The Foundations of Event Volunteering

Join Spirit of 2012 this Volunteers’ Week, as we launch two reports with partners DSA Communications and Neighbourly Lab. These reports offer recommendations and learning for those planning place-based event volunteering programmes, using practical examples and insights.

Spirit has been funding volunteering projects across the UK for 12 years. We believe that events and volunteering have a crucial role to play in improving wellbeing for everyone. We’re invested in learning how volunteering programmes can be designed and developed effectively and inclusively. We’re interested in what supports impactful event legacy, and in learning from volunteer management approaches.

As we prepare to close down Spirit of 2012 by the end of 2025, we are actively sharing our insights. In 2023, Spirit launched our Inquiry into the Power of Events. One of our five key recommendations was that events that use volunteers should have a clear strategy to boost longer-term community volunteering.

DHA Communications were commissioned to explore how events can strengthen the infrastructure around volunteering. They examined several key cultural and sporting events to assess what has happened so far and identify learnings for those planning events with volunteer programmes in the future, including stakeholders from the wider voluntary sector. They will be joined on the day by representatives from the Hull City of Culture legacy programme, the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games legacy programme and Bradford 2025.

Neighbourly Lab is Spirit’s learning partner for our Volunteering Cities funding programme. Volunteering Cities is comprised of four grants to enable four locations to strengthen their local volunteering infrastructure, building on the momentum from their UK City of Culture 2025 bid. Those locations are Bradford, Conwy, Great Yarmouth and East Suffolk, and Medway. Neighbourly Lab’s report brings together findings from the projects and presents the most significant learning and interesting themes that have emerged from them. Their report will be useful to a variety of stakeholders working to increase the efficacy of place-based volunteering infrastructure, as well as the importance of and opportunities in cultural sector volunteering.

This event takes place during Volunteers’ Week, which runs from 1-7 June. Volunteers’ Week is an annual UK-wide campaign to celebrate and recognise the contributions of volunteers. The campaign highlights the diversity and unity of volunteer work across the UK. Volunteers’ Week fosters connections between national organisations and grassroots groups, celebrating the spirit of volunteering that enriches communities each year.

Date and time:

Wednesday 4th June, 1:00 – 3:30pm (Online)

Agenda:

· 1:00pm - Introduction from Spirit of 2012

Why we invest in volunteering and what we’ve learned through 12 Years of funding event volunteering programmes

· 1:10pm - Tracing the Volunteer Legacy of UK Events
Tamsin Cox (Head of Policy and Research) and Kate Rodenhurst (Associate) at DHA Communications present their research report into how events can strengthen the infrastructure around volunteering, followed by a Q&A and a panel discussion facilitated by Martin O'Neill at Rosterfy, joined by panellists:

o Anthony Yates, Destination Manager at VHEY – Hull 2017 Legacy Volunteering Programme

o Nicola Turner, CEO at United By 2022 – Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games Volunteers’ Collective

o John McMahon and John Strawson Rooney - Bradford 2025 Volunteering Programme

· 2:20pm – Volunteering Cities: Event Volunteering in Conwy

Spotlight on volunteering programme, Amdani! Conwy, with Amdani! volunteers and programme managers

· 2:25pm - Insights from Volunteering Cities

Marnie Freeman (Director) and Annette Holman (Programme Manager) at Neighbourly Lab present their report, with learnings around the Volunteering Cities grant programme.

· 3:25pm – Closing remarks and wrap up

An online meeting link will be circulated two days before the event. Please let us know (admin@spiritof2012.org.uk) if there are things we can provide to help you access the event.