3 May 2023

Network members discuss and share ideas for Volunteers' Week 2023

The challenges

• Lack of response from volunteers when they are invited to a bigger event and not being able to anticipate how many people are going to turn up; presenting issues for catering and resources.
• Many volunteers do not wish to have money spent on them to thank them for their service.
• The timing of Volunteers’ week clashes with half term so there could be volunteers looking after children or grandchildren during that week. In addition, there is The Big Help Out and the NHS 75th Anniversary this year. With so much going on Volunteers’ Week could potentially get diluted.
• Multiple or widely spread sites.

Your great ideas

• Certificates. Make them more personal by getting them signed and handed out by a member of your Senior Leadership Team.
• Thank You cards. Make them a bit more special by asking departments to sign and hand out the cards to individuals. Seed cards are always popular as they have another use. One member asked their volunteers to share with them three words about volunteering and used these to create a word cloud on their thank you cards.
• Lots of afternoon tea events are happening of varying sizes. Two people recommended Morrisons for reasonably priced sandwich platters. Another is producing Gingerbread Men iced in the volunteer team colour. As well as being easy to post there will be a reasonable use by date on them if any are left over.
• There was a question about using something like Eventbrite to set up an event. Better Impact and Assemble also has this facility.
• Give volunteers coffee or tea vouchers so that smaller or more widespread groups can organise their own event. For example, at a garden centre or local coffee shop. It was suggested that asking a volunteer to do the negotiation with the café was more likely to get a better deal than someone who is a member of staff from a bigger organisation.
• Pin badges for long service.
• Getting donations from local businesses. For example, seeds to go into the thank you cards.
• Many of you have organised stands and a presence in foyers and parts of your organisations to promote volunteering.
• The ever-popular Appreciation Station. A tree in a reception area where people can hang appreciation cards with comments about the volunteers.
• Raise awareness by tapping into your Comms and staff Facebook pages and get the message out about how great your volunteers are!

Useful links

VOLFEST Local organisations come together to showcase their efforts and promote their services in Chelmsford.

New Leaf New Leaf is part of Devon Partnership NHS Trust’s Vocational Rehabilitation Service. The service has been developed from delivering many years of therapy, training and supported employment to adults living with a mental health condition who are working towards paid employment now or in the future.

vivup and other organisations offer discounted vouchers.