National Volunteering Forum: Digital and the volunteer journey
- 1. NATIONAL VOLUNTEERING FORUM DIGITAL: A HELP OR HINDRANCE TO THE VOLUNTEER JOURNEY? 10.00 – 16.00 15 MAY @NCVOvolunteers #VolForum
- 2. SHAUN DELANEY VOLUNTEERING DEVELOPMENT MANAGER, NCVO @NCVOvolunteers #VolForum
- 5. ELENA ZENIOU VOLUNTEER CENTRE KENSINGTON & CHELSEA @NCVOvolunteers #VolForum
- 6. From grass roots to grass lawns Connecting our Communities
- 7. Hello! Volunteer Centre Kensington & Chelsea Network of 300+ organisations Place and support 1000+ volunteers Comprehensive L&D programme 50 this year!
- 8. Who dowe support? Small grass roots organisations Social groups Well established VIOs (local & national) Local people People passionate about K&C
- 9. How dowe makethis happen? Health checks Programme development Forums Capacity building Promoting opportunities (online & outreach) Flexible opportunities and tasters Specialist programmes
- 10. Keychallenges Strategic Staying relevant Meaningful offer Accessible to all Day to day Minimal information Quality of information Separating branding Follow ups Customer facing / CRM interaction
- 11. Ourstrengths Day to day Connections with local people Relationship building Drop by - In the heart of K&C Strategic Adaptable to VIO & volunteer needs Creating community connections Versatile offer for community development
- 12. Bringing our strengths online Making our local eco-system a digital one
- 13. Our wish list A digital ecosystem led by VCKC Bringing grass roots clients to create a grass lawn full of opportunities A space for volunteers and VIOs to be visible A seamless interplay between customer front & CRM
- 15. JO DAWSON VOLUNTEER CENTRE SUTTON @NCVOvolunteers #VolForum JUDITH LENNOX SIMPLY CONNECT
- 16. Digital and Recruitment Engaging volunteers, connecting communities
- 17. At the heart of our brokerage service • Recruiting volunteers • Marketing volunteering • Supporting VIOs • Analysing volunteering trends And last but not least • Measuring impact
- 18. Digital volunteer recruitment • 24/7 access • LIVE and updated system • Enables more people to access more volunteering opportunities • Registration process saves time • Enables VIOs of any size to recruit
- 19. Digital is important but not the whole story!
- 20. #Lovelocal • Volunteer Centre Sutton is the hub of the local community • We help local people find local volunteering opportunities, making them feel more connected to their community • We give local groups a bank of volunteers to recruit from and to match the role
- 21. Joining the dots.. • Newsletters • Website content • Social media All link to Volunteer Connect!
- 22. Opportunities • Part of a London network of Volunteer Centres using the platform • Co-design future developments based upon user feedback “We get a lot of enquiries coming through the system. The system is easy to update, and I like that it prompts you to review the opportunity once a year so it doesn’t get out of date. It’s easy to use” Tansy, Ecolocal
- 26. A brief tour of the online brokerage experience NCVO National Volunteering Forum May 2019 26 Making social action part of life for 10-20 year-olds Supporting early stage organisations whose outcomes are focused on young people realising their potential.
- 27. Three Focus Areas 1) There is no common gateway for young people into volunteering 2) There aren’t enough high quality social action opportunities available online 3) Logging social action is not streamlined for young people 27
- 28. Fragmentation is high 28 At least... 47 nationwide 4 brokers have a clear youth focus: 5 focus on brokering virtual/’from home’ opportunities 4 job sites, with volunteering sections/ options 7 of these are national providers with diverse opportunities, running their own brokerages (and cross-posting on general brokerages) Search ads (mainly large orgs) Signposting from GOV/ University sites/ NCVO
- 29. Searching habits 29 Location first “90% search by location over keyword” Some platforms have 100+ categories. Reduce the number or save time and leave them alone? Restricting by categories increases the chance of not finding a match Paradox of choice?
- 30. Search experience 30 Age personalisation Upfront personalisation by age is rare, or hidden in “advanced search” Could we be doing more to filter out opportunities that are unlikely to be ‘in reach’ of a young person? (e.g. experienced trustees) 1 2 3
- 31. Search experience… 31 Long listings feel like job roles Brokerages with clear sections, and enforcing bullets make the information easier to digest, and consistently place it - not finding a needle in a haystack. vs
- 32. Search experience… 32 Stand out in the listings
- 33. Search experience… 33 Make the social impact crystal clear Time well spent - motivations: 42% = “I wanted to improve things/ help people” Volunteering from home
- 34. Ongoing engagement 34 Brokerages don’t stay in touch effectively Most brokerages don’t contact you after registration We must plug the gap ‘manually’ at the moment. VCs can and do excel at keeping in touch in a personalised way. Time well spent - motivations: 28% = “Someone asked me to give help”
- 35. Silo-ing opportunities 35 By putting our opportunities in buckets, are we making it harder for volunteers? Tower Hamlets Camden Islington
- 36. Watch out for in the next year… 36
- 37. Final thought 37 David McNeill Digital Director, SCVO
- 38. STACEY CANNON & RACHEL VINCENT CHRISTIAN AID @NCVOvolunteers #VolForum
- 39. GO FLOWManaging recruitment with MS Dynamics 39 WITH THE
- 40. A brief history 40 Introduced in 2018 Replaced previous CRM (Ascent) Why did we choose it? Still in development
- 42. Structure behind the scenes 42 Volunteer recruitment Existing supporter Volunteer profile Role records
- 46. Other nifty features 46 Relationships with other organisations On-the-go appSelf-service portal Volunteer-Supervisor messaging One-stop shopVisual reports
- 47. 47 Thank you Any questions? Stacy Cannon UK Volunteering Manager [email protected] Rachel Vincent Performance, Development and Insight Project Officer [email protected]
- 50. Roundtable discussion How do you use digital tools to recruit volunteers? Do you find it easier to recruit volunteers using digital tools than using more ‘traditional’ methods of recruitment? What are some of the challenges of using digital platforms to recruit volunteers?
- 52. Assemble: second time around Wendy Halley Ramblers Volunteer management systems: amazing, but watch your step
- 53. Volunteer management systems: amazing, but watch your step
- 54. • True requirements? • Limited by knowledge and imagination • Not solutions • Understand the challenges
- 55. Volunteer checks • Request • Reminders • Prompts • Close?
- 56. Find the carrots • IT – security and work • Organisation – safe and legal • Volunteer managers – various • Volunteers – various and none!
- 57. Volunteer-centric • Simple – one system • Resources – easy • Safe comms • App!
- 58. All in one place • News – frequent and up to date • Communication - messaging
- 59. Peer support • Safe • GDPR compliant • Email notifications
- 60. Resources • Easy to find • Not overwhelming Tasks and much more!
- 61. Whole volunteer journey • Advertising and recruitment • Induction and training • Management and support • Communication and networking • Engagement and recognition
- 63. Volunteer managers manage • Gives visibility of issues • Analytics • Target support
- 64. Not a destination • Tech is easy • People are the challenge • Where do you want to go?
- 67. Managing VolunteersUsing Salesforce at Shaw Trust
- 68. The ACTUAL numbers (no guesstimates!)
- 71. What the staff see…
- 72. What the volunteers see…
- 73. Community • Manage availability • Connect with others Profile • Enter a description • Track posts, likes and other interaction Groups • Join with like-minded volunteers • Post, like and comment Purpose Interaction Work!
- 75. Managing the volunteer experience
- 76. The wonderful world of reports and dashboards!
- 77. Up to 10 graphs on each Report whatever data you choose Can schedule them to email out
- 78. Staff & volunteer licences Economic Change Form Assembly £17,596 £5,280 £821 TOTAL £23,697 SF admin Development partner Online form builder Licences
- 82. PETULA STOREY KING’S COLLEGE HOSPITAL NHS FOUNDATION TRUST @NCVOvolunteers #VolForum
- 84. The evolution
- 85. 4 years ago
- 86. Time for change
- 87. What did we want? Manage the volunteer journey Volunteers have ownership Events can be booked Communication tool Maintain training records Track impact Report in various formats Tailored to our needs Amend and change easily Manage rotas Accessible Cost effective
- 88. The results
- 89. The results
- 90. The results
- 91. The results
- 92. Considerations • IT and IG • Transitions and Timings • Volunteers
- 94. Petula Storey Head of Volunteering [email protected]
- 97. BACKGROUND TO TURN2US We are a national charity which helps people in financial hardship to access welfare benefits, charitable grants and support services – online, by phone and face to face through partner organisations and volunteers
- 98. OUR HISTORY The Distressed Gentlefolk’s Aid Association was founded by Elizabeth Finn Benefits Calculator and Grants Search created Averaging 1.3 million benefits calculations and 550,000 grants searches per year 1897 2008 2017
- 100. Where we were… A small volunteer staff team One main volunteer offer – Visitor Volunteers Offline, in-depth paper application form Face-to-face interviewing, training, support Little or no visibility in the community – who are we? Not seen as a volunteer organisation Little capacity for growth OUR VOLUNTEER PROGRAMME
- 101. What’s changed? We are still a small volunteer staff team Simple online application form Multiple volunteer roles – including new digital offers and new community-based roles Remote interviewing, training and support – through our volunteer portal and new e-learning opportunities Increasing visibility in local communities – Community Champions and Community Outreach Volunteers Increasing awareness of Turn2us and of Turn2us as a volunteer organisation OUR VOLUNTEER PROGRAMME
- 102. ONLINE APPLICATIONS Since the online application was introduced in September 2018, the number of volunteer applications has dramatically increased: 0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40 Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Jan Feb Mar New applications
- 103. NEW VOLUNTEER ROLES 41% of new applications were for digital roles. The digital roles (Digital Buddy and Benefits Supporter) have had the most interest, in some part down to the flexibility of the roles but also due targeted recruitment, mainly via digital methods – e.g. recruitment websites, digital/social media marketing. 18% 24% 17% 4% 16% 9% 12% New volunteering roles - interest Visitor Digital Buddy Benefits Supporter Fundraiser HQ/Office Skills Bank Community Champion
- 104. CONNECT Turn2us Connect is a support programme which matches people applying for benefits with a Turn2us volunteer, providing support and practical tips to help them through the application process. Volunteers trained remotely Digital Buddies can volunteer from anywhere through a mobile app “Connections” interact with Digital Buddies via SMS Volunteers can put in as little or as much time as they wish, whenever they wish Volunteers fully supported by benefits experts (Benefits Supporters) though a Slack forum Aiming to lower the amount of unclaimed benefits
- 105. E-LEARNING A new e-learning platform and development tool allowing a wide range of training to be delivered to volunteers in a timely fashion. Core volunteer training Role-specific training Easy to track progress and deliver updated or refresher training No wait for face-to-face training – often a barrier to volunteer on-boarding, especially in remote areas or for volunteers with mobility/transport issues
- 106. Where we want to be… We will still be a small volunteer staff team A fully integrated digital on-boarding process Online applications integrated with our database Online/remote interview and support process – using tools such as Skype/WebEx A comprehensive e-learning platform for volunteer training A community-based volunteer programme, led by Lead Community Volunteers coordinating local Community Volunteer Hubs delivering multiple volunteer initiatives and roles locally in their own communities Allowing sustainable growth Additional face-to-face training, support and recognition delivered locally thorough Volunteer Hubs/Volunteer Leads and annual regional events High community visibility – Turn2us seen and recognised as a lead charity in the fight against poverty and a volunteer organisation delivering a high-quality volunteer experience LOOKING TO THE FUTURE
- 107. ANY QUESTIONS?
- 108. Contact us: [email protected] turn2us.org.uk THANK YOU! DON’T FORGET TO FOLLOW US!
- 110. Roundtable discussion What are some of the particularly beneficial aspects of using digital tools to manage volunteers? What are some of the challenges of using digital platforms to manage volunteers?
- 111. LIAM SMITH MACMILLAN CANCER SUPPORT @NCVOvolunteers #VolForum
- 112. Working with digital: Hopes and challenges May 2019 June 2018112
- 113. • Digital as the ‘Solution’ • App or CRM? • Working with Digital: Crossing the ‘divide’… June 2018113
- 114. Macmillan Digital Journey No Digital Solution • Left to individual Volunteer Managers • Recruitment across third party sites • No consistent volunteer experience. Volunteering Village • Recruitment platform • Categorisation of opportunities • Drove a consistent volunteer recruitment experience (MVQS) • Owned platform we could develop (Location search, email alerts, volunteer profile) • Didn’t capture the whole volunteer journey
- 115. Volunteer Management System (VMS) 115 A Volunteering Hub (CRM) Access to relevant L & D opportunities Manage recruitment and onboarding of all volunteers Track Volunteer Impact through hours Accurate categorisation of volunteer role A single view of all of an individual’s volunteering
- 117. Bespoke Macmillan Volunteer App 117
- 118. Benefits • Greater knowledge of volunteers and their tech needs • More future proof products for a wider audience • New product development and project management methodologies Challenges • Volunteering remains a complex, cross-cutting user group • Digital solution for people who don’t use digital • Aligning development priorities and working with external systems Partnership Working June 2018118
- 119. We’re here to help you find your best way through and live life as fully as you can. For information, support or just someone to talk to, call 0808 808 00 00 or visit macmillan.org.uk
- 121. Volunteer Voice Volunteer engagement platform
- 122. 1.Introduction to VolunteerVoice 2. The Pilot – learning andinsight 3. What’s next for VolunteerVoice Coming up…
- 123. Insight and SupporterData Introduction to Volunteer Voicepilot Online community
- 124. About Volunteer Voice What isVolunteer Voice? • A sub-community on Our Place – an online community made up ofmembers, non-members and aresearch group • 1,000 volunteers – agood cross-section of the National Trust volunteer base, accessing the community via desktop and mobile • 6 month pilot October 2018 – March 2019 Why did we set up VolunteerVoice? • To better understand the day-to-day lives and experiences of National Trustvolunteers • To trial the use of an online community to gain regular feedback from ourvolunteers • To get in depth qualitative feedback on arange of topics …….And we learned so muchmore! “Volunteering with the NationalTrust isa great privilegeand passionand I'm thrilled to bein this forum asa meansof making things evenbetter. Bring it on!”
- 125. We launched the pilot in October 2018, and saw unprecedented interest from the audience: we can be confident there isdemand for our volunteers to havea voice 5 75% of volunteers who took part would recommend Volunteer Voice to other volunteers. ‘of61,000 volunteers , being chosen was just abit mind-blowing, inspirational and opened up many ideas.’ “Volunteering with the National Trust is agreat privilege and passion and I'm thrilled to be in this forum asameans of making things even better. Bring it on!” 92% of volunteers would like to take part in an online volunteer community in the future
- 126. Volunteer Voice Profile Region East of England North Northern Ireland Scotland London and South East South West Wales Midlands VV community (750*) 10% 17% 2% 0% 25% 21% 5% 22% Volunteer base 8% 14% 2% - 26% 23% 5% 19% Role Countryside / coast Education and Learning Fundraising and Talks Gardens House/ buildings Other Retail/Catering Visitor services and Events Working Holiday Leader VV community (750**) 10% 2% 1% 12% 47% 7% 3% 14% 1% Volunteer base 12% 2% 0% 16% 48% 3% 6% 11% 0% **300 volunteers signed up using adifferent recruitment link and we’re currently still joining up some of their profile data. This therefore hasn’t been included in thestats above.
- 127. Over the six month pilot, we trialled a rangeof activities with the Volunteer Voicecommunity 7
- 128. How did volunteers usethe community? 1.Volunteers quickly created acommunity culture – sharing experiences, ideas and solutions. 2.Volunteers are passionate about the cause, have lots to tell us and want to be listened to. We saw ahigh volume of detailed responses and awillingness to share honestfeedback. 3.In return, there is ahigh expectationfor their feedback to influence decisions we make. I have beenvolunteering for nearly ayear now and have actually requested areview meeting to discuss my contribution and how it can be developed. Might be worthatry? *Quiz Questions* 1.What’s the average number of comments per VV activity? 2. How long did it take to recruit (and register) 1,000 volunteers? “Any chance of feedbacknow?” Have you tried talking with your volunteer manager about this? A 1:1private discussion with the VM may well help both of you realise your potentials.
- 129. Aday in the life of a National Trustvolunteer
- 130. Insight and SupporterData Insight andevaluation
- 131. Five key insights “A simple thank you goesa long way. Every time I volunteer the staff and my team leader thank me for coming in. It makesyou feel valued and part of theteam.” Senior, segment 9 *Quiz Question* 3. Who do volunteers most want to be thanked by? Out of: their line manager, the central Execteam, other colleagues/volunteersor their GeneralManager. “The people who matter most here are the visitors - and its their feedback - either face to face or through surveys - that matters most to me” Senior, 5, 6-10years “Lovethe interaction with visitors, which isalways the highlight of my day on duty, bringing the history of the property to life for them.” 1.Volunteers would like their contributions to be recognised– and small things can make a big difference to them. 2.The relationship between volunteers and staff working directly with them plays an important role towards how they are feeling. 3.Interacting with visitors and being able to make a difference to visitors’ experiences, plays an importantrole in why they volunteer.
- 132. 4. Volunteers have lots of skills to offer that they don’t always feel are acknowledged or utilised. 5. Volunteers would like tobe kept informed and have the opportunity to be involved in decision making and planning. Five key insights “It’s a shamevolunteers’voices have notsignificantly been taken into account before. We are told about decisions rather than consulted on them.” “It would be good to feel more involved... To be asked for ideas, if any and consulted about and/or informed about forthcoming plans and activities. To be able to use my experience more to the benefit of the Trust. Maybe this is the start?!” “Many volunteers bring a wealth of talent from previous careers which are largely ignored or not known to the Trust. Many of those volunteers would be delighted to apply those talents in their new situation. Here is awin / win: taking advantage of skills, knowledge and abilities for the Trust and greater satisfaction for the volunteer.”
- 133. What went well? 75%of volunteers whotook part would recommend Volunteer Voice to other volunteers. 92% of volunteers would like to take part in an online volunteer community inthe future. • Volunteers appreciated being chosen to take part – the exclusive nature of sign- up process made volunteers feel special. • Some volunteers felt listened to and appreciated having a platform to express their opinions and share feedback on a variety of topics. • Volunteers enjoyed sharing ideas and solutions with other properties. Theyalso valued learning from other volunteers about their challenges and experiences. • The live discussion with Hilary, John and Tiger wasa highlight. Theyappreciated the opportunity to be able to connect with the senior team and direct interaction showedthey werelistening. • They thought the topics were interesting – particularly the bookshop discussion that was specific, relevant to particular roles and allowed them to action change on the ground. Could we explore having an opt-in processto specific topics/activities that are relevant to a variety of volunteer roles? • Quick polls and shorter posts indiscussions.
- 134. Some volunteers were frustrated with the technology/functionality of the platform and pooruser experience. For example: • • • Seeing activities that they can’t participate in – due to Volunteer Voice being a sub-group on Our Place. Having an interface that isn’t currently set up for volunteers to easily track conversations and identify themes. Could we explore keeping discussion topics more specific, limit word counts or develop a key word search. Being unable to keep discussionsvisible after they have closed. The badge rewardsystem/incentives were not necessaryand were sometimes seenasbeing insulting/patronising. Volunteers expected and wanted to participatein more activities. • • • Activities served more frequently e.g. fortnightly. More variety of activities e.g. surveys. More topics that are specific and relevant a variety of different volunteerroles/places. Volunteer-led topics (e.g. second-hand bookshopsor Foums) rather than client-ledtopics. Clearer communicationsrequired; • • • • • • To clearly communicate the purpose of the community and each activity (particularly the engagement tasks). Some volunteers disliked the social-hubspace becauseit felt like an informal chat room and they couldn’t seethe purpose. To clarify what we expect from volunteersin terms of the level of participation and detail within each activity. To set expectations on how frequency we’ll feedback and the way we will show how we’re listening to their feedback. Some volunteers told us they haven’t seenany of the updates on how we’ve taken their feedback on board. To communicateif/how their feedback will be sharedwith property management. To clarify who is listening and the involvement of the central team vsproperty team. Could we explore National Trust staff commenting and responding within the community? To ensuremore property staff are aware of the project. How can we improve?
- 135. • Purpose • Valued • Important • Interesting • Participation • Thrilled • Enjoyed • Opportunity • Enlightening • Enjoyable • Hopeful • Happy • Empowering • Fun • Engaging • Optimistic • Thought provoking • Encouraged • Helpful • Exciting • Educational • Experimental • Quizzical • Take usseriously • Mixed • Disappointed • Sceptical • Untapped opportunity • Patronising • Despair • Puzzling • Baffled • Underwhelmed • Unimpressed • Unsurprising One word to describe theexperience
- 136. Some activities had more value for the Volunteers, or for Whole Trust – but there wasan overlapfor all “What abrilliant experience this (listening session) hasbeen. We have been overwhelmed by the amountand range of questions and comments coming in. I am particularly pleased with the amount of interest in theEveryone Welcome theme.” Hilary McGrady 16 “Thanks for sharing this (research summary). It’s a fascinating read and good to see the 5insightstoo. I’d be really keen to hear the thinking about what happens after the pilot, as clearly this seems to have had a positive impact.” Tina Lewis
- 137. And we think there’s more value to be had for the wider organisation, in shifting the perceptions of volunteers, to help people better understand the value they bring, and their opennessto change ‘could be another volunteering role supporting an Everyone Welcome staff member. Targeting different local community groups (varied ethnic and age groups not just the WI), college students, job centres, volunteer fairs. Go out to meetings, arrange visits and use videos (also could be used on anew Volunteer Recruitment website ) as well as real volunteers who are good at public speaking.’ ‘there is arole for us to be better coordinating national scale programmes such asDuke of Edinburgh and National Citizens Service centrally, whilst still enabling space for our local places to build their own relationships. This will form a key part of the children and young people stream of work we are starting in March thisyear.’ 17Tiger deSouza ‘Could they be assigned aspecific mentorso when they arrive they feelspecial.’ ‘Great idea, I know some properties already do this and it works really well. Ultimately it is for the property to decide but if established volunteers are willing to be a mentor I would say go for it.’ Hilary McGrady When we asked our volunteers about how we might recruit a more diverse volunteer base, they were full ofideas
- 138. ‘I found the Second-hand Bookshop forum very good and helpful as I work in a Trust bookshop. However - if it wasn’t for this I’m not sure if it would have been that interesting for me’ 18 The volunteer-led discussionon second-handbookshops wasa highlight for many ‘This pilot came along at the right time for me - as I have become increasingly interested in what ideas and conversation are circulating amongst the volunteers across the NT. The general discussions produced an large range of topics - some had a common core theme - some were just a one off - but all brought a varied response across the board. The introduction of a specific discussion theme second-hand bookshops has been excellent - with a chance to compare how different approaches all provide a much needed facility to our many visitors.’ ‘Enjoyed some of the discussion but obviously got more involved when the subject was of interest to me. This may be selfish but no point in making inane comments about something I know nothing about. Taking part in the Second-hand bookshop topic was very enlightening and may be future topics could be based round NT volunteer roles so that more people would get involved.’
- 139. Insight and SupporterData Next steps – full launch
- 140. Next steps -Volunteer Voice set up asan independent sub-community with more volunteer-led activities for one year (July 2019 onwards) We’re listening to volunteers’ needs and the way they want to use the community, while keeping this connected toresearch and listening more passively. We’re listening and responding to volunteers’ concerns about functionality/user-experience,while reducing the risk ofhuman error. Volunteers would like to see more direct or instant feedback on the community from the decision makers. We can serve volunteers with research activitiesthat are commissioned on Our Place by other business areas. More activity being served to volunteers, will help to keep themengaged. The useof Forums willenable more volunteer- led activity and peer-to-peernetworking The ability to customise the look and feel of to create adistinct Volunteer Voiceidentity Continue to facilitatelistening sessionson one specific topic, either live discussions or more informal regular ‘dropins’ Enablethe organisation to listen to volunteers’ viewson arange of topics
- 142. Roundtable discussion How do you use digital tools to reward and recognise volunteers? How does using digital tools to reward and recognise volunteers compare to using more ‘traditional’ methods of reward and recognition (e.g. face-to-face)?
- 143. THANK YOU TO OUR SPEAKERS! @NCVOvolunteers #VolForum
- 147. @NCVOvolunteers #VolForum PLEASE FILL IN YOUR EVALUATION FORMS
- 148. NCVO champions the voluntary sector and volunteer movement to create a better society. We connect, represent and support over 13,000 voluntary sector member organisations, from the smallest community groups to the largest charities. This helps our members and their millions of volunteers make the biggest difference to the causes they believe in. • Search for NCVO membership • Visit www.ncvo.org.uk/join • Email [email protected] 148