Trafford Volunteer Coordinators’ Forum

Wednesday 2 March 2011

MINUTES

Attendees:

Tess Gregson42nd Street

Norman ShawAddaction

Nicola Maudsley Addaction

Karen DuffyAge Concern

Ash WebsterElizabeth Fitzroy Support

Diane RichardsonFederation of Jewish Services

Tina JeffriesGenie Networks

Natalie JamesStockdales

Danielle LowyTrafford Council Scrutiny & Improvement

Cllr Jackie WilkinsonTrafford Health & Wellbeing Scrutiny Committee

Amera ManjraTrafford Victim Support

Cath DemainTrafford Victim Support

Val WhittakerTrafford Youth Offending Service

Julia KennedyUnited Response

Barbaba BleekerTrafford CVS & Volunteer Centre

Karolina Griffiths Trafford CVS & Volunteer Centre

Toni ScandellaTrafford Surestart & Children’s Centres

Tony DagnallTrafford Carers’ Centre

Naomi CottonTrafford Council, DAAT

Rebecca ParsonsTrafford Council, Communities & Wellbeing

Louise FearnleyTrafford Young Carers

1.Introductions & apologies

The following apologies had been received:

Amanda DavisPartington & Carrington Children’s Centre

Juanita YauWai Yin Chinese Women’s Society

Graham TringStockport Cerebral Palsy Society

Craig AlmondVCAT

Annie MuseNew Way Forward

Lynne BezzinaTrafford Cancer Aid Listening Line

Claire RimmerTrafford Housing Trust

2.Minutes of November 2010 meeting and matters arising

One correction: Karen Duffy had sent apologies but these hadn’t been recorded.

3.Trafford Council Scrutiny Review of Volunteering

Maya welcomed Councillor Jacki Wilkinson from the Health & Wellbeing Select Committee at Trafford Council, and Scrutiny Officer Danielle Lowy. The Scrutiny Committee has recently completed a review of volunteering in Trafford and was invited to present the report. Maya thanked the Committee for the thorough report and noted how useful it was to hear the views of non-volunteers, as it has previously been difficult to get their views.

The full report was circulated to the group prior to the meeting. A short presentation was made by Councillor Wilkinson. She thanked the Volunteer Coordinators’ Forum for their input to the review, both through a workshop run at the VCF’s September 2010 meeting and through other channels such as attending meetings with the Committee and completing and helping to disseminate an online survey. The contributions received, including experiences, information and ideas were important in helping to shape the report and its recommendations.

Councillor Wilkinson ran through the review’s objectives, research methods and findings as well as giving a summary of the recommendations. These were broadly around:

- promoting volunteering to individuals and organisations in Trafford

- practical initiatives to encourage potential volunteers and support organisations working with volunteers

- training and development for organisations involving volunteers

The process for the report was explained. It will be presented to Trafford Council’s Executive for a response to recommendations and associated planned actions will be given where recommendations are agreed.

This meeting today was an opportunity for the VCF to respond as a group and as individual organisations to recommendations relevant to them. The group then divided into three sub-groups to discuss a selection of recommendations.

Feedbackto recommendations of the Volunteering Review:

Particular relevant recommendations were picked out for discussion.

1 Recommendations to highlight benefits and promote understanding of volunteering

1A (1)An annual volunteer fair could combine a celebration of volunteering with information provision. Organisations can set up stalls, offer tasters or speed-dating type matching. Themes could vary annually, say with a focus on young people or those nearing retirement.

This recommendation was received with enthusiasm. It is something that has regularly come up within the Forum but not taken forward due to lack of resources. The aim of the event needs to be clear, as there are small but significant differences between volunteer celebration, promoting volunteering to the wider community, and an event aimed more at those who work with volunteers.
The group would like Trafford Partnership to take a lead on delivering this, with the Forum taking on specific supporting actions, for example organising speed-dating taster sessions and sharing other tasks. Another idea is to include some sign-language tasters to encourage more people to learn. The aims of the event would need to be clear and could combine promoting volunteering with recognising achievements.

1A (2) A timetable should be coordinated listing relevant events (in the voluntary, statutory and private sectors) at which a volunteering promotion stall could be run; this could be staffed on a shared rota by members of the Trafford Volunteer Coordinators Forum for example.

This was felt to be a good idea. Leaflets and promotional materials can be brought to meetings of the forum and with an assortment taken to events in Trafford where volunteering could be promoted.

1A (3)Smaller organisations – the majority of Trafford’s voluntary sector - in particular need help with marketing and promotion through cheap or free channels such as a joint publicity leaflet and social media. Free or low cost training in using social media such as Twitter, Facebook, blogging and YouTube would benefit many organisations.

The group agreed on the usefulness of such training. Training through voluntary sector development organisation the Gio Project was recommended. Many people said they use social media tools in their private lives even could provide informal training and help to others. It was suggested that the Forum or VCAT could host an online page where people offer and ask for help both with social media and any other areas around volunteering.

1A (4) A short film about volunteering roles and experiences would be a good promotional tool to showcase the range of very different roles that exist in Trafford and inspire more volunteering. Sponsorship should be sought to run this as a volunteer project. As well as being available as a podcast on organisations’ websites, a mini DVD this would be a great tool for volunteer ambassadors. Trafford’s Let’s Go Global could advise and perhaps lead on this.

Very positively received, the idea of a film giving a general overview of volunteering in Trafford, with an interest in putting it on their own websites and seeing it on VCAT’s and the Council websites too. Request to ensure it was sub-titled. Interest in participating.

1B. The continued appointment of the Volunteer Coordinator in the Council’s Communities & Wellbeing Directorate demonstrates a commitment to developing volunteering in Trafford. It is requested that consideration be given to maintaining this contract, with some emphasis on an outwardly supporting role.

2 Recommendations around motivating and enabling people to volunteer

2A. The enthusiasm and experience of current volunteers could be used to good advantage through devising an ambassadors project that equips them to promote messages about volunteering and help recruit volunteers. VCAT could possibly add this to other volunteer training courses and issue badges that would be recognised publicly and encourage people to talk about volunteering.

  • Victim Support already run a similar scheme successfully with an associated booklet
  • People like the idea of volunteer champions; some reservations about whether badges etc appeal or put people off; it would need a good professional feel to it.
  • A warning was made about inundating the same volunteers with too many requests to help.
  • There should be a forum like the Volunteer Coordinators’ Forum for volunteers at which they could discuss, shape and action these sorts of issues.

2B. Effective information systems are crucial to promote and enable volunteering.
These are simple practical actions that could help (elaborated in report in Appendix A)

2B(1). A Trafford-specific website combining general information about organisations with volunteering opportunities and other basic advice on volunteering[1]. This could be hosted by an existing organisation, using volunteers to help gather the content.

The Volunteer Coordinator at Trafford Council is looking into creating some simply webpages with basic information and signposting.

2B(2)A generic booklet or leaflet aimed at potential and existing volunteers could:

  • give an idea about the demands and rewards of volunteering
  • map out which organisations involve volunteers so that potential volunteers can be directed to them or approach them themselves
  • be used by organisations with volunteer waiting lists to sign-post people elsewhere before they lose interest
  • be made available in public places such as libraries, job centres, CABs etc so that there is no ‘wrong-door’ when people make enquiries about volunteering.
  • be sponsored to make it cost-neutral to the Trafford Council and partners.

  • A generic leaflet would be useful.
  • It would also be useful to have information about which organisations take volunteers and what their work areas and terms are. For instance some people want to volunteer in the evenings or weekends. This information can be difficult to find out.
  • Organisations would also like potential volunteers to know more about them before approaching them as it is time-consuming to deal with approaches from people who aren’t in the end interested.
  • People would like a directory of organisations.

2B(3)The sharing of good practice in volunteer management shown by the Trafford Volunteer Coordinators’ Forum can be used to publish a small handbook to support organisations currently involving volunteers and encourage new ones to come on board.

This would contain good practice and tips in recruitment, matching, retention and other practices that assist speedy and effective placements, minimise bureaucracy and optimise everyone’s experience. Much information is already available from this review, through records of the Volunteer Coordinators’ Forum, through members’ own policies and paperwork as well as from national support organisations like Volunteering England. The aim here is to gather and distribute useful information so it does not need to be sought out.

This would be useful. However, it’s important not to re-invent the wheel as there are already many good resources on volunteer management available. The Forum could work on a simple factsheet which lists sources of information on good practice, however.

2C. Hold a campaign to promote the benefits of volunteering and raise its status.
A focus could be on whether non-volunteers are missing out or on the positive use of personal time.

Did not have time to discuss

2D. Organisations are encouraged to create more flexible volunteering roles with clarity around time commitments. Recommendation 2B for a Trafford-specific volunteering website, could include lists of organisations offering one-off or sporadic volunteering opportunities that do not have rigid time requirements.

Volunteers differing time commitments were recognised and the need to support this.

2E. Bureaucracy needs reducing where possible or its requirements clearly explained. If procedures such as CRB checks might delay a volunteer starting a new post, some interim work could be found in the same organisation to maintain their interest.

Did not have time to discuss

2F. Employer-supported volunteering programmes should be shaped with the involvement of potential host organisations to ensure their success.

  • This was agreed as important.
  • There were mixed views about employer-supported volunteer programmes. Whilst these may suit some projects, they are not appropriate to all as they involve untrained, unvetted groups helping for a couple of days at a time. Although some can work well, they can also involve additional work for the volunteering organisations.
  • An associated payment could help.
  • There were discussions over whether this constituted real volunteering as employees are still paid by their own employers; a mention was also made that it could be seen as a day off for those taking a placement.
  • If it encourages people who have never volunteered to do so outside of their work scheme that would be welcomed.

2GA small campaign to recruit trustees is recommended with an associated look at whether Trafford is effectively harnessing the skills of professionals in volunteering posts. The volunteer fair recommended under Objective 1 recommendations could include a trustee stall run by those with expertise such as VCAT or the Trafford Community Leisure Trust.

Did not have time to discuss

3 Recommendations to help organisations that involve volunteers in their work

3ASupport for the Trafford Volunteer Coordinators’ Forum to ensure its continued existence and enable activities and actions to take place; for example the coordination and production of the recommended directory of practical guidelines and good practice for organisations.

  • VCF has to continue and needs some kind of coordinating body to organise it.
  • We like the idea of directories but are unsure who has the resources to pull this information together, and to maintain it.
  • VCAT are launching a new website which may have the capacity to host VCF "space". Depending on the capacity of the website, there is potential for this to be used to pool information and resources, and to coordinate activities.
  • We will include "training" as a standing agenda item, which gives Forum members the opportunity to inform each other about training needs and opportunities, and to share resources more.
  • We don't currently have the resources to produce detailed information on good practice, and there are many good resources that already exist. We will try and pull together a list of links, publications, useful organisations etc and produce a simple and concise "signposting" information sheet that will point people to useful resources.

3BAssistance in access to the media would benefit all organisations through training and the production of a guide on working with the media. This would support smaller voluntary sector organisations in other areas of work. Volunteers or mentors from Trafford’s press or media players could be asked to provide such training at VCAT.

  • VCF meetings allow for short workshops - we could use time at one meeting to do a workshop on working with the media. We could also try and pool our media contacts more, via meetings.
  • We could contact Business in the Community on using the media to see if they can deliver training for the Forum.
  • The Media Trust can be promoted to the VCF for an awareness of their support and advice

3CVolunteer signposting from one organisation to another if there are no current or upcoming placements; also see recommendation 2B(2).

This will be possible if organisations know a bit more about each other, for instance through bringing leaflets or information sheets to the Volunteer Coordinators’ Forum

4Recommendations to encourage organisations not currently involving volunteers

4ABuddying or mentoring from more experienced organisations would help those new to using volunteers. As well as sharing good practice, they could give one-to-one support to inform them and raise their confidence and maybe even to take on some practical tasks like helping to find trustees. This could be run as a pilot scheme over a year, perhaps coordinated by Trafford Partnership.

  • This was a popular idea, and already goes on informally. The Forum could take this up, and organise it a little more.
  • We will circulate a simple form to Forum members asking them to list where they feel they have expertise to share, and whether they'd be willing to meet / talk / supportto other volunteer coordinators. We may be able to place this information on the VCF section on the website, allowing members to access other members directly.

4BFurther investigations could be done into organisations not currently involving volunteers: who they are, why they do not involve volunteers and how they might be
supported to do so.

Not discussed.

5Recommendations around sharing good practice in Trafford

5AAn organisation or group should be tasked and resourced to ensure information is widely shared, circulated and easily found in public places and on the internet for any Trafford –based organisation that involves or might involve volunteers.

Not discussed.

Otherrecommendations

For Trafford Council and other interested employers to trial employer-support volunteering

An audit of volunteering across Trafford by geo-demographics and by volunteering service areas to help focus campaigns and fill low-involvement gaps.

There was a keen interest in having more information about the spread of volunteers around Trafford and in different communities of interest but no capacity to offer to undertake such an audit.

4. Future of the Forum

The Forum Terms of Reference were circulated. The role of the forum was established as providing opportunities for volunteer coordinators to network; develop, deliver and receive training; share information around good practice; contribute to and influence volunteering issues in Trafford. The forum is open to anyone in any sector working with volunteers and the meetings have been quarterly. Up until now the group has been administered and lead by VCAT’s Development worker, Maya Sharma.

Maya explained that it was timely for the group to discuss its future, including its role and running, both because of funding uncertainties with the support roles at VCAT and because the group might function effectively through its own steering group. To discuss this, the group divided into four and fed back in a plenary session.

Feedback on the future of the forum

Participants vouched for the usefulness of the group and this was shown by the high numbers attending today. It’s mainly a good networking group rather than a forum for action or lobbying at the moment.

The terms of reference still seemed relevant.

The group could have a stronger voice and influencing role in Trafford, although remain non-political

The group needs to be better promoted as people don’t all know about it.It should be made open to anyone who works with volunteers, not just volunteer coordinators as many others would benefit from it. There was felt to be some gaps in membership, for example from minority groups.

The Volunteer Coordinators’ Forum could represent itself at events as a group with a voice.

The Forum is a strong group that is well-placed and can be lead by itself though a steering group. Roles could be allocated such as chair and secretary etc, rotated on an annual basis.

Quarterly meeting is good although sub-groups could be formed for particular tasks to meet as is suitable. Regarding timings some felt the meetings were too long but others thought the timing was good. The format of business meeting followed by training or workshop was good.