Be Positive and Say 'Thank You!'

As I was wandering around town earlier this week I was struck by how many Volunteers' Week tee shirts were being worn – Volunteer Centre Plymouth are having a massive week of celebrations and events right in the heart of the town centre here. It was really good to see their marquee was buzzing with conversations as a wide variety of organisations were speaking to local residents about volunteering. I am sure that just about everyone who visited that marquee in the middle of Plymouth today would not know that they were at an event delivered by our Volunteer Centre – it was branded as Volunteers Week, and the Volunteer Centre had given itself the least prominent stall in order to more actively promote their local members. I think Simon and his team deserve a big pat on the back for the work they have put into Volunteers Week in Plymouth.

Visiting that marquee today reminded me of the NAVCA and Volunteering England joint statement challenging the received wisdom that only 2% of people find their way into volunteering through their local Volunteer Centre (www.navca.org.uk/news/volunteeringtwopercent.htm) that I read yesterday. What NAVCA and Volunteering England are saying is so true. If I was asked whether any of my current volunteering activities had been brokered by a Volunteer Centre, I would have to say ‘no’. But that misses the point. Despite having volunteered since I was young, I had gradually fallen out of the habit and about 10 years ago I realised that I was no longer doing anything at all. So I’d like to say a very big thank you to Volunteer Centre Wandsworth for the help they gave me to find a local opportunity and the enormous enjoyment and satisfaction that I have received from all of my volunteering since then – they might not have brokered all of the opportunities (in fact they only did 2 of them), but it was because of their fantastic service that I got back into doing something I enjoy and started to use Volunteer Centre services in the organisations for which I worked.

I have been privileged to work with Volunteer Centres across the country. Reflecting back on 10 years of involvement I can see how far the network has come. By and large they are delivering what they have been asked to do, and have radically progressed their own development – all with limited resources. I think it is about time someone put their money where their mouth is and started putting the resources in to really deliver what the network is capable of and radically enhancing the volunteering experience – but I know that is what Jamie said earlier this week...

We often hear negatives about our Volunteer Centres. I know that some of these comments might be deserved by a few of them - but they are not representative of all (I know – I’ve read hundreds of quality accreditation portfolios). So let’s change the way we talk about the network. Let’s not promote the fallacy that one bad experience in one Volunteer Centre means that the hundreds that serve our country always act in that manner – it’s just not true. Let’s be constructive in any criticism we have – finding solutions and improving services might take a bit more thought, but it will improve things for all of us next time we need to use their services. Let’s praise them for all the good things they do – it is so easy to forget to say ‘thank you’ or ‘well done’ – and let’s start doing that now and keep on doing it – they deserve it.

Posted by Chris Penberthy, Managing Director of Red Foundation and former CEO of Volunteer Development England and a Director of Volunteering England