Lockdown 3.0 is here in the UK and we are bringing to you the guidelines given by each government in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland on how to volunteer safely. Below are each government and links to guidance on how to volunteer during this lockdown… Keep reading and stay safe!
England
A ‘reasonable excuse’ for leaving your home includes volunteering – you can also leave home to provide voluntary or charitable services, where it cannot be done from home. For further guidance, see below:
Examples of reasonable excuses to go out include to provide voluntary or charitable services, but only where that cannot be done from your home. For further guidance, see below:
The new rules allow volunteers to go out to provide care or help to a vulnerable person, including emergency help. This includes getting food and medicines for them. For further guidance, see below:
Where possible, you should volunteer from home. If you cannot do so, you can volunteer outside your home, if you are able to meet the regulations and guidelines applicable at that time. For further guidance, see below:
I think everyone would agree that 2020 was a bit of a rubbish year. Between the pandemic, Brexit and Trump we saw some of the very best and worst of human nature play out in front of our eyes. As we head into 2021, we at TeamKinetic think we can make the world a slightly better place to be. As part of our first meeting back as a team, we discussed what our hopes for 2021 look like and our resolutions to help us get there. We thought it might be nice to share these with the internet and challenge you to come up with your own resolutions to share with us.
Personal Resolutions
Here’s what the team are thinking about for 2021:
Company Resolutions
As a company we have set ourselves some resolutions and goals as we look to come out of the pandemic stronger. We want to share these with our customers, so you can hold us to account if you think we are coming up short.
TeamKinetic will be investing time on our UX/UI across our product as we look to standardise and modernise the interface. We’ll be giving special attention to mobile and small-screen usage as we think this will be the number one way volunteers interact with our services in 2021.
We have plans to improve how opportunities can be created with a new approach based around the creation of ‘roles’. This is a really big change for TeamKinetic so you are likely to see this feature set develop over the next 12 months. We’re excited for you to see what we have in mind with this.
We are looking at DBS/ PVG and other forms of ID verification that can be undertaken directly in your TeamKinetic application. We want to reduce your administrative burden and save you money on the cost of administering criminal record checks.
This year we want to build on our customer steering group with more interaction and feedback from you, our customers. We will be launching our customer attitudes and satisfaction survey which we hope you will get involved with. We are developing new tools that will help us understand how you use TeamKinetic. Also, we’re launching our supplementary training that you can access to improve what you get out of TeamKinetic.
Last year saw some huge new features added to TeamKinetic. We will be continuing to refine and explore where these go next. We hope you will be with us to share your thoughts and opinions on what we do.
Here’s to 2021.
You can find TeamKinetic on social media and listen to our podcast:
Another day, another lockdown. Lockdown 3.0 is upon us and we know the volunteering world are just waiting to read about the new guidelines from the government. We have found some useful information in regards to volunteering during this lockdown. Each is relevant per country…
As this is a fast changing situation, please make sure you are checking for latest guidance from your national government and/ or infrastructure body.
England
A ‘reasonable excuse’ for leaving your home includes volunteering – you can also leave home to provide voluntary or charitable services, where it cannot be done from home. For further guidance, see below:
Examples of reasonable excuses to go out include to provide voluntary or charitable services, but only where that cannot be done from your home. For further guidance, see below:
Tthe new rules allow volunteers to go out to provide care or help to a vulnerable person, including emergency help. This includes getting food and medicines for them. For further guidance, see below:
Where possible, you should volunteer from home. If you cannot do so, you can volunteer outside your home, if you are able to meet the regulations and guidelines applicable at that time. For further guidance, see below:
An exciting, in-depth look at how to use TeamKinetic on a day-to-day basis to run your volunteer programme. Partly hands-on, your tutor will talk you through setting up opportunities and allow you to see the system from different users perspectives. At the end of this training session, you will have a good understanding of how each user interacts with the system and how to communicate and manage your volunteers and service providers.
Who Should Attend?
Either new employees who have taken over the role of administrator OR existing administrators who would like a refresher of all the main functionality.
What does it cover?
Volunteer Life Cycle
A practical session where attendees will experience the system from each users perspective covering the following:
Registering as a provider
[As a provider/admin] Creating an opportunity
Registering as a volunteer
[As a volunteer] Joining the opportunity
[As a provider/admin] Managing and communicating with volunteers on the opportunity
Managing Volunteers
Searching for volunteer/s
Search filters explained
Adding volunteers without an email address
Inviting volunteers onto the system
Criminal checks
Volunteer groups
Meetings and Inductions
Recognition and Rewards
Achievement badges
OpenBadges
HourTrades
Managing Opportunities
standardising activity tags
Shared opportunities
References
Events
Accreditation badges
Reporting and Insight
Reporting library explained
Exporting information
Effective Communication
Notifications
Volunteer news
Sending volunteers an email or text
Volunteer/Provider bulk emails
How to get Help
Support tickets
Contextual help
Questions and Workshops
Any questions will be answered and workshopped in the final segment, helping you to apply what you have learnt to your own unique programme.
How do I sign up?
You can access this training from your HELP > EXTRA TRAINING menu. Purchase the number of credits you need and then click on the BOOK button and select your course and dates.
You can check the latest training dates from within your system. Just go to ‘Help & Support’ → ‘Extra Training’
Who doesn’t love a good competition? We certainly do!
With COVID-19 still looming, we are determined to help companies boost staff and volunteer morale with a little help from the spooky season. That is why we have created a list of 7 different ways you can lift the (spooky) spirits of those you work with. And, we are want YOU to send pictures in of your organisation getting involved with any of the 7 ideas below; the most creative one wins our ‘trick or treat’ prize. But, you only have until the 1st of November to send your creative pictures in.
1. Get Creative
Whether you are working from home, or still in the office, that doesn’t mean you can’t get creative for Halloween. Why don’t you decorate your desk (or work from home space) with some spooky decorations? This is a cheap and fun way to ensure you can still make the most of the haunting holiday, despite COVID-19 restrictions. You can even make it a friendly competition and reward the person with the spookiest desk!
2. Get Fancy…Dressed
Whether you are still in the office, working from home, or volunteering, you can still make a show-stopping appearance in some fancy dress this Halloween! You could even do spooky make-up too.
We are currently working from home, but I know I will still be dressing up this Halloween. Why don’t you get speaking to your volunteers and employees to encourage them to take part in some fancy dress this year? You can even make it another Halloween competition. Have a look at some popular inspiration below.
Velma and Daphne from Scooby Doo
The Purge make-up
Cobweb make-up
Mary Poppins and The Chimney Sweep
Breaking Bad
3. Low-key spookiness
Fancy dress and make-up not your thing? Don’t worry. You could simply wear some spooky socks, a terrifying tie, a Halloween headband, or a scary scrunchie. And if you’re working from home, you can even just wear some Halloween pyjamas at your desk, whatever gets you in the positive spooky spirit while COVID-19 is about.
Terrifying Tie
Halloween Headband
Scary Scrunchies
Spooky Socks
4. Carving Out Spooky Competition
One thing that screams Halloween fun to me is pumpkin carving. Mine is currently on the table staring at me as I type this, ready to be carved along to a spooky film. Even with COVID-19 still lurking about, this is still something you can get your staff and volunteers involved in. You can make it a fun competition over a Zoom call, perfect for keeping things COVID-19 safe whilst also boosting morale.
5. Ghoulish Games
Did somebody say…quiz?! If there is one thing we love at TeamKinetic, that is a good quiz. Especially one that fits in with the festive holidays. This is another idea you can use to boost the morale of your staff and volunteers. You could arrange a Halloween quiz over a Zoom call and do your quiz over a PowerPoint presentation?
6. Bewitching Baking
With COVID-19, actual baking may not be possible. But, that doesn’t mean you can’t purchase some spooky cakes to give out to your volunteers and staff. This is a perfect way to encourage some spooky spirit in a minimalistic way. These could be cakes, biscuits, chocolate apples, you name it! In fact, take a look at a few of your options in supermarkets now.
Spooky Mummy Marshmallow Lolly- Tesco
Spooky Muffins- Tesco
Freaky Fondant Cakes- Sainsbury’s
Deadly Cupcakes- Sainsbury’s
Cadbury’s Pumpkin Patch Cakes- Sainsbury’s
7. Spoooky Social Media
Holidays such as Halloween acts as the perfect opportunity to put your company in the spotlight for getting involved in festivities through social media. You could redesign your logo and header picture for October? We use Canva to make our profile look spooky; take a look at what we have done below and it may spike you with some spooky inspiration.
TeamKinetic Twitter- @TeamKineticUK
Inspiring Each Other
Everything is uncertain right now, with a lot of things being cancelled and many of us beginning to work from home again. But, that doesn’t mean we can’t all inspire each other to still enjoy the upcoming holidays. Share these ideas with your staff and your volunteers, send your pictures in before the 1st of November, and we can make sure we use Halloween to boost morale! And, one of you will be lucky enough to win our ‘trick or treat’ prize!
Micro-volunteering is the idea of volunteering in ‘short bursts’. This means volunteering in short and convenient ways, at times and places which suit everybody’s schedule. What makes micro-volunteering different from standard volunteering is that it can be done online or face-to-face, and doesn’t require any long term commitment. This means that the volunteer also doesn’t have to go through an application or training process first. Micro-volunteering is perfect for both volunteers and organisations! It has the potential to attract a wider diversity and greater number of people, including individuals who wouldn’t have got involved otherwise due to conflicting schedules.
Delivering supplies to those isolating from covid-19
Signing online petitions
Writing blogs
Retweeting and posting relevant content to social media
Two minute litter pick
Buying a homeless person food or a hot drink
Researching and completing online surveys
Donate old clothes and goods to a charity shop
Remember this..?
Remember when the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge went viral in the summer of 2014? Where everyone, including big celebrities like Mark Zuckerberg, would tip a bucket of ice water over their head to raise awareness of Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS).
Well, this was a perfect example of micro-volunteering. While this wasn’t classified as your ‘typical’ volunteering, it engaged people all over the world and encouraged them to donate their time and resources into raising awareness of ALS. This viral challenge raised $116 million over two years from people engaging in this challenge who previously might not have got involved if it wasn’t for micro-volunteering.
How has COVID-19 impacted this?
The rates of micro-volunteering will have naturally increased from COVID-19. This comes from people having too much spare time and wanting to use their time to help others during such a negative time.
COVID-19 has made the majority of the population go into self isolation to protect themselves and to protect others. This then meant many volunteers had the suspend their volunteering duties- this is where micro-volunteering comes into play! Micro-volunteering has allowed volunteers to continue their contributions whilst isolating at home. For example, VolunteerScotland has seen 60,000 people come forward as a response to COVID-19, prepared to help in the most difficult of times- and this is just Scotland!
The future of micro-volunteering…
Micro-volunteering is only going to continue to grow, especially considering the current climate, and this is something we need to encourage. It’s simple, without micro-volunteering there would be less people volunteering their time- especially during COVID-19.
One of the biggest barriers to volunteering is people not having the time. Work commitments is the biggest barrier at (49%), with people ‘doing other things with their spare time’ closely following (35%), and child commitments following at (23%). Micro- volunteering allows people to contribute to volunteering around their schedule. This can even be sharing something on social media to raise awareness.
With COVID-19 now also causing volunteering barriers, micro-volunteering has come to the rescue. Micro-volunteering has allowed volunteers who are self isolating to continue to contribute to a cause from the safety of their home. This could prove to be the future for many volunteers who may not feel safe to return to face-to-face volunteering for a while. This then allows organisations to continue to receive volunteer support, despite the current COVID-19 situation.
How can you encourage micro volunteering with TeamKinetic?
During the peak of the COVID pandemic, we added an entirely new feature set around micro community volunteering. It includes a new admin and provider management page. Your volunteers also have access to their own progressive web app, allowing them to join micro volunteering tasks and record their progress using their phone.
Step 1 – Enable the community tasks feature from your super admin options menu
As you can see above, there are a few options available. Remember to give access to your volunteers and allow them to download the web app in order to access your community tasks.
Step 2 – Add your community tasks
Select ‘Community Tasks’ from the ‘Opportunities & Providers’ menu. Once you have enabled them in the super admin options menu.
Hit the big GREEN plus button to add your first community task.
There are some important things to know when adding your community tasks;
All the data you add in the red section is visible publicly to your volunteers.
The first set of data in the yellow section headed ‘Private Data’ is never revealed to volunteers.
The second set of data in the yellow section headed ‘Data Shown to Assigned Volunteers’ is only revealed to the volunteer that applies and is accepted for the task.
You can describe the task here and provide a location for the recipient. This is as well as restricting which volunteers have access to see and pick up these tasks. You can restrict by their ID check, criminal check status, and whether they are linked to the assigned provider or not.
All your volunteers that have logged into the web app will receive notifications when new tasks are added. This will either be in the app for Android/Chrome devices or via email for iOS devices.
Step 3 – Get your volunteers completing the tasks
By enabling access to volunteers in the super admin options menu, your volunteers can login at ICanHelp.teamkinetic.co.uk. Additionally, by switching on the relevant options, you can also select to advertise the web app to your volunteers when they login on their dashboard.
When they login they will see a familiar mobile app interface and can search and select community tasks and apply to join.
Once they have applied you will see their application in your admin community tasks management page. From there you can assign them to the task. The volunteer will receive a notification that they have been assigned a task and can then view the full details in the app. Once they have completed the task, the volunteer can then update the status within the app.
It’s a super easy and fast way to encourage participation with those small micro-volunteering activities in your community. This will also help to build lasting connections.
Don’t hesitate to get in touch or open a support ticket if you need more help setting up your community tasks. You can chat to us through our website or directly email us at chris@teamkinetic.co.uk.
Our Macmillan fundraising trip to the highest peak in the UK, Ben Nevis, was meant for a balmy May day in 2020. COVID put a stop to that, and after numerous false starts the date turned out to be a potentially chilly and wet late September 2020. As it happened the weather gods were fantastically generous and gave us a crystal clear, dry, and windless day. Our guide reckoned you only got 10-15 days like that a year.
Our group of 23 was split into rule of 6 compatible mini groups.We then hit the trail at a frosty 8am, with our groups starting at staggered times for COVID safety.
The trial is easy to follow and very well maintained. If you are thinking of doing it, don’t be put off by the height, its a moderate gradient all the way up but steady with no scrambling or climbing. We took 3 hours to get to the top at an easy pace for us. If you go in the summer and start early, you’ll have 10 hours of good light to reach the summit and return. If in doubt hire a guide who can make the decisions about weather and timings for you.
The trail starts at the visitor centre, crosses the river, passes an excellent pub and hostel and quickly starts to climb. After 90 minutes or so we got to Lochan Meall, the halfway point!
Lochan Meall – halfway
From the lake there are a series of switchbacks, the guide called them the Christmas Tree, and then a short steep section till you reach the summit plateau. And then the top!
At the top
It was a great feeling to get to the top and we felt so lucky and privileged to have such a clear and glorious day to look out from 1,345 meters across the Nevis Range and the Western Highlands.
We felt lucky and glad to be alive. Don’t take it for granted, cancer hits every family and everyone has their own story. On the way home we learnt that a friend had been diagnosed with terminal cancer; young, fit, new family and wife, a tragedy. It was an honour to raise a little over £7,000 for Macmillan who every day helps that family and that friend get the most from the time they have.
This was an amazing experience, and raising money for a charity like Macmillan only made it better.
Ben Nevis is one of the UK’s most famous natural landmarks, and is the tallest mountain across the British Isles! It is a long and strenuous climb that takes around 7-9 hours, guaranteed to leave you with stiff legs the next day! But it also leaves you with a big feeling of accomplishment.
This mountain is a lofty 1,345 meters high. To put this into perspective the London Eye stands at 135 meters high and Big Ben at 96 meters high. They don’t call it the tallest mountain for nothing! And our TeamKinetic Software Engineer, Rolf Herbert, is about to climb it in aid of Macmillan.
Rolf’s Ben Nevis Adventure…
On the 27th September our software engineer is taking on the Ben Nevis challenge! Rolf is taking this challenge on with 30 team members, with only a few having real experience for such a challenge!
“Macmillan is a superb charity that helps so many people in a positive way, it helps celebrate and appreciate what you have even when you are at risk of losing so much. Sharing an adventure with friends in a stunning location, whilst raising some money, seems an apt way to help” – Rolf Herbert
About Macmillan…
At Macmillan Cancer Support, they understand the many ways in which a cancer diagnosis can affect your life. But from the moment you’re diagnosed, through your treatment and beyond, Macmillan are right there with you, offering emotional, physical and financial support.
They take the time to understand you as a person, so that they can provide the support, tools and inspiration you need to find your best way through. They do it like this because they understand that everyone’s cancer journey is unique.
Macmillan Cancer Support is a group of millions of supporters, professionals, volunteers and campaigners. And together, they make sure you are treated like a person- not just a patient- and get the support you need to live life as fully as you can.
Everyone here at TeamKinetic applauds Rolf for taking on this challenging climb to raise money for a brilliant charity! We wish you the best of luck and we can’t wait to hear all about it (and make sure you wear some good shoes)!
If you wish to support Rolf on his endeavour for Macmillan, follow the link below.
Celebrities are some of the richest people in the world, whether they be actors, footballers, or singers. Today, we take look at the celebrities who really care. The ones who donate their money and time to causes they’re truly passionate about.
Here are a few of the celebrities doing great work, and maybe it can inspire you to follow in their footsteps…
Angelina Jolie
Angelina Jolie has always been associated with being charitable, and today is no exception! Despite becoming one of the biggest names in Hollywood, she still used her time to help others…
Since 2001, she has embarked on field missions around the world and met with refugees in more than 20 countries.
In 2003 she set-up the Maddox Jolie Program that is today known as the Maddox Jolie-Pitt Foundation (MJP). The foundation is dedicated to eradicating extreme rural poverty, protecting natural resources and conserving wildlife. They even donated $1 million to Doctors Without Borders.
2016 saw her set up the Education Partnership for Children of Conflict which aims to ensure that children and young people affected by conflict, internal displacement, and refugee status are not denied their fundamental human right to education.
David Beckham
Has been a UNICEF ambassador since 2005 and travelled across the world to see the work that they do. Beckham has visited Swaziland, Sierra Leone, South Africa, and the Philippines.
In February 2015, to mark his tenth year, UNICEF and David launched ‘7: The David Beckham UNICEF Fund’. The 7 Fund states that they are “tackling bullying, violence, child marriage and missed education, and making sure children – especially girls – get a true chance to realise their potential”.
The 7 Fund has also supplied polio vaccinations, drilled wells and brought clean water to schools and communities. They’ve also provided HIV medicine to pregnant mothers and given life-saving food to malnourished children.
Miley Cyrus
Miley often speaks out on social issues too – here she is at the Women’s March in 2017.
From rising to fame as Disney Channel’s Hannah Montana to creating media frenzies with her provocative live performances, Miley has had quite a journey in the public eye! But through it all, she’s kept her charitable spirit…
In 2009, she started a program for Youth Service America called ‘Get Ur Good On‘. Its purpose was for youth to support each other in their missions to do ‘good’ in their communities. Get Ur Good On Grants awarded 100 $500 grants to support projects that addressed critical community needs such as poverty, education, and environmental sustainability.
In 2014, she founded theHappy Hippie Foundation.The foundation provides homeless youth, LGBTQ youth and other vulnerable groups with consistent support services, education and employment opportunities.
Finally, in 2018 Miley, and her then-husband Liam, donated $500,000 to Malibu Relief after their home burned down due to the California wildfires. They noted that they wanted to give back to the place that “created so many beautiful memories for themselves and others”.
Feel inspired?
Do you now feel inspired to take part in some charity work to help make a difference but don’t know where to start? Check out our website as a starting point to see the clients we work with, and the volunteering opportunities they have on offer.
Every year, charities all over the world are using their resources to help support and provide hope to people in need. Now, today is the day we show our appreciation to all charities out there for the amazing work they do on a day-to-day basis. That’s why today’s blog post is all about saying THANK YOU and showing our appreciation of our charity clients!
First up…
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
– Alaina MacGregor, Chief Executive Officer
British Blind Sport is an amazing charity that helps the blind and partially sighted people get active and play sports. They encourage adults and children to participate in activities of all levels, from grassroots to the Paralympic Games. They believe that sporting opportunities should be available to everybody. It has been proven that sport can enhance the lives of people with visual impairments by improving their health and increasing their social interaction.
And you can help today in so many different ways. Have a look today to see how you can make a real difference through British Blind Sport by clicking here.
Dreams Come True
Dreams Come True are the only dreams granting charity that fulfils the dreams of children and young adults with such a wide range of medical conditions, locations and ages.
Dreams Come True exist to make the dreams of children and young adults come true; everyone has a dream, but the unfortunate reality is that some have less time to realise their dream. This is why Dreams Come True believe that having one moment where children can forget about the troubles they are currently facing, is a moment that they and their families get to treasure forever.
However, they can’t make any of this happen without support of others. Find out how you can help Dreams Come True today by clicking here!
Groundwork London
Groundwork London have the vision of a city where all communities are vibrant, healthy and safe. Where londoners feel empowered to come together and overcome the challenges they face, wherever they live, and whatever the circumstances or background. However, London continues to face many serious challenges. When these challenges are combined with reductions in public funding and services, it’s usually those who are most disadvantaged that are affected the most. That is why Groundwork designs projects to support these individuals and communities.
Every year they make an incredible impact on people and places in London. Last year they worked with communities across London to create and improve close to 1.9 million square metres of public parks, playgrounds, housing estates, community gardens, nature reserves, roof gardens and many more of London’s valuable public open spaces.
They offer amazing support and advice, which you can find out about now by clicking here.
Into Games
Into-games is a wonderful charity which supports people finding rewarding careers in the games industry. Their projects connect education and industry while providing guidance for learners from primary school upwards. They do this to ensure that a career in the games sector is more accessible to a wider range of young people.
With Into-games, you can find a career, build a game, go to an event, get a mentor, and find opportunities with just a click of a button! Find out for yourself here.
Pankhurst Trust
The Pankhurst Trust was formed in 2014 as a merger between The Pankhurst Trust, which ran The Pankhurst Museum, and Manchester Women’s Aid.
They aim to promote the equality of women, to help women suffering or at risk from domestic abuse, and to secure The Pankhurst Museum for public benefit.
This incredible charity work to ensure the powerful story of the women who won the vote continues to inspire us all to challenge gender inequality, and to ensure that those suffering domestic violence and abuse get the confidential help they need.
The Seashell Trust is a charity dedicated to providing a creative, happy and secure environment for children and young people with complex and severe learning disabilities which include little or no language abilities. they have expert specialist teachers, care staff, onsite therapy team, assistive technologists, swimming teachers and sports coaches. All to allow their students to learn to express themselves, engage with the world, become more independent and live safe, creative and fulfilling lives.
You can start to work or volunteer for The Seashell Trust today by clicking here!
Willowbrook Hospice
Willowbrook Hospice is an independent charity established by local people to build and raise a specialist palliative care unit. Since the hospice opened in 1997, they have cared for over 9000 patients. During this time their services have grown so much that they now receive approximately 1000 patient referrals a year.
The volunteers at Willowbrook Hospice are an essential part of their team. They have event been awarded the Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service. You can join their award winning team today by clicking here. Or read about upcoming fundraising events or how you can fundraise yourself by clicking here.
So, we wanted to say…
From everyone at TeamKinetic, we thank you for the amazing work you all do every day of the year. We love working with you and providing you with volunteer management software to make running your organisation and volunteers that bit easier!
On another note, some of you reading this may not be using TeamKinetic, and might want to know what the big deal is?
partially sighted people get active and play sports. They encourage adults and children to participate in activities of all levels, from grassroots to the Paralympic Games. They believe that sporting opportunities should be available to everybody. It has been proven that sport can enhance the lives of people with visual impairments by improving their health and increasing their social interaction.
