This event was all about communications and volunteering – from how to attract and retain the right volunteers, to the best way of getting them involved in your PR and comms work.
We were joined by guest speaker Stephen Hardy, communications manager at the Canal & River Trust – a national charity with several regional offices, all of which utilise volunteers for a variety of roles ranging from hands-on and public-facing, to office-based and administrative. Stephen discussed the challenges of recruiting and retaining such a wide range of volunteers, and reflected on the Trust’s recent experiences of using volunteers specifically to help with communications.
Presentation by Stephen Hardy, communications manager at the Canal & River Trust
Following Stephen’s presentation, delegates split into groups to discuss the following questions before feeding back to the group as a whole:
- In your organisation, in what capacity do you use volunteers?
- How do you recruit and retain your volunteers?
- What have you found to be the main comms challenges when dealing with volunteers?
- How are you using volunteers specifically to help with PR and comms?
- What are the advantages and potential pitfalls of using volunteers for comms?
About the Midlands Networking Group
The Midlands Networking Group is a network of comms professionals working in UK charities and not-for-profit organisations in the Midlands.
You’ll be given the opportunity to meet your peers, compare notes on workplace practices and share successes, ideas, challenges and inspiration. The group is designed to encourage networking and peer-to-peer support, sharing issues in a ‘safe’ and relaxed environment.
Each event will focus on a topic which delegates will discuss in small groups before feeding back to the group as a whole. There’ll also be plenty of time for networking.
In between events, stay in touch with your peers by joining our Facebook Midlands Networking Group.
If there’s a topic you’d like to discuss or if you’d be interested in speaking at a future event, please contact Vanessa Weddell.
If you’d like to be one of the first to hear about these events, please contact Sarah Cutress to be added to the Midlands Networking Group mailing list.