Network members discuss Volunteers’ Week and promoting services

5 March 2025

Top Comments from the discussion

• “The more discussion there is on the subject of volunteering and getting people involved the better.”

• “Volunteers are used to face to face events and appreciate the chance to get together.”

• “The range of volunteer opportunities has become more limited and possibly less interesting / rewarding. It is therefore important that volunteers feel valued for their contribution.”

• “Volunteering should be the preferred choice for organisations, not just a ‘nice to have’.”

• “A handshake or thank you is appreciated but not enough to convey the importance of volunteering more widely.”

Top Tips:

• Start planning early.

• Survey volunteers to find out how they would like to be shown appreciation.

Promotion

• The volunteers are the best advocates for showcasing volunteering talking about the role they do and the benefits they get from it.

• Acknowledge the impact of volunteering through priority press releases to raise the public profile.

• Social media can be effective for thank you messages to groups of volunteers.

• Showcase volunteer roles on social media.

• Showcase volunteers who have gone on to employment.

No Budget

• Ask CEO to write a letter to the volunteers during Volunteers Week in recognition of the time they give to volunteer.

• Secure a stand on site throughout Volunteers’ Week to raise awareness but check that the footfall of the area is high.

• Vouchers and goods donated by local businesses and supermarkets to use as prizes for volunteer events.

• Ask staff for donations of unwanted Christmas gifts to use as prizes for events during Volunteers’ Week.

• If your volunteer services are part of the Resourcing / HR directorate there may be opportunities to approach companies who are part of the supply chain.

Internal events

• One group shared the highlights from last year’s successful Volunteers’ Week event at a Trust board meeting. The directors and clinical staff then joined the volunteering team for lunch and heard volunteers talking about their roles.

External Events

• Good negotiating skills required to negotiate discounts with venues

• Well-being day, going for a walk in the park. One organisation included a little outdoor Yoga and finished off at a cafe for drinks.

• An awards evening for volunteers was well attended but there was feedback from some volunteers who were disappointed at not receiving an award.

Organising an event can be challenging if volunteers are spread over a large rural area and funds are limited for both the organisation and the volunteers.

• An organisation in Wales runs several small gatherings bringing the volunteers together for a cup of tea giving them the chance to network with other volunteers and get to know about other roles.

• Ask if anyone can offer lift share to get in touch so that they can match people up to travel together.

Gift idea

• Mug with a sachet of tea or coffee

Something different

We heard from one organisation about how they were going to do something they are

calling ‘Random Acts of Kindness’. This could be asking staff members or trustees to drop in on the volunteers and their meet ups taking them little gifts as a thank you and share it on social media.

As they are a charity, they will be token gifts, and they are looking at local bakeries etc. to help provide them with cakes and biscuits. The provider will get a bit of promotion a) to the volunteers and b) through the social media promotion of the event.

Take a look at previous discussions on Volunteers’ Week for more ideas

Useful tips and ideas for Volunteers' Week and the Big Help Out - 2024

2024 Volunteers' Week Reflections - 2 July 2024

Other useful links

Volunteers’ Week Official Resources

Examples of volunteer stories: Why I volunteer for Coeliac UK - Coeliac UK