CA:MK and Volunteering

CA:MK has been working with organisations and volunteers to support efforts to address the emerging needs across MK as Covid-19 has affected so many aspects of life and continues to do so.

Since 20th March we have been sharing our ‘Expression of Interest’ form and to date we have had 710 people sign up to volunteer.  Of the 710 to date (22/05) we have matched 218 people to various roles across MK. We have been in a wonderful position where we have more volunteers than roles available, we are grateful for the patience volunteers have shown. Something that can only be expected is that people’s circumstances change and we have had some volunteers no longer able to volunteer, we have a lot of people interested and free for weekend roles but most organisations don’t have the capacity to work weekends as well. 

These volunteer numbers do not account for the hundreds of people supporting their local neighbourhood groups, already volunteering, or working with parishes to meet the needs of their community. It’s been a momentous effort, one that is amazing and heartwarming to see – we are sending a huge THANK YOU to all volunteers. #NeverMoreNeeded

It is also worth emphasizing that with no funding towards volunteering infrastructure (the services that are aimed at recruiting and coordinating volunteers, and matching them with organisations that need them), which has been the case in the UK  for the last decade, there simply isn’t enough capacity in the system to meet the demand from all of the potential volunteers. However, this and the response we have got through our Covid-19 volunteering appeal is making us think about how we can work with partners to make volunteering more responsive and immediate. Developing a new way of managing volunteering needs and opportunities will take time, thought and resources, we are working hard to make this happen – for example by setting up the new projects mentioned below. 

Matched volunteers and what they’ve been doing… 

The 218 volunteers have been matched with a range of organisations, including MK Play association, where volunteers have been making up scrapboxes, Fareshare have utilised volunteers to help in their warehouse making vital food parcels and Willen Hospice have taken on volunteers to support in the non-Covid part of the Hospice. We have matched volunteers with 19 different organisations, some being able to take multiple cohorts of volunteers over the period. 

How has it been going… 

The volunteer programme is going well, we are seeing things change now as the needs of the community are adjusting to new measures and adaptations need to be made. We have been running the database for 2 months now and it’s only natural that people’s circumstances are changing and their ability to volunteer might have changed. We are now calling all potential volunteers to see if they are interested in the roles that come up and what capacity they have. This way we can update the database and try to keep on top of what volunteers are able to do. 

Looking forward…

As the volunteering programme moves forward we want to keep reminding organisations that if they need volunteers we can help find them! We can match you up with individuals and share the work that you are doing. 

THANK YOU… 

We want to reiterate this Volunteers week how thankful we are for all the support we are seeing provided and the amazing work you are achieving… #NeverMoreNeeded #CheerToTheVolunteers

The impact on the sector…

Demands have continually increased throughout the last few months on the charity and voluntary sector. The contribution from volunteers is priceless, a commitment that has allowed a Covid – 19 support responses to go ahead, that wouldn’t otherwise have been able to. Individuals, vulnerable, newly vulnerable and all of those managing the challenges of the pandemic have had an amazing safety net of volunteers trying their utmost to meet the needs and help in any way they can. 

We are so grateful that we have been able to see and support the generosity, commitment and care that volunteers have offered. Along with such a huge amount of community kindness. Thank you.