Thank you to all the network members who attended our focused discussion on 9 March on Volunteers Week. There are three different events occurring over the next few months: The Big Help Out, Volunteers’ Week and the NHS 75th Birthday celebration and many of you are hoping to use all three events to do a month of promotion.

Some of the challenges you are facing

• Volunteers are often spread over large areas making it difficult to get everyone together for one celebration.
• Generally, face-to-face events appear to be not well attended.
• The age profile of volunteers can range from age 16 – 93 and students may not be able to get involved in a daytime event.
• Lack of budget.
• Time constraints.
• Some volunteers appreciate being thanked – others prefer not. There have been incidences where volunteers have felt offended or frustrated that money has been spent on a thank you gift or event.
• Surveys have been sent out to volunteers to try and find out how they would like to celebrate Volunteers’ week. One organisation has tried this and sadly didn’t get any replies to the survey.

Suggestions and ideas from network members

• An event doesn’t necessarily need to happen during Volunteers’ Week.
• Face-to-face afternoon tea with quizzes, games and a raffle.
• An activity day where people share their activity or craft with others.

• Webinar events for those who are unable to attend face-to-face events. For example, quiz evenings.
• Individual team events for those who are spread over a wide geographical area.
• Pin Badges – see image
• The Volunteers’ Week website has branded materials that can be used to promote events or produce logos for uniforms. There are no materials specifically for 2023 but many of the branded materials are not dated and could be used every year.
• Small gift ideas included: Cards embossed with seeds, fridge magnets, coasters and ‘Computer Bugs’ with a Volunteers’ Week tag.
• Small hampers or letterbox gifts with a thank you card from your CEO.
• Encourage the volunteers to send in a photo of themselves with their gift with a couple of lines of text and then share on your social media.
• Work with your Comms team and do a social media take over on all things volunteering - celebrate with case studies and stories about who the volunteers are and the difference they are making.
• Encourage volunteers to do one-minute videos of themselves showcasing their role.
• Encourage senior members of staff to shadow a volunteer for a morning.
• Stand / Table in the grounds of an organisation promoting volunteering.
• Appreciation Stations.
• Book of volunteers: ‘Ordinary People Who Do Something Extraordinary’ - Ambulance Service Book Launch to Mark Volunteers’ Week (1-7 June 2022) | Yorkshire Ambulance Service (yas.nhs.uk)
• Smile publications produce free magazines for hospitals, and some NHS organisations use it to promote their volunteering service. They include articles about different roles and advertising is interspersed throughout the magazine, the hospital will also receive a donation.
• Ideas from last year's discussion can be found here: Helpforce | Getting ready for Volunteers Week - Discussion 21 April…