Thank you from the Volunteer Steering Committee
The annual volunteer experience survey is pivotal in helping us to deliver an ever-improving volunteer experience.
A huge thank you to everyone who took the time to complete it – your insights are invaluable.
The Volunteer Steering Committee has taken the time to review and evaluate the results. Over the next year, we will work with CFA UK staff to both shore up the programme’s existing strengths and to make improvements that you have requested.
Thank you, once again.
The Volunteer Steering Committee
Three priorities for us to focus our efforts on:
1. Community is core to volunteering and we have work to do
You told us that enhancing your professional network is the most important benefit of volunteering and that belonging to a purposeful community is also vitally important. The pandemic has been a bit of an obstacle to the in-person connections so we will work to bring that back and create opportunities for you to meet each other. We can’t wait to see many of you at the volunteer recognition event in September. We recognise the importance of maintaining virtual opportunities and so will also look to strengthen how you can connect with each other online.
2. There needs to be more top-down communication and clear purpose
You told us that we could do more to communicate the strategy of the board and provide clarity on how your group’s work supports that. We have heard that you want more information on what other volunteer groups are doing and more opportunities to share and collaborate so that you can drive the greatest impact.
3. Training and getting the right skills in the right places
You told us that training and development are really important to your experience. We will shortly be restarting the volunteer training programme that offers two-hour soft skills modules as a key benefit. We will also be looking at how we can best train up volunteer group leaders to have the skills to lead and support their groups effectively.
And three key insights from the survey:
1. ‘Hybrid’ is here to stay
The pandemic has had a profound impact on the way the volunteer community works together and the make up of that community. Moving to a more virtual environment has opened up volunteering to those who cannot easily attend meetings in London. It has also created some challenges around ensuring volunteers experience that sense of connection with their peers. The results indicated that most volunteers would like to see a mix of meeting styles with most available to join online but occasional in-person opportunities.
2. Why you give up your time to volunteer
The top three motivations to volunteer are:
- To gain new skills, knowledge and learning
- To be more active in the society
- To grow my professional network
We want to support you to get all of this and more from your volunteering experience.
3. Support from the staffed office is important
Knowing who to contact in the staffed office and getting the right support is clearly essential to a good volunteer experience as many of you highlighted in the survey. We are pleased to introduce Tilly Baker, Head of Engagement and Communities at CFA UK, who will be overseeing the volunteering programme. She is joined by programme assistant, Nadilsa Tavares. Get in touch by emailing volunteer@cfauk.org.
Tilly Baker
Nadilsa Tavares
