Hello!

Volunteering & Benefits

You may know that Universal Credit has been rolled out in Southampton. A small group have started to receive it and this will be increased over the next 2 years. The SVS website has a briefing produced by the NCVO which covers how Universal Credit and Volunteering works. If you are unsure you can read it here.

Following some queries that we have had recently, I would like to confirm that volunteering is not something that an individual can be forced to do in threat of sanction. SVS has signed up to the Keep Volunteering Voluntary Agreement, which you can sign up for too. We have great links with the Job Centre - volunteering is a great step back into employment. So if anybody contacts you to advise that they have been forced to contact you under threat of sanction:

• Determine who told them this information? (Job Centre, People Plus etc)
• Have they been given written confirmation of this? Anecdotal information is harder to act on - could it have been a misunderstanding?
• Reassure them that this is not the case.
• Ask them to contact SVS - we can reassure them, act on any incorrect information that has been provided and discuss their options with them.

•  You don't have to take on the person as a volunteer if they don't want to be there - perhaps refer them to us and we can look at alternative volunteering placements.
• If they ask for something in writing for the Job Centre, or for you to contact the Job Centre you don't have to do this. Refer them to SVS and I will happily discuss with them.
• For job seeking volunteers always remind them to keep a record of their hours, and any expenses claimed as their work advisor can ask to see these at any time.
• Read the briefing from the NCVO regarding volunteering hours, or keep it in a safe place to refer to at a later date if you need to.

Communications Audit

When we're looking at recruiting volunteers are we being consistent with our organisations message and tone? Is the opportunity advertised in the right way?

 

• What do your recruitment materials "feel" like? Be critical on both digital and hard copies.
• What do they say about volunteering with your organisation?
• Is the message consistent across all of your media? Are you putting across a unified, professional and consistent personality?
• Are they relevant and meaningful to your target audience - could you tweak them for different audiences. A volunteer who has retired may have different goals than someone looking to get back into work.
• Do they clearly (and consistently) state the steps they need to take to apply? What is their call to action and how long should they wait to hear?
• What channels are you using to promote? Are they multi-channel?