of communication should never be ignored. How do you engage with older volunteers, who are not on social media? How can you start a word-of-mouth campaign to build your support. Ideas like refer a friend or linking to existing groups such as rotary or taverners work well. People tend to respond positively to a review from people they know and trust.
Don’t ever discount the power of good posters or interesting newsletters.
Keeping Volunteers Interested
Retaining a volunteer is much cheaper than recruiting a new volunteer! Improving your retention should be a priority for anyone working in volunteer management.
How do you keep your volunteers for longer?
Theories of behaviour change suggest that for people to make a significant and sustainable change to their behaviour, their motivation must be significant or that change of behaviour will not be long-lasting. If you want to help motivate a volunteer to stay involved, you must call to their primal instincts.
What you are doing as a volunteer makes a difference! We could not do this without you. We need you!
It’s just good manners to say thank you to the people who help you. Say thank you right and that person will come back time and again.
Recognition is tricky, as no one volunteer is the same and some people feel uncomfortable being made a fuss of. However, it is important that you recognise people’s efforts. Be it a Christmas party, a summer dance or a cup of tea with the team, getting your volunteers together to say thank you properly and to tell them how important they are, how indispensable they are and what a difference they make. Appreciate your volunteers and remember to show and share that appreciation.
Timing Opportunities
Knowing your volunteers and understanding them is vital in volunteer management. For you to cater to the needs of your volunteers do you understand the demographics, motivations and barriers to participation? Examples of this might be, are you volunteers 18-24, are they students, unemployed, have children, are they likely to be in work during the day? How do I optimise my session times, recruitment and opportunity description to appeal to my target audience, do I know what motivates them and what prevents them from doing more?
Do I have the data to find out what time is best for my volunteers? Do I have the tool available to learn through insight?
Volunteers appreciate you fitting opportunities around them. To offer them what they want, when they want to do it. Boosting volunteer enthusiasm, because they know you’re taking their personal situation into account.
TeamKinetic – The Solution!!
Of course, we think a great way to solve many of these issues and more besides effective volunteer management is software. What’s even more obvious to us is the volunteer management software that you should use should be built using open data principles, work on every device and be super easy to use.
TeamKinetic’s volunteer management software has a system that can suit everyone no matter how large or small. We would be more than happy to have a chat with you regarding your particular volunteer management needs. We work across the sector with Universities, National Sporting Governing Bodies, volunteer centres, charities, major events, hospices, hospitals, museums, parks, community groups and Sports Clubs.
If you think that your organisation could benefit from having more time to help more people, please feel free to get in touch.
You can find TeamKinetic on social media and listen to our podcast:
Want to be happier, feel more fulfilled and live in a nicer world? Here is why you should volunteer.
1. Volunteering is a great career booster
Volunteering is a great CV booster that can set you apart from the rest. If you and another candidate look the same on paper what will you have to differentiate yourself?
Volunteering is a surefire way to get you ahead of the competition and secure your next career move. Lots of companies allow employees to take volunteering days.
Career-boosting volunteers used their experience as a great way to network and meet influential people. Want to work in event management? Volunteer in events. Want to work in Football? Volunteer at a local club. Simple!
There are many reasons why people all over the world volunteer. Often its because they have been directly affected by a cause or issue. People want to give back to the organisation or cause that helped them in a proactive way, people like to feel that they can make a difference.
Working to make a difference about things you care about will make you feel better!
3. Personal improvement
Get out of your comfort zone and volunteer. If you have never done it before getting started can be tough! But it is sure to develop you as a person. Volunteers often report higher levels of confidence and self-esteem.
The skills you gain from volunteering can help you improve your everyday life. Volunteering in itself can make you feel both humble and good about yourself.
Who wouldn’t want that?!
4. Health benefits
Research reports that volunteering can actually make you a healthier and happier person. For instance,
94% of volunteers say that after 12 months of volunteering, they feel physically more healthy and their mood has improved.
96% of people who have been volunteering for at least a year say that volunteering has given them a purpose in life.
Want to read more about the health benefits volunteer offers here.
5. It’s Fun!!
like most scenarios in life, volunteering will be what you make it and if you want it to be fun it will be fun!
Volunteering is a great way of establishing relationships and making a whole new set of friends. It gets you out and is a fantastic cure for loneliness.
Doing something you enjoy, with people who can become your friends, whilst potentially helping others. It’s a win-win.
Looking for inspiration? For many of us, it’s a big part of modern life and everyone searches for that feeling in different ways. There’s a special group of people who are often described as inspirational! People that give up their time to do better by the world, to try and make a difference where they can: volunteers.
We call these people “volunteers”. Their motivations are varied, but often selfless or at least for a goal greater than their own satisfaction and here we will discuss the 5 reasons why we think volunteers are great.
“Volunteers don’t get paid not because their acts are worthless but because they are priceless.”
As crazy as this sounds volunteers are not paid! This in itself makes them special, but it’s not because they do it for free it’s what they actually do that sets them apart. They change the lives of people because they want to and not because they are employed to. Here at TeamKinetic, we have been able to witness hundreds of thousands of logged hours from thousands of volunteers, it’s simply wonderful to see and we hope for many many more wonderful people engaging with fantastic causes.
“One of the greatest gifts you can give is your time.”
How do you value people’s time? Is it a cost replacement? Or is it more subtle than that, is it their very presence and the joy or comfort they can bring? This is not even considering the value the volunteer places on their own time. Valuing your volunteers is very difficult and fraught with pitfalls, but one thing we can all agree on without those people who give their time many services and people would be worse off.
“Don’t live for what you get, live for what you give.”
It is often quoted that real happiness comes from a sense of fulfilment. We would suggest that aspiring to freely give your time may be a way to achieve that fulfilment, to feel part of something greater than yourself is a particular human trait. Not to focus on what you get, or what you have but on what you can do for others. Volunteers epitomise this way of life, this is the reason many volunteers give so much. Don’t believe us about this? Read this and see what the research says about volunteers being happier and healthier.
“Wherever there is a human being there is an opportunity for kindness.”
We all have choices when it comes to how we choose to live our lives. We can choose to be kind, and fulfil the potential every single one of us has. I’m not suggesting every volunteer is a saint – far from it. But those who volunteer are choosing to try and be kind, to try and improve their community or cause. We salute those who make that choice.
“You may not have saved a lot of money in your life, but if you have saved a lot of heartaches for other folks, you are a pretty rich person.”
The value a volunteer provides and also extracts from their experience is difficult to quantify. The idea that saving the hearts of others is worth way more to people that any amount of money sounds crazy. But if a volunteer can help change a person outlook, improve their quality of life, share their time, wisdom and experience for the good of others, develop friendships, reduce loneliness, create opportunities for those that otherwise might not have them. These are potentially life-changing events for the person the volunteer might help.
So we say volunteers are special, and we at TeamKinetic take this time to say thank you, volunteers, for your time, your commitment and for believing that you can make a difference. We think you’re great.
Find out how TeamKinetic can work with you to recruit, manage, and retain your student volunteers.
You can find TeamKinetic on social media and listen to our podcast:
Volunteer numbers are stagnating while the number of opportunities rises each year. It is easy for volunteer managers to want to “recruit”, without assessing and placing volunteers in the most suitable opportunities.
TeamKinetic contend that it’s important for all volunteer managers to understand how to recruit volunteers. Equally, it is important to understand how to effectively manage them. Perhaps more important still – how do you retain them?
Recruiting volunteers
Let’s start with some figures that are important to know from a volunteer managers point of view. As this always helps to understand the context we are working with.
In giving, how much do we receive? The social value of volunteering (Andrew G Haldane, Chief Economist, Bank of England, 2014).
Clearly, there is an appetite by people to help shape their communities and give their time freely to achieve their goals. How do you and your organisations make the best use of this amazing resource?
Advertising
How technology is redefining volunteer management…
Technology has been a powerful tool in allowing people to achieve things that once were not possible in the past. The developments have allowed billions of people to communicate, share stories and ideas from different locations and times. TeamKinetic uses technology to allow volunteer managers to complete tasks in a simple and quick manner. Technology is a tool that can create a number of benefits to organisations that is focused on providing volunteers with the best possible opportunities.
TeamKinetic work with a number of organisations such as; Do-it.org, volunteering-wales.net and VolunteerScotland to offer volunteers options across the UK. We believe that audience size matters and individuals looking for things they are interested in is made simple.
We believe it is possible to create an audience ecosystem for opportunities. every volunteer manager in the sector plays an important role in providing volunteers with access to a wide range of opportunities that will bring about benefits to the organisation and volunteer. TeamKinetic is assisting volunteer managers to carry out these tasks by providing a platform that allows them to create and advertise opportunities according to the organisation’s audience. The system also inputs all volunteers into one area after registering. This allows the selecting process of volunteers to be effective and time-saving.
Opportunities
Volunteer managers should always strive to create opportunities that are appealing and beneficial to the volunteer. Opportunities should allow the volunteer to gain positive and worthwhile experiences because at the end of the day they’re giving up their time to help you!
When advertising an opportunity it is important to consider the following:
Provide the volunteer with all the information regarding the opportunity.
Include some of the benefits of the volunteering opportunity
Highlight some of the key requirements of your opportunity
Here are some amazing opportunities that have been provided to volunteers by organisations using the TeamKinetic volunteer management software. When opportunities are well thought out and advertised they can have a big impact on the volunteer and their experience.
Respect 4 All is a great example of a simple and easy to sign up volunteer opportunity created by the foundation. The opportunity is a regular ongoing event that is held every week that brings in a variety of volunteers. The Respect 4 All event is well advertised through the website and the mission of the event is clearly outlined. The Respect 4 All event is for girls and boys with complex and additional needs ages 5+.
This opportunity is perfect for an individual that has no experience and wants to get involved, as they are not required to have specific skills or experience. Once signed up the volunteer is provided with a full induction that allows them to get to know the volunteer managers and highlights what is expected of them.
The volunteer is provided with their own LFC Foundation Kit which is a good way of making them feel part of the team. Respect 4 All is a successful event and volunteers always leave happy, which is reflected in some of the reviews that are left.
“Lovely to meet the staff who made me feel very welcome as a newcomer. Really well organised, and would love to help again”
England hockey is another organisation that has used the volunteer management software to its potential by creating some fantastic opportunities. A good example of one of England Hockey’s opportunities is their spectator service role for the #IndoorHockeyUK event that is being held on the 28th of December.
The volunteer role is well defined with a clear outline of what is required (16+ and a criminal check). Additionally, the role expectations are outlined for the volunteer applying so they are fully aware of the tasks at hand.
England hockey has also used the volunteer system features to include what would be provided to the volunteer e.g a volunteer pack (including a t-shirt and water bottle), refreshments and meals. As well as the map feature which gives the volunteer and exact location of the event.
A diverse group of volunteers
Selecting
Matching the right volunteer in the role best suited to them is the best way to ensure success for your voluntary programme. Finding volunteers who commit to opportunities over a longer period of time is vital for organisational and volunteer development. All organisations are different and will have different expectations of what they require from the volunteer.
When selecting volunteers it is necessary to consider how difficult you wish to make it for them to have a positive experience. The type of role volunteers apply for will impact their onboarding process. it is important to consider whether they can apply and turn up to their opportunities or if you require a face-to-face meeting with them.
For example, tasters may require little to no onboarding and are ideal for the volunteer to try out opportunities. Supporting the volunteer to see what skills they have and how they may fit into an organisation. Whereas roles with greater responsibility may require references, DBS, and relevant experience.
TeamKinetic allows managers to set these guidelines for each opportunity they provide. Volunteers are never expected to provide more than is asked of them in the application process.
Dawn Georgeson -Volunteer Lead at the Liverpool FC Foundation had this to say about some of the issues volunteer managers face when recruiting volunteers.
“Reliability is one of the key things! Not that volunteers are not reliable but its more about what is a ‘regular’ volunteer for me. For one person every week could be a regular volunteering opportunity that they will continue to do. However, for some people, it could be once a month or even once a year and that regular to them, and it’s managing that. Discussing with volunteers on what their expectations are and what ours are, and making sure they marry up. That is one of the biggest issues in making sure people are fulfilling their opportunities.”
TeamKinetic allows volunteer managers like Dawn to set the type of opportunity on offer. Allowing them to better understand and manage how regular the volunteer will be. On the volunteer management software, TeamKinetic gives 3 opportunity options, which are:
Repeating – (An opportunity that is regularly ongoing e.g coaching football every Tuesday)
Non-repeating – (A one-off opportunity or event e.g Commonwealth parade)
Flexible – (An opportunity that is irregular e.g befriending old people when you have free time)
These options help categories the opportunities and allow managers to have a greater understanding of what they would consider as a regular volunteer for their organisation. The TeamKinetic volunteer software makes selecting volunteers simple and easy for the managers. This allows more time to be spent on organisation goals and developments and less time spent on administrative tasks and micromanaging the whole recruitment process.
