Blog Posts

Did you find any volunteers on your easter egg hunt?

9/4/2015

Unlikely I would imagine, but sometimes it can be a tricky business finding the right volunteer and you may feel like giving anything a go!

In England, in 2013/14, 41% of people questioned reported volunteering at least once in the last year, and 27% volunteer at least once a month, this equates to 19.2 million and 12.7 million people respectively.*

So, the volunteers are out there, it is just a case of finding them now, and trust me, wandering aimlessly around the garden with a basket in hand is not going to help you! I think the key to finding volunteers is to understand people's motivations. I have detailed below some that I have experienced along with where I have had luck finding volunteers in the past.

1. 'Career advance-ers' - these are people who are looking to get experience in an office environment, or in a charity, you may also find stay at home mums who don't want to lose their skills whilst being out of the workplace fit into this category as well. Advertising your roles on traditional job sites are likely to pick up this group of people. You can place free volunteer adverts on www.charityjob.co.uk and www.gumtree.com

2. 'I heart your cause-ers' - your existing passionate supporters are often very keen to get involved and help out in alternative ways. Ensure you have a section on your website for current volunteering opportunities and consider a volunteering section in your newsletters/e-newsletters highlighting the value they can add to your organisation by giving their time.

3. 'What can I do this weekend-ers' - speaking to people face to face is a great way to promote fun, one off, volunteering activities, such as helping at events or cheering on runners. Universities often have volunteer fairs where you can have a stall for free as do local volunteer centres.

4. 'I'm a bit bored-ers' - this group of people are often retired, and are looking for ways to fill their time and make a difference to society. Some good ways to reach these people are: adverts in local papers, signs in libraries, announcements made at established community groups (U3A, Lions, Rotary, Townswomen's Guild etc.) and of course www.do-it.org

There are of course many other places to find volunteers, this is just a snapshot of where I have had success in the past. By understanding the motivations of those who are going to help you, you are more likely to find your golden egg volunteer!

Do feel free to get in touch with me if you want to have a chat about volunteering and your organisation.

* reference: institute of volunteering research

0 Comments

Is Jeremy Clarkson really more important than FGM?

17/3/2015

0 Comments

Quite simply no! Although I am not personally a fan of Mr Clarkson of Top Gear fame, I am certain that even he would have trouble justifying that he was more important than the 150 million girls and women that have been subjected to female genital mutilation (FGM) worldwide.

The reason I ask of course is related to the petition on change.org to reinstate Jeremy Clarkson to Top Gear after his suspension for allegedly punching a producer in the face for not providing a hot meal after a day of filming. Fairly depressingly the Jeremy Clarkson petition gained nearly 1 million signatures within 1 week and has set the website's record for fastest growing campaign in history whereas a petition calling on the UK government to enforce the law which forbids FGM has only gained 8,306 signatures in the 3 years it has been running.

So, how can we as charities get our causes to galvanise the British public to react in the same way they have done so in this instance? Here are my top tips for getting your cause to cut through the media noise:

Tell a story - no-one likes to read dry facts, but hearing the personal story of someone affected by your cause can tug at people's heartstrings and make them engage with your charity.
Try and use everyday language - this may be difficult if you are dealing with a hard to pronounce condition but you need to do something (e.g. spell it out phonetically next to the word and explain what you mean) or people will tune out, and even if they do support you, they are less likely to tell someone else about it as they won't feel confident explaining it.
Know your audience - who are the people most likely to be affected by your cause directly or indirectly? What do they do and where do they consume their media? If you are dealing with an issue that mainly affects middle-aged women, it is not going to help you very much if GQ print your story.
Don't shy away from unsavoury facts - whilst I'm not advocating the use of shock tactics in order to get people's attention, there is no point in hiding a truth about your cause because you think people don't want to hear it. Many things that used to be taboo are no longer so because people were brave enough to talk about it. So let people know what you are dealing with, open the debate and hopefully change things.
Don't forget to ask something - if the media channel you are using doesn't edit it out, ensure there is always an ask in your story. Whether it is for donations, signatures on a petition, registering for an event or simply for people to visit your website and find out more, don't leave potentially fired up people with no way of helping your charity out.
Make friends with the media - if you are a small charity with a tiny or even non-existent media budget you will not be able to afford advertising to let people know about your cause. However, by building good relationships with journalists they are more likely to put your great personal interest story in their magazine/paper/website when you have one, and they might even be able to give you some advertising space pro bono that they have been unable to fill.

Ultimately the interruption of the British public's TV schedule is always going to be more of an immediate concern to most people rather than the uncomfortable truth that not all is right with the world, but by following these steps, hopefully your cause can still get out there and register with people. Plus, those 1 million people are now on the mailing list of change.org they may go on to become active in many petitions for a wide variety of causes. In fact it could be a good time to start a petition.......

0 Comments

Could your organisation cope with a bathroom refit?

24/2/2015

1 Comment

I am writing this blog with a different vista from usual as my office has decamped for a couple of weeks whilst my bathroom is being replaced. It's not that much of a big deal for me, I'm lucky enough to live 5 minutes away from my parents, they have a great internet connection and a power shower so all should be well......However, it's not just me that had to move, it was also my husband who is allergic to my mum's cat, my two young sons and the 4 new fish that my eldest got for his birthday! So, 29 hours in and all is going well, but the experience has led me to think about how people and therefore organisations cope with change and I have written my top 5 tips for guiding your organisation and staff through a big change (or your family through a 2 week hiatus at a different house!).

1. Planning - it sounds a bit obvious, but you need to make a plan before you decide to implement a large change. If you don't consider all eventualities then you may well find you have to fix things at a later stage, possibly at great expense. There is bound to be something that you do miss, but by planning well, hopefully it won't be anything too big.

2. Don't expect everyone to be enthusiastic - on the drive over to my mum and dad's my son declared "it's boring to see the same people all the time!" Of course what he really meant was that he wanted to stay at home where everything is familiar as it's hard to know what to expect when you are only 4. People are inherently resistant to change and whilst it may improve your organisation, not everyone will view things with the same perspective as you and they will become nervous about the unknown. I recommend letting people know as soon as you can what it will mean for them, allow them to ask questions and accept their input where possible.

3. Try to minimise the disruption for everyone - not only are the boys unsettled over the change, I also have to consider my poor parents who not only have to share their house, but have also discovered the noise and mess levels in their house have increased by about 300%. Again, communication is key when minimising disruption. Do your supporters really care that you are moving office or have a new computer system? Not really, however if you are clear about when any downtime may occur and how long for and wherever possible have a back-up system in place, hopefully you won't disrupt them in their experience with your charity too much. Honesty with supporters could even lead to stronger relationships with them and therefore more support.

4. People might still get scared - you can help them through it. My 1 year old was coping pretty well until I tried to bath him at which point he freaked out! Even those most enthusiastic about the change might have a wobble halfway through, and when scared, people often become defensive which can be difficult to deal with as a manager. Take the time to listen to your staff and be empathetic about their concerns. You might want to consider some time away from the office as a group in order for people to relax and open up.

5. Have a 'change champion' - this is someone who knows all the details about the change, who it affects and how, timings, potential pitfalls, how the organisation should look/work afterwards and how to tackle any problems. They are there to answer questions and ensure things go as smoothly as possible. Depending on the size of your organisation you may want multiple people to take on this role, and make sure everyone knows who your change champion is.

When going through big changes it is inevitable that you may lose some people along the way (metaphorically or literally), but if you try and consider all these points you should have a smoother ride and keep those around you happier. Once it is all done you can lie back and relax in your new bath/office/way of working, and enjoy the fruits of your labour, which is what I intend to do when I finally get my bathroom and house back!

1 Comment

Don't get Crème egg on your face

19/1/2015

1 Comment

When it comes to events, success can be measured in many ways, but there is no denying that maximising profits is something that everyone wants to do. Beyond raising more money from the event, the other way to do this is to cut your costs, but as Cadbury's found out this week this can be a risky business if you don't know what your customers and supporters value in your product in the first place.

Cadbury's have felt the full force of consumer anger after reducing the number of eggs in a box from 6 to 5 and replacing the dairy milk shell with 'standard cocoa mix chocolate'. Furious chocolate fans have taken to social media to voice their displeasure and a petition on change.org to request that Kraft change the recipe back, has so far amassed nearly 3,000 signatures!

So how can you make the changes you want, or need, to your event without upsetting your supporters?

1. Do you know what people love about your event? If not, ensure you survey people who have taken part asking them what they liked, didn't like and would change.

2. Don't change the one thing people love. This sounds a bit obvious, but if the one thing people love is the really expensive cycling top then keep that and make the changes elsewhere. Remember it is harder to find new customers than it is to keep existing ones happy.

3. Ensure the quality of the replacement is up to scratch. If you are changing caterer, ensure you have tried the food, and remember to get references from people they have worked with before so you know they are as reliable as your previous supplier.

4. Be ready to respond if people are unhappy. People inherently don't like change so there will probably be some who wish things stayed the same, but as long as the majority of your supporters are happy (or even unaware) with the changes then you should be fine. However be prepared to ensure you listen to those that are unhappy and know how you will defend your decisions. If you fob them off with a standard answer, complaints are likely to follow.

5. Be flexible. If you find the changes you have implemented haven't worked, then be prepared to admit this and fix it. No-one can criticise you for trying to make more money for a worthy cause, but blindly carrying on when something isn't working isn't going to win you support. If it's a huge disaster, then you can at least use this as a marketing tool the following year e.g. 'we have listened to you, our supporters, and due to popular demand we have brought back XXXX'

Considering these steps before cost cutting your event will hopefully ensure a smooth transition and more profit for your organisation.

Now back to Cadbury's......I've been eating a creme egg while writing this and am not that bothered by the difference, but the five eggs instead of six is another matter all together!!

1 Comment

Christmas giving on a shoestring budget

14/12/2014

0 Comments

And so here we are again in December, hurtling towards Christmas at breakneck speed. I don't know about yours, but in my household money is more than a little tight this year. With a (relatively) new baby, excited 3 year old who has so far circled everything in the early learning centre catalogue, and new house that needs a lot of work there is a homemade element to most presents and we are attempting to spend less than we did last year. This doesn't however mean I don't want to stick to my charitable values, so how precisely do I make the decisions about how and where to support others?

Starting off with donations, I have seen many Christmas appeals for charities this year - some good, some I didn't get to the end of. In offices across the UK (and in fact the world) fundraisers are trying to get their cause across to people, and stand out from the crowd. In the end I didn't donate to any of the appeals that I was sent. I chose to make a donation to the Christmas appeal of a small charity I have been volunteering with, PANDAS Foundation, which supports families affected by pre and post natal depression. Not only do I think it is an amazing cause, but they are only 3 years old and have no paid members of staff so their reach is small, plus I wrote their Xmas campaign so wanted it to be a success!!! The next donation I made was to Fight for Sight, it's not an organisation I've been involved with previously but I felt moved to as my friend's little boy was born blind with a genetic eye disorder, and they have funded research projects into his condition in the past.

That for me is where the money stopped so far, but I tried to do my bit in other ways. I gave blood, something I have been doing for years and passionately believe all who can should do, and seeing as I do most of my shopping online (shops and 2 small boys do not mix well!) I am raising money on a daily basis via Give as You Live. This website (an offshoot of Everyclick) has been around for a few years now, but it has one recent amazing improvement, you can install a toolbar to appear at the top of all websites affiliated with the site to remind you to turn it on. No more remembering to go to another website before you do your shopping means it is easy to use all the time.

I will probably throw some change in collection buckets (I've been there, it's cold and any donations you get make the time pass quicker), buy some extra food for the food bank collections and may well be inspired by other charitable causes or the occasional raffle. It might not be much, but I'm doing what I can in straightened times and as the saying goes 'every little helps'.

0 Comments

Forward>>

Did you find any volunteers on your easter egg hunt?

Is Jeremy Clarkson really more important than FGM?

Could your organisation cope with a bathroom refit?

Don't get Crème egg on your face

Christmas giving on a shoestring budget

Author

Archives

Categories