Volunteering Futures - Top Tips!

I have been working with The Volunteering Futures Basildon team since September last year, helping steer a way through a positive closing of the programme for its partners, its Volunteer Co-ordinators, and of course, the many volunteers that have been the lifeblood of the endeavour.

Volunteering Futures Basildon is a changing-making initiative for the Basildon borough – powered by creativity, greening, sports and volunteering, active across Basildon, Billericay, & Wickford, and its 9 nine Town, Parish & Village Councils.

As we come to a close of the programme, at the end of March 2024, we are refletign on what we have learned, and we were asked recently to think on some ‘top tips’ b Arts Council England – and here they are!

Tip 1

Take the time you think it will take, and double it: this work necessarily takes time as its about forming relationships and trust

Tip 2

Work at the speed of care: this work has to hold respect for volunteers and their lives at the forefront of how we do things, not just why or the what

Tip 3

Think wide, think deep, think together: imagineering this work together gets it into places we could never have anticipated

Tip 4

Small can be as big as big: small moments, small actions, small projects will have just as much impact and be just as bold as the big and shiny ones 

Tip 5

End well: Celebrate all that we have done, say thank you, say goodbye, intentionally, positively and in a way that holds people through this change

These have come through learning from and with over 200 individual projects across our partners, 6 collaborative projects and programmes, 50+ project partners, 823 new long-term volunteers, 263 creatives employed, 6702 active participants and 21744 live audience members.

Volunteering Futures Basildon partners are Creative Basildon (ACE CPP), Trust Links, Achieve Thrive Flourish, Basildon Billericay & Wickford Council for Voluntary Service, all hosted through Things Made Public.