We hope you enjoyed part one of our student volunteering special with David Coles, from the LSE?

Well, here is part 2.

Enjoy!

As always do get in touch with us via our website to suggest future guests and tell us what you thought of the episode. www.TimeForImpact.co.uk

Like any creative endeavour, bringing the podcast to life involves real costs in production, editing, planning, and execution. As a small charity consultancy, our primary income comes from providing paid advice and training, allowing us to freely share our hard-earned expertise and insights through this podcast and our blog. We believe deeply in empowering the charity sector's success.

If you find the Time for Impact Podcast valuable and wish to fuel future inspiring conversations and ideas, please consider a small, entirely voluntary contribution of £4 through our Buy Me a Coffee account:                     ⁠buymeacoffee.com/chriswadetfi ⁠ . Your generosity, however small, directly supports our ability to continue producing this resource for the sector. Thank you for being part of our community. 🙏

Part one of a conversation with David Coles from the LSE.

ideal for those involving students in their volunteer activity

Please follow to receive future episodes and be sure to catch part two soon.

Like any creative endeavour, bringing the podcast to life involves real costs in production, editing, planning, and execution. As a small charity consultancy, our primary income comes from providing paid advice and training, allowing us to freely share our hard-earned expertise and insights through this podcast and our blog. We believe deeply in empowering the charity sector's success.

If you find the Time for Impact Podcast valuable and wish to fuel future inspiring conversations and ideas, please consider a small, entirely voluntary contribution of £4 through our Buy Me a Coffee account:                     ⁠buymeacoffee.com/chriswadetfi ⁠ . Your generosity, however small, directly supports our ability to continue producing this resource for the sector. Thank you for being part of our community. 🙏

The second part of our insightful conversation with Ashley Staines and Doug Ayres.

We discuss how digital solutions can be leading or enabling innovation on volunteering thinking. We explore the role of digital in helping us develop marketing and customer insight led solutions to the challenges volunteering professionals face. We examine the myths and stereotypes about generational divides in adoption of digital solutions and we look to the future for AI solutions to revolutionise volunteering in the future.

Above all we discuss how entrepreneurial thinking and insights from outside the sector can help us reimagine what volunteering can do.

Like any creative endeavour, bringing the podcast to life involves real costs in production, editing, planning, and execution. As a small charity consultancy, our primary income comes from providing paid advice and training, allowing us to freely share our hard-earned expertise and insights through this podcast and our blog. We believe deeply in empowering the charity sector's success.

If you find the Time for Impact Podcast valuable and wish to fuel future inspiring conversations and ideas, please consider a small, entirely voluntary contribution of £4 through our Buy Me a Coffee account:                     ⁠buymeacoffee.com/chriswadetfi ⁠ . Your generosity, however small, directly supports our ability to continue producing this resource for the sector. Thank you for being part of our community. 🙏

Part one of our conversation with two great thinkers in the charity and volunteering tech space with customers across the world.

In part one we explore why they are focusing their digital entrepreneurship on volunteering, the drivers and barriers to volunteering organisations investing in the digital tools that can enhance our practice, the importance of data and customer insights in volunteering, and much more.

Be sure to follow our podcast and don't miss out on an even better part two in a few days time.

We did have a few issues with sound on this podcast but the content is so rich that we did not want you to miss out on the great conversation, i hope you agree it is well worth it.

To read more about our speakers head to https://www.volunteero.org/ and https://ebm.ai/

To find out more about how Time For Impact volunteering consultancy can help you transform volunteering strategy and practice check out our website at www.TimeForImpact.co.uk , we'd love to hear from you.

If you have suggestions for future guests, please also contact us via the website.

Enjoy

Like any creative endeavour, bringing the podcast to life involves real costs in production, editing, planning, and execution. As a small charity consultancy, our primary income comes from providing paid advice and training, allowing us to freely share our hard-earned expertise and insights through this podcast and our blog. We believe deeply in empowering the charity sector's success.

If you find the Time for Impact Podcast valuable and wish to fuel future inspiring conversations and ideas, please consider a small, entirely voluntary contribution of £4 through our Buy Me a Coffee account:                     ⁠buymeacoffee.com/chriswadetfi ⁠ . Your generosity, however small, directly supports our ability to continue producing this resource for the sector. Thank you for being part of our community. 🙏

Matt and Chris speak with Rachel Gegeshidze, CEO of Tempo about her organisation's community engagement building successes in the UK, through their time credits programme.

You can read more about Tempo's work here https://wearetempo.org/

Please do check out the Time for Impact Webpage here to see how we can help your volunteering activities thrive.

www.TimeForImpact.co.uk

We are always interested in new guests for the podcast. Do get in touch with suggestions and feedback via our website.

Like any creative endeavour, bringing the podcast to life involves real costs in production, editing, planning, and execution. As a small charity consultancy, our primary income comes from providing paid advice and training, allowing us to freely share our hard-earned expertise and insights through this podcast and our blog. We believe deeply in empowering the charity sector's success.

If you find the Time for Impact Podcast valuable and wish to fuel future inspiring conversations and ideas, please consider a small, entirely voluntary contribution of £4 through our Buy Me a Coffee account:                     ⁠buymeacoffee.com/chriswadetfi ⁠ . Your generosity, however small, directly supports our ability to continue producing this resource for the sector. Thank you for being part of our community. 🙏

In this episode Matt and Chris meet with Amy Stow from Shift.Ms to discuss their innovative charity for people living with Multiple Sclerosis (MS).

We talk about the special co-productive approach the charity takes as a charity by MSers for MSers. We talk about how the charities roots in digital and creative industries shapes their work differently to some other charities, and above all we discuss their groundbreaking volunteering model called 'The Energy'

Here are some useful links

The buddy network https://shift.ms/the-buddy-network

Volunteer / energy pages https://shift.ms/get-involved/volunteer

The Energy handbook we discuss https://drive.google.com/file/d/1RH1_rTittgdljZIRaGAlX8oJ88CpRmSr/view

Their amazing films https://shift.ms/films

or and of course the Time for Impact website www.timeforimpact.co.uk

Hope you enjoy

Chris

Like any creative endeavour, bringing the podcast to life involves real costs in production, editing, planning, and execution. As a small charity consultancy, our primary income comes from providing paid advice and training, allowing us to freely share our hard-earned expertise and insights through this podcast and our blog. We believe deeply in empowering the charity sector's success.

If you find the Time for Impact Podcast valuable and wish to fuel future inspiring conversations and ideas, please consider a small, entirely voluntary contribution of £4 through our Buy Me a Coffee account:                     ⁠buymeacoffee.com/chriswadetfi ⁠ . Your generosity, however small, directly supports our ability to continue producing this resource for the sector. Thank you for being part of our community. 🙏

In this episode Chris and Matt discuss their hopes and expectations from politicians seeking our votes in the forthcoming elections in the UK - with a volunteering focus of course.

We share our thoughts on what we'd like to see in manifestos and create a shortlist of our own.

A few links of interest for you.

The NCVO election guides for charities and the Voluntary Sector Manifesto https://www.ncvo.org.uk/get-involved/general-election-2024/

How to register to vote - be quick registration closes midnight on 18th June.

https://www.gov.uk/register-to-vote?step-by-step-nav=ff81c31c-3282-49df-85a4-013887130110#:~:text=A%20General%20Election%20has%20been%20called,by%2011:59pm%20on%2018%20June%202024.

Please do follow our podcast to ensure you get new episodes delivered to you.

Please do get in touch with ideas for future episodes or to give feedback via podcast@timeforimpact.co.uk

Do check out our website www.TimeForImpact.co.uk

Like any creative endeavour, bringing the podcast to life involves real costs in production, editing, planning, and execution. As a small charity consultancy, our primary income comes from providing paid advice and training, allowing us to freely share our hard-earned expertise and insights through this podcast and our blog. We believe deeply in empowering the charity sector's success.

If you find the Time for Impact Podcast valuable and wish to fuel future inspiring conversations and ideas, please consider a small, entirely voluntary contribution of £4 through our Buy Me a Coffee account:                     ⁠buymeacoffee.com/chriswadetfi ⁠ . Your generosity, however small, directly supports our ability to continue producing this resource for the sector. Thank you for being part of our community. 🙏

We explore the experiences of Julia Manser and Gemma Richards from the West Glamorgan Volunteering Support Project on their experiences of getting local partners to collaborate over the planning of volunteering.

In particular we explore their efforts to build more fliud passporting between agencies to enable volunteers to support multiple agencies.

You can read more about their work here https://www.westglamorgan.org.uk/wgvs/

Do check out their resources and videos.

If you want to suggest new guests for our podcast do please email us on podcast@timeforimpact.co.uk

Please do follow the podcast to ensure you don't miss future episodes, and please do rate us if you can. We'd really appreciate that.

To find out more about consultancy and training solutions from Time for Impact please go to www.TimeForImpact.co.uk

Like any creative endeavour, bringing the podcast to life involves real costs in production, editing, planning, and execution. As a small charity consultancy, our primary income comes from providing paid advice and training, allowing us to freely share our hard-earned expertise and insights through this podcast and our blog. We believe deeply in empowering the charity sector's success.

If you find the Time for Impact Podcast valuable and wish to fuel future inspiring conversations and ideas, please consider a small, entirely voluntary contribution of £4 through our Buy Me a Coffee account:                     ⁠buymeacoffee.com/chriswadetfi ⁠ . Your generosity, however small, directly supports our ability to continue producing this resource for the sector. Thank you for being part of our community. 🙏

The second part of our conversation with Matt Hick, Head of Volunteering at the Science Museum Group and Chair of Heritage Volunteering Group.

Like any creative endeavour, bringing the podcast to life involves real costs in production, editing, planning, and execution. As a small charity consultancy, our primary income comes from providing paid advice and training, allowing us to freely share our hard-earned expertise and insights through this podcast and our blog. We believe deeply in empowering the charity sector's success.

If you find the Time for Impact Podcast valuable and wish to fuel future inspiring conversations and ideas, please consider a small, entirely voluntary contribution of £4 through our Buy Me a Coffee account:                     ⁠buymeacoffee.com/chriswadetfi ⁠ . Your generosity, however small, directly supports our ability to continue producing this resource for the sector. Thank you for being part of our community. 🙏

In this part one of two episodes to kick off the Time For Impact Podcast we hear from Matthew Hick, Head of Volunteering of the Science Museum Group and Chair of the Heritage Volunteering Group.

Do check out the Heritage Volunteering site and youtube channel

https://heritagevolunteeringgroup.org.uk/

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCWv49rsHge9lQJZ3yAKja1A

We also discuss ways to track success of impact and diversity work and listeners will find these links we mentioned useful;

https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/english-indices-of-deprivation

https://www.gov.uk/find-local-council

Most of all do check out our own Time For Impact website

www.TimeForImpact.co.uk

Please subscribe to hear new episodes as we release them

let us know if podcast ideas via podcast@timeforimpact.co.uk

Like any creative endeavour, bringing the podcast to life involves real costs in production, editing, planning, and execution. As a small charity consultancy, our primary income comes from providing paid advice and training, allowing us to freely share our hard-earned expertise and insights through this podcast and our blog. We believe deeply in empowering the charity sector's success.

If you find the Time for Impact Podcast valuable and wish to fuel future inspiring conversations and ideas, please consider a small, entirely voluntary contribution of £4 through our Buy Me a Coffee account:                     ⁠buymeacoffee.com/chriswadetfi ⁠ . Your generosity, however small, directly supports our ability to continue producing this resource for the sector. Thank you for being part of our community. 🙏

Matt Cobble and Chris Wade speak with Maddy Mills from the Family Volunteering Club.

https://www.familyvolunteeringclub.co.uk/about

We discuss;

• Why there are so few family volunteering opportunities / the missed opportunity.
• How to make volunteering more child and family friendly
• The importance of building a habit of volunteering
• Volunteering building link with local communities.
• How to make volunteering safe but managing rather than avoiding risk.
• Demonstrating impact.
• Creating fabulous volunteering experiences
• and above all the joy of family volunteering

On a completely different note.......

Rob Jackson, Helen Timbrell and Chris Wade are planning a great event for HR professionals who are increasingly taking on responsibility for volunteering.

Realising Potential: Collaboration and Integration in  HR and Volunteering

A one day event for HR professionals working in People functions with integrated approaches to HR and volunteering.

• Are you new to working alongside or with volunteering professionals?

• Has your organisation merged HR and volunteering and you’re exploring how to make the most of this new structure?

• Is your organisation considering this as an option and you’re keen to learn from others?

• Are you simply volunteering curious?

• Do you want to learn from others working in the same context?

Join us for an interactive, supportive and collaborative day to share experiences and best practices and build new connections.

9.30am - 4.30pm, Friday November 15 2024

National Trust, Swindon

To express an interest email Helen@HelenTimbrell.com

Please do pass the news to your HR colleagues and your CEO.

Like any creative endeavour, bringing the podcast to life involves real costs in production, editing, planning, and execution. As a small charity consultancy, our primary income comes from providing paid advice and training, allowing us to freely share our hard-earned expertise and insights through this podcast and our blog. We believe deeply in empowering the charity sector's success.

If you find the Time for Impact Podcast valuable and wish to fuel future inspiring conversations and ideas, please consider a small, entirely voluntary contribution of £4 through our Buy Me a Coffee account:                     ⁠buymeacoffee.com/chriswadetfi ⁠ . Your generosity, however small, directly supports our ability to continue producing this resource for the sector. Thank you for being part of our community. 🙏

Janet Thorne CEO of Reach Volunteering joined Chris and Matt to discuss how Reach Volunteering has had enormous success recently in recruiting volunteers where others have struggled.

We discuss their citizenship focussed approach to recruitment and involvement.

We really encourage you to read Reach and Janet's writing on these subjects. Links provided below.

#ChangeTheStory campaign https://reachvolunteering.org.uk/changethestory

#ChangeTheStory bloghttps://reachvolunteering.org.uk/blog/let-s-change-story

#VolunteerForClimatehttps://reachvolunteering.org.uk/volunteer-for-climate

Please also do take a look at our own website and see the range of work we provide beyond this podcast.

https://www.timeforimpact.co.uk/

We always welcome feedback on the podcast and are seeking ideas of guests that we should interview. Please get in touch via the website.

Don't forget to follow to ensure you never miss an episode.

Like any creative endeavour, bringing the podcast to life involves real costs in production, editing, planning, and execution. As a small charity consultancy, our primary income comes from providing paid advice and training, allowing us to freely share our hard-earned expertise and insights through this podcast and our blog. We believe deeply in empowering the charity sector's success.

If you find the Time for Impact Podcast valuable and wish to fuel future inspiring conversations and ideas, please consider a small, entirely voluntary contribution of £4 through our Buy Me a Coffee account:                     buymeacoffee.com/chriswadetfi  . Your generosity, however small, directly supports our ability to continue producing this resource for the sector. Thank you for being part of our community. 🙏

For those exploring corporate or employee volunteering this is a must-listen episode.

Kishma is responsible for employee volunteering across Wellcome, one of the richest charities in the world, and a significant employer in the UK.

Wellcome's ethos and culture means that they see employee volunteering as a key ingredient of staff wellbeing.

Tune in to hear a perspective from an employer, about what we need to do to partner effectively with them to build successful partnership between our causes and their employees.

In the episode Matt quotes some statistics about skills based volunteering. These comes from https://www.forbes.com/councils/forbesnonprofitcouncil/2024/03/06/volunteering-a-proven-way-to-improve-employee-well-being/

To read more about Wellcome go to https://wellcome.org/

Enjoy the episode.

Like any creative endeavour, bringing the podcast to life involves real costs in production, editing, planning, and execution. As a small charity consultancy, our primary income comes from providing paid advice and training, allowing us to freely share our hard-earned expertise and insights through this podcast and our blog. We believe deeply in empowering the charity sector's success.

If you find the Time for Impact Podcast valuable and wish to fuel future inspiring conversations and ideas, please consider a small, entirely voluntary contribution of £4 through our Buy Me a Coffee account:                     buymeacoffee.com/chriswadetfi  . Your generosity, however small, directly supports our ability to continue producing this resource for the sector. Thank you for being part of our community. 🙏

Both Matt and I are big fans of Parkrun; not just the running but the volunteering too. We've long been impressed at their simple yet efficient, well organised and inclusive volunteering happens with a relatively small staffing body.

To get the inside track on how Parkrun grew from a small local running event to a global phenomena this is essential listening. You will learn about how volunteering grew as an integral part of Parkrun, and about the culture and values that drive this amazing organisation.

The aim of this podcast series is to capture and share interesting activity across volunteering; so that we can all learn and constantly improve our practice. This episode is a great example of that.

If you'd like Time for Impact to help you review, develop or improve your volunteering practice and strategy, or help you demonstrate the value and impact your volunteers deliver please do reach out to us via our www.TimeForImpact.co.uk and we can offer a range of consulting, mentoring and learning solutions.

Like any creative endeavour, bringing the podcast to life involves real costs in production, editing, planning, and execution. As a small charity consultancy, our primary income comes from providing paid advice and training, allowing us to freely share our hard-earned expertise and insights through this podcast and our blog. We believe deeply in empowering the charity sector's success.

If you find the Time for Impact Podcast valuable and wish to fuel future inspiring conversations and ideas, please consider a small, entirely voluntary contribution of £4 through our Buy Me a Coffee account:                     buymeacoffee.com/chriswadetfi  . Your generosity, however small, directly supports our ability to continue producing this resource for the sector. Thank you for being part of our community. 🙏

Chris Wade

On Friday 15th November 2024, Chris Wade, Helen Timbrell and Rob Jackson held a unique event kindly hosted by the National Trust at their HQ in Swindon.

The event, started to address the long evolving trend of volunteering functions being housed in combined People functions of HR and Volunteering professionals.

We felt that the sector discussion on this is long-overdue. HR professionals are increasingly asked to take on such leadership roles or work in combined teams, often without much in the way of support or preparation, and less still in terms of helping exploring the many possible options for integration.

This sometimes leads to disgruntled volunteering and HR teams jockeying for space and influence, and sometimes difficult change programmes without an understanding of the benefits and challenges of volunteering.

Our approach was and remains to provide a supportive environment to help HR professionals gain insight into some of the challenges, context and skillsets needs related to developing volunteering. We recognised that there are many and varied ways of exploring the benefits or otherwise of integration, and we felt that this could be the beginning of building a supportive network to help people professionals on this potentially new journey. We feel that such a supportive environment will help HR and volunteer professionals alike and ultimately our volunteers and our causes too.

So, in this podcast, able chaired by Matt, Rob, Helen and Chris explore reflections on the day, implications for the sector and possible next steps on this journey.

I hope you find the discussion stimulating. Please leave your thoughts in the comments or contact us direct at podcast@TimeForImpact.co.uk . We are sure this debate will continue.

Chris Wade

In the podcast we reference Rob and Helen's 2023 podcast conversation on Advancing the Profession. You can access that here....

https://open.spotify.com/episode/3K76Eh90TYEg4mGXwxffvC?si=XwrVEyCwQtybDW0vJXSg3g

https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/season-2-episode-4-helen-timbrell/id1556641117?i=1000606011872

There is mention of my article on curating volunteer experiences that you access here....

https://www.timeforimpact.co.uk/blogs/our-blogs/dont-manage-curate

Like any creative endeavour, bringing the podcast to life involves real costs in production, editing, planning, and execution. As a small charity consultancy, our primary income comes from providing paid advice and training, allowing us to freely share our hard-earned expertise and insights through this podcast and our blog. We believe deeply in empowering the charity sector's success.

If you find the Time for Impact Podcast valuable and wish to fuel future inspiring conversations and ideas, please consider a small, entirely voluntary contribution of £4 through our Buy Me a Coffee account:                     ⁠buymeacoffee.com/chriswadetfi ⁠ . Your generosity, however small, directly supports our ability to continue producing this resource for the sector. Thank you for being part of our community. 🙏

In this episode of the Time for Impact podcast Chris and Matt discuss the newly released ‘Digital in Volunteering Toolkit’ with Gethyn Williams.

The new toolkit is a useful tool for new and experienced volunteering professionals alike and completely free. So we think it is precisely the kind of innovation that fellow professionals may wish to hear more about. 

In our usual style of course, we delve beyond the immediate practicality of the toolkit itself and muse upon future needs and developments. We hope you enjoy the discussion!

Read more about the Toolkit:

https://teamkinetic.co.uk/blog/2024/12/digital-in-volunteering-toolkit-launch/

Watch the Digital in Volunteering launch back in full: 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MtTzfH_W6kg

Download the Toolkit and join the Community of Practice: 

https://volunteermanagers.org.uk/resources/uncategorized/digital-in-volunteering-toolkit/?utm_source=teamkinetic&utm_medium=blog

Like any creative endeavour, bringing the podcast to life involves real costs in production, editing, planning, and execution. As a small charity consultancy, our primary income comes from providing paid advice and training, allowing us to freely share our hard-earned expertise and insights through this podcast and our blog. We believe deeply in empowering the charity sector's success.

If you find the Time for Impact Podcast valuable and wish to fuel future inspiring conversations and ideas, please consider a small, entirely voluntary contribution of £4 through our Buy Me a Coffee account:                     buymeacoffee.com/chriswadetfi  . Your generosity, however small, directly supports our ability to continue producing this resource for the sector. Thank you for being part of our community. 🙏

We were delighted to be joined on the Time For Impact Podcast by Michael Phillips, Head of Volunteering at the great homelessness charity Crisis.

Crisis have some really exciting and truly ambitious plans to work in collaboration with the communities in which homelessness exists, with business, government and other charities to end homelessness in the UK.

They recognise that they cannot do it alone as an organisation nor as a staff body and that they need to be the convenors of a coalition of people united behind this shared purpose.

You can read more about their strategy here https://www.crisis.org.uk/ending-homelessness/plan-to-end-homelessness/

More information on volunteering at Crisis can be found here https://www.crisis.org.uk/get-involved/volunteer/

In the midst of the discussion we reference the ‘Time to Change’ - you can read about them here https://www.time-to-change.org.uk/about-us

We mentioned the social media backlash to supermarkets selling Halloween costumes that stigmatise people with mental health issues. You can read more about that here https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-24278768#:~:text=Supermarket%20chains%20Tesco%20and%20Asda,its%20%22psycho%20ward%22%20outfit

As always we hope you enjoy the podcast. Please do follow us wherever you get your podcasts. 

If you like what you hear, please give us a nice rating, and tell your colleagues about our show. We would really appreciate that.

We are always interested in ideas for future guests or subjects so do contact us via www.TimeForImpact.co.uk with suggestions and feedback.

And remember Time for Impact can always help you with your strategic volunteer thinking and demonstrating the impact of volunteering. We’d love to hear from you.

Like any creative endeavour, bringing the podcast to life involves real costs in production, editing, planning, and execution. As a small charity consultancy, our primary income comes from providing paid advice and training, allowing us to freely share our hard-earned expertise and insights through this podcast and our blog. We believe deeply in empowering the charity sector's success.

If you find the Time for Impact Podcast valuable and wish to fuel future inspiring conversations and ideas, please consider a small, entirely voluntary contribution of £4 through our Buy Me a Coffee account:                     ⁠buymeacoffee.com/chriswadetfi ⁠ . Your generosity, however small, directly supports our ability to continue producing this resource for the sector. Thank you for being part of our community. 🙏

We hope you enjoy our discussion on volunteering in Northern Ireland, volunteering Infrastructure and the international volunteerism profession as much as we did.

We discussed the role of community sport and faith in volunteering, the role of infrastructure in boosting the profession, and the centrality of volunteerism in citizenship, democracy and the civic fabric. We discussed the changes in volunteering behaviour and the link between flexibility and inclusion.

Do check out the great range of insightful research papers on the Volunteer Now website

https://www.volunteernow.co.uk/publication-category/research/

We also referred to the latest household survey data on volunteering in Northern Ireland and some recovery since Covid. https://datavis.nisra.gov.uk/communities/experience-of-volunteering-by-adults-in-northern-ireland-202324.html#Definitions__technical_notes

Like any creative endeavour, bringing the podcast to life involves real costs in production, editing, planning, and execution. As a small charity consultancy, our primary income comes from providing paid advice and training, allowing us to freely share our hard-earned expertise and insights through this podcast and our blog. We believe deeply in empowering the charity sector's success.

If you find the Time for Impact Podcast valuable and wish to fuel future inspiring conversations and ideas, please consider a small, entirely voluntary contribution of £4 through our Buy Me a Coffee account:                     ⁠buymeacoffee.com/chriswadetfi ⁠ . Your generosity, however small, directly supports our ability to continue producing this resource for the sector. Thank you for being part of our community. 🙏

This week's episode features Mark Lever, former CEO of three leading charities: Helpforce, Royal Voluntary Service, and the National Autistic Society. Mark brings a wealth of experience and a deep understanding of the volunteer landscape. Our conversation delves into the crucial topic of demonstrating and maximising the impact of volunteering—a core focus of Time for Impact. We also discuss the power of local community action and the vital role of grassroots volunteering. Mark's thoughtful insights offer valuable lessons for anyone involved in or interested in the world of volunteering. 

Learn more about the organizations Mark has led:

• Helpforce:https://helpforce.community/

• Royal Voluntary Service:https://www.royalvoluntaryservice.org.uk/

• National Autistic Society:https://www.autism.org.uk/

Tune in for this engaging and informative discussion!

Like any creative endeavour, bringing the podcast to life involves real costs in production, editing, planning, and execution. As a small charity consultancy, our primary income comes from providing paid advice and training, allowing us to freely share our hard-earned expertise and insights through this podcast and our blog. We believe deeply in empowering the charity sector's success.

If you find the Time for Impact Podcast valuable and wish to fuel future inspiring conversations and ideas, please consider a small, entirely voluntary contribution of £4 through our Buy Me a Coffee account:                     buymeacoffee.com/chriswadetfi  . Your generosity, however small, directly supports our ability to continue producing this resource for the sector. Thank you for being part of our community. 🙏

Our 20th Episode is a sensational conversation with a real trailblazer in youth volunteering.

Stephen Greene was at the visionary forefront of the National Citizen Service in the UK and is the founder and CEO of the groundbreaking RockCorps.

Stephen tells us the story and vision behind both RockCorps and NCS. He shares some of his secrets of building the youth citizenship muscle. He tells us the extraordinary story of the shaping of NCS from former Prime Minster David Cameron's Big Society to a scheme that impacted 1 in 6 young people in the UK.

He talks about the importance of ditching bureaucracy from youth volunteering offers; and upon the recently announced demise of NCS, we discuss why it is essential that the new government has a youth citizenship and volunteering strategy.

To read more about RockCorps go to https://www.rockcorps.com/

For info on NCS try https://wearencs.com/

To hear more about Time for Impact and to contact us, go to www.TimeForImpact.co.uk

Like any creative endeavour, bringing the podcast to life involves real costs in production, editing, planning, and execution. As a small charity consultancy, our primary income comes from providing paid advice and training, allowing us to freely share our hard-earned expertise and insights through this podcast and our blog. We believe deeply in empowering the charity sector's success.

If you find the Time for Impact Podcast valuable and wish to fuel future inspiring conversations and ideas, please consider a small, entirely voluntary contribution of £4 through our Buy Me a Coffee account:                     ⁠buymeacoffee.com/chriswadetfi ⁠ . Your generosity, however small, directly supports our ability to continue producing this resource for the sector. Thank you for being part of our community. 🙏

Volunteer leaders, get ready for some inspiring and reassuring insights into volunteering from Ed, a charity CEO who's been around the block. With a long and impressive history leading volunteer-driven organisations, notably Riding for the Disabled and now Dogs for Good, Ed's got a wealth of knowledge to share.

This episode offers some valuable lessons for the sector, as we chat with Ed about crucial things like the strategic importance of putting resources into volunteer management, ways to properly understand and measure the real value of volunteering, the essential partnership between staff and volunteers, the often-overlooked transactional side of volunteering, and the power of getting everyone involved. We also mention some significant research on volunteering done at RDA (you can have a look here: https://rda.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/Benefits-of-RDA-Volunteering-1.pdf).

Discover more about the fantastic work of Dogs for Good: https://www.dogsforgood.org/ and have a peek at what we do at Time for Impact: www.timeforimpact.co.uk.

If you found this episode insightful, please follow/subscribe for more good stuff and tell at least one other person to have a listen!

Like any creative endeavour, bringing the podcast to life involves real costs in production, editing, planning, and execution. As a small charity consultancy, our primary income comes from providing paid advice and training, allowing us to freely share our hard-earned expertise and insights through this podcast and our blog. We believe deeply in empowering the charity sector's success.

If you find the Time for Impact Podcast valuable and wish to fuel future inspiring conversations and ideas, please consider a small, entirely voluntary contribution of £4 through our Buy Me a Coffee account:                     ⁠buymeacoffee.com/chriswadetfi ⁠ . Your generosity, however small, directly supports our ability to continue producing this resource for the sector. Thank you for being part of our community. 🙏

Join us for a fascinating conversation with Nicky Golding and Rachelle Lazarus from the Jewish Volunteering Network (JVN) as we delve into the deep-rooted ethos and contemporary approaches to volunteering within Jewish communities. We explore the unique values that drive their commitment to service, alongside practical strategies for reward and recognition, fostering crucial connections between organisations and communities, and shaping modern thinking in the world of volunteerism. Nicky and Rachelle also highlight the indispensable role and tremendous value of Volunteer Experience Managers in creating meaningful and impactful opportunities.

Key Discussion Points:

• The Jewish Ethos of Volunteering: Discover the core principles and historical context that underpin the strong tradition of volunteering within Jewish communities. What are the key values that inspire this dedication to service?
• Reward and Recognition in Volunteering: How does the JVN approach the crucial aspects of acknowledging and appreciating the contributions of volunteers? What innovative strategies can organisations adopt to make volunteers feel valued?
• Building Bridges: Connecting Organisations and Communities: Explore successful models and strategies for creating strong and sustainable links between volunteering organisations and the diverse communities they serve. How can these connections be mutually beneficial?
• Shaping Modern Volunteerism: Nicky and Rachelle share their insights on how the JVN is influencing contemporary thinking in the volunteer sector, including adapting to modern challenges and opportunities.

Nicky has been the Chief Executive of JVN since January 2019. She has worked professionally in the Jewish community for over 40 years in leadership, volunteering and community development, family education, HR, youth and student work, engaging volunteers in each role.

She has volunteered throughout her life, particularly at Bushey United Synagogue for 30 years, as well as co-leading Shabbat and festival services on Jewish Care’s Sandringham campus.

Nicky is a member of the Executive of the Alliance of Jewish Women and their Organisations (AJWO) and is a trustee of the Alan and Sheila Diamond Charitable Trust.

She has an MA in Jewish Communal Service from the Hornstein Program at Brandeis University, Boston, USA (1992) as well as being a Fellow of the Chartered Institute for Personnel and Development (FCIPD). In 2020-21, Nicky participated in the first UK cohort of The Growth Project, a leadership programme for charity and business leaders and she was one of the first cohort of Sacks Scholars(2023-24).

Rachelle Lazarus Charity Engagement and Volunteer Manager

Rachelle brings extensive experience and passion for volunteering to the role, having worked throughout her 30-year career in community work. Rachelle began volunteering in Leeds, where she ran Jewish Youth Voluntary Services. From there, she worked in Los Angeles at the Survivors’ of the Shoah Visual History Foundation early in its inception where she devised and built their volunteer programme before moving to the Museum of Tolerance to manage their volunteers.  After she moved to London, she began working at Jewish Care, managing several of their services, working with the Survivor and refugee communities, developing social, cultural, therapeutic and educational programmes. 

Rachelle was also involved with the establishment of Yom HaShoah UK, and sits on the council of her Synagogue.  There she extends her support to families with young children as well  as an inclusion programme for individual living with dementia.

Links & Resources:

• Jewish Volunteering Network Website: https://www.jvn.org.uk/
• Time for Impact : www.timeforimpact.co.uk

Keywords: Volunteering, Jewish Volunteering Network, Community, Reward, Recognition, Volunteer Management, Volunteer Experience, Community Engagement, Nonprofit, Social Impact, Volunteer Marketing.

Welcome & Introduction

• Welcome to Episode 23 of Time for Impact!
• This is a special celebratory episode marking the 41st Annual Volunteers' Week in the UK (June 2nd - 8th, 2025).
• We're diving deep into the significance of this week, the impact of volunteering, and how we can all play a part.
• A huge thank you to all the incredible volunteers across the UK for their dedication and invaluable contributions.
• Today, we're thrilled to be joined by two fantastic guests who are at the heart of the volunteering sector.

Introducing Our Guests

• Margaret Starkie: Partnership and Communications Manager at Volunteer Scotland. Margaret plays a vital role in promoting and supporting volunteering across Scotland, leading on impactful campaigns like Volunteers' Week. With Volunteer Scotland since 2009, she brings a wealth of experience in advancing volunteer participation.
• Dominic Pinkney: CEO of www.works-4u.com, a not-for-profit social enterprise specialising in employee volunteering and sponsor of this year's Volunteers' Week celebrations. Dom is also the CEO of two bustling London volunteer centres: Volunteer Centre Camden and Hammersmith & Fulham Volunteer Centre. He's a passionate advocate for volunteering, with experience presenting on the topic at the United Nations and recently leading the "London Vision for Volunteering" initiative.

Discussion Points Covered:

• The History and Enduring Impact of Volunteers' Week:
• Initiatives, Ambitions, and Strategic Importance:
• The Power of Partnership:
• Reward and Recognition of Volunteers:
• The Broader Volunteering Landscape (Insights from our Guests):

Call to Action:

• Get Involved! This Volunteers' Week, explore how you can make an impact in your community.
• Thank a Volunteer! Make a special effort to acknowledge and appreciate the volunteers you know.
• Organisations: Use Volunteers' Week to reflect on your volunteer program, share learnings, and engage your stakeholders.
• Find volunteering opportunities:
• Share your volunteering stories and how you're celebrating Volunteers' Week using the hashtag

#TimeForImpact and #VolunteersWeek.

Thank You & Closing Remarks:

• A massive thank you to our guests, Margaret Starkie and Dominic Pinkney, for sharing their invaluable insights and passion.
• To Nicola Gower for organising.
• To Volunteer Scotland, Volunteer Now, NCVO and WCVA for organising Volunteers Week year after year through the UKVF.
• Thank you to our listeners for tuning in to this special Volunteers' Week episode of Time for Impact.
• Don't forget to subscribe to the podcast for more inspiring conversations.

Follow Us:

• www.TimeforImpact.co.uk and on our linked in page
• Volunteer Scotland: https://www.volunteerscotland.net/
• Works4U: https://www.works-4u.com/
• and of course Volunteers' Week: https://volunteersweek.org/

Time for Impact provide a wide range of consultancy, learning and impact analysis services to the volunteering world. Please get in touch, we'd love to be of assistance.

Hosts: Chris Wade & Matthew Cobble

Guest: Victoria McCormack, Grow Remote (Ireland)

Episode Summary:

In this inspiring episode, Chris and Matthew are joined by the incredible Victoria McCormack from Grow Remote in Ireland. Grow Remote is a pioneering organisation dedicated to fostering vibrant communities of remote workers, not just across Ireland but beyond borders. We dive deep into how the rise of remote work is breathing new life into small communities, creating deeper bonds, and enhancing community cohesion in powerful and unexpected ways.

Victoria shares invaluable insights into how charities and community groups can better leverage the immense potential of remote workers, offering practical strategies for engaging and empowering these skilled individuals. We explore innovative approaches to volunteer recognition and reward, moving beyond traditional methods to truly value contributions. A key takeaway from our conversation is Victoria's compelling perspective on initiating volunteering by first identifying challenges, rather than immediately presenting solutions, and the transformative power of bringing local people together around shared problems. We also delve into the critical importance of cultivating opportunities for leadership that aren't tied to formal positions or titles, recognising that leadership can be fluid and fleeting, yet incredibly impactful.

Key Discussion Points:

• Remote Workers as Community Catalysts: How the influx of remote workers can revitalise local economies, bring diverse skills, and foster a renewed sense of belonging in smaller towns and villages.
• Strengthening Community Cohesion: Exploring the tangible ways remote workers contribute to the social fabric and create stronger, more connected local communities.
• Charities & Remote Talent: Practical advice for charities on effectively engaging remote volunteers, understanding their unique skills, and integrating them into impactful initiatives.
• Rethinking Volunteer Recognition: Innovative and meaningful ways to reward and acknowledge the invaluable contributions of volunteers, moving beyond traditional methods.
• The "Challenge-First" Volunteering Mindset: Victoria's powerful philosophy on identifying community challenges as the starting point for volunteering, encouraging organic, problem-driven solutions.
• The Power of Convening: The importance of bringing local people together to discuss shared challenges, fostering collective problem-solving and action.
• Fluid Leadership: How to create opportunities for leadership within communities that are not bound by formal titles or positions, recognising the dynamic and often temporary nature of impactful leadership.

Resources Mentioned in this Episode:

• Grow Remote: Learn more about their mission and initiatives at www.growremote.ie
• Support Chris and Matt's work: If you've enjoyed this episode and want to support the Time for Impact podcast, you can buy Chris a coffee at coff.ee/chriswadetfi
• Time for Impact Consultancy: For all your volunteering strategy and impact measurement needs, visit www.timeforimpact.co.uk

Listen Now:

The Time for Impact Podcast is available on all the usual platforms, including Spotify, Apple Podcasts and YouTube.

Is it volunteering if it's a meeting? Is it charity if it's a sales pitch? In this groundbreaking episode of Time for Impact, we sit down with Andrew Kaufmann, the visionary founder of the Time to Give Network, to challenge everything you thought you knew about giving back.

Andrew, with his roots in the high-stakes world of FinTech sales, brings a revolutionary perspective to the non-profit sector. He saw firsthand how difficult it was to capture the attention of influential leaders and decision-makers. He also recognised the immense value of their time. This sparked a game-changing idea: what if that time could be a powerful tool for social good?

In this conversation, we delve into Andrew's innovative model that allows the influential and time-poor to support causes they are passionate about in a way that suits their demanding schedules. We explore how the Time to Give Network is connecting businesses with key figures, with the "payment" for their valuable time and insights being a donation to their chosen charity.

Tune in to discover:

• The unique proposition of the Time to Give Network: turning a meeting into a charitable act.

• Why this flexible, high-impact form of volunteering is attracting influential individuals who might not engage in traditional charitable activities.

• The powerful ripple effect: how a single conversation can translate into significant support for a worthy cause.

This episode will leave you questioning the very definition of volunteering and inspired by the untapped potential of turning everyday business interactions into opportunities for meaningful impact. Is this the future of corporate social responsibility and individual giving? Listen now and decide for yourself.

Find out more about Andrew Kaufmann and the Time to Give Network:

• Website: https://www.timetogive.network/

If you find the Time for Impact Podcast valuable and wish to fuel future inspiring conversations and ideas, please consider a small, entirely voluntary contribution of £4 through our Buy Me a Coffee account:                     buymeacoffee.com/chriswadetfi  . Your generosity, however small, directly supports our ability to continue producing this resource for the sector. Thank you for being part of our community.

In this powerful live-recorded episode, we were thrilled to partner with NAVCA (The National Association for Voluntary and Community Action) to host a vital conversation in front of their members.

Following up on NAVCA's excellent Guide to Inclusive Volunteering, hosts Chris Wade and Matt Cobble are joined by an expert panel to explore how we can move from intention to action. How do we adapt our cultures, processes, and language to make our organisations genuinely welcoming and inclusive for everyone?

We are joined by three incredible guests who share their frontline experience: Holly Notcutt from Volunteering Matters, who champions youth social action; Debbie Saddler from Unlock, an organisation working with people with criminal records; and Ciara Devlin, CEO of Breaking Barriers, a charity helping refugees into employment.

This episode is packed with practical advice, challenging questions, and inspiring insights for any organisation looking to build a more diverse, dynamic, and truly representative volunteer team.

Meet Our Expert Panel

• Holly Notcutt (Volunteering Matters): Holly works on the #iWill movement, a UK-wide campaign that believes all children and young people should be supported and empowered to make a positive difference on the issues that affect their lives, their communities, and broader society.

  • Learn more at: https://www.iwill.org.uk/ and https://volunteeringmatters.org.uk/

• Debbie Saddler (Unlock): Debbie is the Head of Delivery and Programmes at Unlock, a national advocacy charity that provides a voice and support for people with criminal records, helping them to move on positively with their lives.

  • Learn more at: https://unlock.org.uk/

• Ciara Devlin (Breaking Barriers): Ciara is the CEO of Breaking Barriers, a charity dedicated to helping refugees in the UK acquire meaningful employment.

  • Learn more at: https://breaking-barriers.co.uk/

How can volunteering move from being a 'nice-to-have' to a strategic asset that helps the NHS meet its most critical targets? In this episode, we uncover how HelpForce and its partners are revolutionising the role of volunteers, transforming them into a powerful force for change.

We're joined by Amerjit Chohan, the new CEO of HelpForce, Laura Greene from Kingston and Richmond NHS Trust, and dedicated volunteer Ray Symons. During our conversation, we learned why HelpForce were described as alchemists, supercharging the impact and leverage of NHS volunteering teams.

We explore how HelpForce's expert approach to impact evaluation is proving how volunteers are critical in helping patients get home sooner and freeing up vital NHS resources. We also delve into their innovative programmes, from creating pathways to employment to providing a robust consultancy model that gives volunteering professionals bigger backup. This is a story about delivering proven national solutions while celebrating local flavour, power, and fit.

Please do check out their new initiative 'Giving Back, Transforming Care'. https://helpforce.community/giving-back-transforming-care

Guests:

• Amerjit Chohan: The new CEO of HelpForce. He discusses his vision for embedding volunteering into the strategic fabric of the NHS, using data and evaluation to drive transformational change.

• Laura Greene: Head of Volunteering and Community Partnerships at Kingston and Richmond NHS Trust. Laura shares the on-the-ground perspective of partnering with HelpForce and how their support provides "bigger backup" to local volunteer managers.

  
  

• Ray Symons: A dedicated volunteer at Kingston Hospital. Ray provides the essential human element, sharing how the structured support and clear goals empower him to make an even greater difference to patients and staff.

• NEW CAMPAIGN - Giving Back, Transforming Care: Explore the new initiative and find out how you can support it.

  • Link: https://helpforce.community/giving-back-transforming-care

• HelpForce: Learn more about their national work, programmes, and impact evaluation.

  • Website: www.helpforce.community

• Kingston Hospital Volunteering: Find out more about the work Laura and Ray are involved in.

  • Website: www.kingstonhospital.nhs.uk/get-involved/volunteering/

Thank You for Listening to Time for Impact!

If this conversation sparked an idea or inspired you, please share this episode with someone who needs to hear it. Don't forget to subscribe on your favourite podcast platform and leave us a review—it helps us prove our own impact!

Like any creative endeavour, bringing the podcast to life involves real costs in production, editing, planning, and execution. As a small charity consultancy, our primary income comes from providing paid advice and training, allowing us to freely share our hard-earned expertise and insights through this podcast and our blog. We believe deeply in empowering the charity sector's success.

This podcast is our gift to the profession. However, If you find the Time for Impact Podcast valuable and wish to fuel future inspiring conversations and ideas, please consider a small, entirely voluntary contribution of £4 through our Buy Me a Coffee account:     buymeacoffee.com/chriswadetfi  . Your generosity, however small, directly supports our ability to continue producing this resource for the sector. Thank you for being part of our community. 🙏

One topic seems to have divided opinion in volunteerism in the UK recently. The Time for Impact Podcast is all about exploring innovation so we had to take a look at RVS's new platform plans.

In this episode of "Time for Impact," we're joined by a true giant of the UK's charity and volunteering sector, Catherine Johnstone CBE, the CEO of the Royal Voluntary Service. Known as a positive disrupter, Catherine has a remarkable track record of leading and innovating in organisations like Samaritans and now the RVS.

We dive into her latest, and perhaps most debated, project: a new national volunteering platform funded by the People's Postcode Lottery. Is it a much-needed innovation or a threat to local volunteering infrastructure? We explore the pros and cons.

Catherine Johnstone CBE is a leader who has dedicated her career to public service and voluntary action. She started as a nurse in the NHS before moving into the charity sector, where she has held numerous high-profile leadership roles.

• CEO of Royal Voluntary Service (RVS): Catherine leads one of the UK's largest volunteering organisations. During the COVID-19 pandemic, she was instrumental in developing large-scale initiatives to support the NHS, including the recruitment of hundreds of thousands of volunteers.

• Former CEO of Samaritans: For nearly seven years, she led the suicide prevention charity, developing a long-term strategy that established it as a thought leader in suicide prevention and postvention services. Her work was recognised with a CBE in 2016.

• A Champion for the Sector: Her wide-ranging experience includes roles in asylum and refugee support, CEO positions in local infrastructure bodies (CVS/Volunteer Bureaus), and Chair of the Directory of Social Change. She has been at the heart of government funding decisions and is a passionate advocate for collaboration, co-chairing the Shaping the Future with Volunteering coalition.

Catherine is also one of the key architects behind the Big Help Out campaign.

In our conversation, we cover:

• The "Positive Disrupter" Mindset: What drives Catherine's passion for challenging the status quo in the volunteering sector?

• Lessons from a Career of Impact: From her beginnings as a nurse to leading national charities, we explore the key lessons Catherine has learned about enabling the "gift of voluntary service."

• The Big Help Out: We discuss the genesis and impact of this major national event and what it tells us about the future of mass participation in volunteering.

• The New RVS Volunteering Platform: The central topic of our discussion. Catherine outlines the vision behind the new sign-up and brokerage platform.

• The Future of Volunteering: What does Catherine believe the future holds? We discuss the role of digital innovation, collaboration, and the importance of supporting both large-scale and grassroots community action.

• • Find out about the new platform here
  • And all about how Time for Impact can help your volunteering plans here

  
  

  Thank you for listening to Time for Impact. If you enjoyed this episode, please leave us a review and share it with someone who believes in the power of connection.

  
  

  Like any creative endeavour, bringing the podcast to life involves real costs in production, editing, planning, and execution.

  This podcast is our gift to the profession. However, If you find the Time for Impact Podcast valuable and wish to fuel future inspiring conversations and ideas, please consider a small, entirely voluntary contribution of £4 through our Buy Me a Coffee account:     ⁠⁠buymeacoffee.com/chriswadetfi ⁠⁠ . Your generosity, however small, directly supports our ability to continue producing this resource for the sector. Thank you for being part of our community. 🙏

What does the future of volunteering look like?

In this inspiring episode, we sit down with Katerina Manoff, the dynamic CEO of the US charity, ENGin. Katerina, whose journey has taken her from Ukraine to Harvard and across the commercial and education sectors, shares how she is channeling her unique expertise into pioneering a new model for non-profits.

ENGin connects Ukrainians of all ages looking to improve their conversational English with a global network of fluent speakers. But it's the how that is truly impressive for us. We explore how ENGin has built a slick, user-friendly, and incredibly flexible digital platform that supports thousands of volunteers without sacrificing a warm, inclusive, and welcoming community feel.

Join us as we discuss the art of scaling volunteer engagement, the critical role of technology in building community, and the profound personal and professional growth that occurs on both sides of the screen. We delve into the power of individual stories to demonstrate impact and celebrate the meaningful, cross-cultural connections that are changing lives one conversation at a time.

I was so moved by ENGin's mission and model that I've even signed up as a volunteer myself!

About Our Guest:

Katerina Manoff is the CEO of ENGin. Born in Ukraine and educated in the United States, Katerina is a Harvard graduate who brings a powerful blend of commercial strategy and educational passion to the non-profit sector. Her leadership is shaping the future of digital volunteering, creating scalable solutions that foster deep human connection.

In This Episode, We Discuss:

• Crafting an Exceptional Volunteer Experience: How ENGin has made its onboarding and participation process so slick, user-friendly, and welcoming.

• The Power of Flexibility: Why modern, digital-first volunteering must be adaptable to volunteers' lives.

• Scaling with Soul: The challenges and triumphs of growing a volunteer base into the thousands while maintaining a strong sense of community.

• Tech for Good: Leveraging technology not just for efficiency, but to build genuine, inclusive communities.

• More Than Altruism: The unexpected pathways for professional and personal growth that volunteering can offer.

• The Impact of a Story: How sharing authentic experiences from volunteers and students demonstrates the true impact of the mission.

• A Two-Way Street: Exploring the mutual benefits of volunteering and the value it brings to both the student and the mentor.

• Beyond Borders: The importance of building meaningful, one-on-one connections across different cultures.

Resources & How to Get Involved:

• Learn more about ENGin's mission: https://www.enginprogram.org/

• Become a Volunteer: Inspired by our conversation? Join me and thousands of others making a difference. The commitment is flexible, and the impact is immense. https://www.enginprogram.org/volunteer

Thank you for listening to Time for Impact. If you enjoyed this episode, please leave us a review and share it with someone who believes in the power of connection.

Like any creative endeavour, bringing the podcast to life involves real costs in production, editing, planning, and execution.

This podcast is our gift to the profession. However, If you find the Time for Impact Podcast valuable and wish to fuel future inspiring conversations and ideas, please consider a small, entirely voluntary contribution of £4 through our Buy Me a Coffee account:     ⁠buymeacoffee.com/chriswadetfi ⁠ . Your generosity, however small, directly supports our ability to continue producing this resource for the sector. Thank you for being part of our community. 🙏

The world of volunteerism has fundamentally changed since 2020. How can established organisations adapt to shifting demographics, motivations, and a post-pandemic market? In this episode, we go straight to the source of innovation and legacy, speaking with Karen Leies, CEO and President of The Seeing Eye, the world's oldest guide dog organisation.

Karen shares the unique challenges The Seeing Eye faced and how they refused to stand still. We take a deep dive into their transformative partnership with Boston Consulting Group (BCG) to analyse the new volunteer landscape and develop a data-driven strategy. Discover how they are now marketing volunteer opportunities to entirely new audiences, and a focus on creating meaningful roles for families. This conversation is packed with actionable insights for any leader looking to energize their volunteer program and build a resilient community for the future.

Plus, for our UK listeners, discover the foundational role The Seeing Eye played in helping to establish the UK's own Guide Dogs for the Blind association.

About Our Guest:

Karen Leies is the CEO and President of The Seeing Eye, the pioneering organisation that has been enhancing the independence, dignity, and self-confidence of people who are blind through the use of Seeing Eye® dogs since 1929. With a deep commitment to the organisation's mission, Karen leads a dedicated team of staff and volunteers in continuing a legacy of excellence and innovation in the guide dog movement.

Resources Mentioned:

• The Seeing Eye: Learn more about their incredible work, mission, and volunteer opportunities at www.seeingeye.org.

• Boston Consulting Group (BCG): Explore their work in the social impact sector at www.bcg.com.

• Guide Dogs for the Blind (UK): For our UK listeners, learn more about the organisation The Seeing Eye helped inspire at www.guidedogs.org.uk.

  
  

  Connect & Continue the Conversation:

  Thank you for tuning in to Time for Impact! We are dedicated to bringing you the freshest thinking in volunteerism from professionals who are making a real difference.

  Stay tuned as we continue to bring you conversations with volunteerism leaders from around the world.

  If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe, rate, and review Time for Impact on your favourite podcast platform. It helps us reach more professionals like you.

  
  

  If you enjoyed this episode, please share it with someone who believes in the power of connection.

  
  

  Like any creative endeavour, bringing the podcast to life involves real costs in production, editing, planning, and execution.

  This podcast is our gift to the profession. However, If you find the Time for Impact Podcast valuable and wish to fuel future inspiring conversations and ideas, please consider a small, entirely voluntary contribution of £4 through our Buy Me a Coffee account:     ⁠⁠⁠buymeacoffee.com/chriswadetfi ⁠⁠⁠ . Your generosity, however small, directly supports our ability to continue producing this resource for the sector. Thank you for being part of our community. 🙏

In this episode, we're shifting our focus from pure innovation in programs to the personal innovations required to be a leader in the volunteer sector. We are incredibly honored to be joined by the one and only Tobi Johnson, CVA.

While many of you will know Tobi from her exceptional Volpro training and the fantastic 'Volunteer Nation' podcast, this conversation goes behind the scenes. Tobi shares her personal leadership journey—the successes, the stumbles, and the crucial lessons learned from both.

We explore the realities of leadership, from battling imposter syndrome to the complexities of leading diverse teams and navigating the challenges of movement-building. This is a candid, inspiring look at what it truly takes to lead and innovate in the world of volunteerism.

Tobi Johnson is an internationally recognized expert and consultant in the field of volunteer engagement. She is the founder of Tobi Johnson & Associates and the President of VolunteerPro, an online professional development community for leaders of volunteers. Tobi is also the host of the popular Volunteer Nation podcast, providing practical tips and insights for engaging today's volunteers.

• The Leadership Journey is Not Linear: Tobi shares the pivotal moments and challenges that shaped her as a leader, emphasising that learning often comes from what goes wrong.

• Wrestling with Imposter Syndrome: A frank discussion about feeling like a fraud and the strategies Tobi has used to find her authentic leadership voice.

• Leading Diverse Groups: We explore the skills and mindset needed to effectively lead diverse teams of volunteers, ensuring everyone feels a sense of belonging and purpose.

• From Management to Movement-Building: Tobi discusses the leap from managing volunteers to leading a movement, and the unique challenges that come with inspiring collective action.

• Lessons from Theory and Practice: We touch on key concepts from academic work in the sector and how they apply in the real world.

• VolunteerPro: Tobi's online training and coaching community for volunteer managers.

• Volunteer Nation Podcast: Tobi's podcast full of actionable tips for leaders of volunteers.

• Book: Volunteer Involvement: An Introduction to Theory and Practice by Jurgen Grotz and Ruth Buchanan.

• Follow us on Linked-in

• Visit our website: www.TimeForImpact.co.uk

• Subscribe to the podcast on your favorite platform so you never miss an episode!

Connect & Continue the Conversation:

Thank you for tuning in to Time for Impact! We are dedicated to bringing you the freshest thinking in volunteerism from professionals who are making a real difference.

Stay tuned as we continue to bring you conversations with volunteerism leaders from around the world.

If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe, rate, and review Time for Impact on your favourite podcast platform. It helps us reach more professionals like you.

If you enjoyed this episode, please share it with someone who believes in the power of connection.

Like any creative endeavour, bringing the podcast to life involves real costs in production, editing, planning, and execution.

This podcast is our gift to the profession. However, If you find the Time for Impact Podcast valuable and wish to fuel future inspiring conversations and ideas, please consider a small, entirely voluntary contribution of £4 through our Buy Me a Coffee account:     ⁠⁠⁠buymeacoffee.com/chriswadetfi ⁠⁠⁠ . Your generosity, however small, directly supports our ability to continue producing this resource for the sector. Thank you for being part of our community. 🙏

Time for Impact has recently launched its sector wide Volunteer Experience Survey - to find out more go to https://www.timeforimpact.co.uk/volunteering-strategies/volunteer-surveys

🎧 Episode Summary

In this crucial episode, we sit down with Alan Stevenson, CEO of Volunteer Scotland, to unpack the brand new 2024 volunteering figures for Scotland.

The data reveals a sector in recovery, with formal volunteering rates bouncing back to pre-pandemic levels. However, this positive headline masks a stark reality: significant inclusion gaps remain for people from deprived backgrounds and disabled people.

Alan discusses Volunteer Scotland's new manifesto, designed to tackle these issues and more head-on in the run-up to next year's elections.

We explore the volunteer action plan for Scotland.

We also explore the vital lessons the formal sector must learn from the mutual aid boom, and why employer-supported volunteering is in urgent need of creative, long-term reform.

1. The Good News: Scotland's Volunteering Rebound

• The 2024 Figures: We dig into the latest Scottish Household Survey data. Formal volunteering is up to 25% (from 18% in 2023), bringing it in line with the pre-COVID level of 26% in 2019.

• A Sector in Recovery: After a challenging few years, the data signals a welcome return of volunteers to formal roles.

2. The Challenge: A Stubborn Inclusion Gap

• Who is being left behind?

• Disability: There is a 15-percentage-point gap between the volunteering rates of non-disabled adults (28%) and disabled adults (18%).

• Deprivation: A 10-percentage-point gap exists between those with a household income over £30,000 (29% volunteer) and those with low incomes (19% volunteer).

• Why it matters: True "impact" means volunteering must be accessible to everyone, regardless of background or ability.

3. A Manifesto for Change

• Election Ready: With Scottish elections on the horizon, Volunteer Scotland is launching a new policy manifesto.

• Core Aims: Alan outlines the key "asks" designed to secure the future of volunteering and directly address these systemic inclusion barriers.

• A Call to Action: The manifesto is a tool for the entire sector to lobby for meaningful investment and policy change.

  
  

• Volunteer Scotland: volunteerscotland.net

• Latest Research: Find the 2024 volunteering figures and analysis on our website https://www.timeforimpact.co.uk/blogs/our-blogs/volunteering-figures-scotland-2024

• Volunteering Action Plan (VAP): Learn more about the strategic plan for volunteering in Scotland. https://www.volunteerscotland.net/news/launch-of-scotlands-volunteering-action-plan

We are pleased to offer these insights without charge. However, as a consultant working within the charity sector, my ability to continue sharing expertise and intellectual property through consultancy and training is how I earn my living. If you find this content valuable and wish to support future ideas and inspiration, a small contribution of £4 via my Buy Me a Coffee account would be hugely appreciated. There's no pressure, but any generosity is gratefully received. You can contribute here https://buymeacoffee.com/chriswadetfi Thank You 🙏 

In this episode of the Time for Impact Podcast, host Matt Cobble is joined by Anne-Marie Zaritsky, the Head of Volunteering and Inclusion at the learning disilbilities charity, Mencap.

Together, they explore the mechanisms behind Mencap’s success in creating a genuinely inclusive environment. Moving beyond tick-box exercises, Anne-Marie shares how the charity ensures volunteering is accessible not just for people with learning difficulties, but for everyone.

Crucially, this conversation challenges the idea that large charities must have a "blueprint" for every issue. Matt and Anne-Marie discuss why Mencap does not try to speak for all communities. Instead, they explore the charity's role as a convenor—creating the space for local people to come together, share their lived experience, and build the solutions that actually work for them.

• Universal Inclusion: How Mencap breaks down barriers to make volunteering accessible and inclusive to all, creating a model that benefits the wider community.

• From Blueprint to Convenor: Why Mencap avoids top-down answers in favour of bringing local people together to solve community-specific issues.

• Representation at Every Level: How people with learning difficulties are involved in shaping Mencap’s work, from the ground floor to governance.

• Bridging HR and Volunteering: Maximising the learning exchange between volunteering departments and HR to create a holistic approach to inclusion.

• The Culture "Glue": A dive into how Mencap’s organisational culture binds these elements together and enables their continued success.

We hope you enjoyed this deep dive into inclusive leadership.

Please remember that Time for Impact is more than just a show—we are a dedicated resource for the third sector.

We provide strategic insights for charities and volunteer professionals, offering services that include:

• Strategic Consultancy

• Professional Training

• Impact Measurement Tools

• Experience Surveys and Data Analysis

  
  

If you are looking to elevate your organisation's impact, get in touch with us to see how we can help.

If you found value in this episode and would like to say thank you, you can support the production of the show by buying us a virtual cup of coffee!

👉 https://buymeacoffee.com/chriswadetfi

Guest: Esther Champion, Myrtos Consultancy

In this insightful episode of the Time For Impact Volunteering Innovation Podcast, Chris and Matt are joined by Esther Champion from Myrtos Consultancy. Esther specialises in guiding organisations, employers, and volunteer-involving agencies to make their activities truly inclusive for individuals with a history of being in prison.

Together, we challenge the misconceptions surrounding this demographic and dive deep into how the voluntary sector can become a crucial bridge for reintegration. If you have ever worried about the risks of involving ex-offenders or wondered how to adapt your management style to support them, this conversation is essential listening.

• The Power of Reintegration: How volunteering plays a vital role in helping people successfully reintegrate into society, reducing isolation and providing a constructive path forward.

• Building Worth and Confidence: We discuss the psychological impact of volunteering, specifically how it rebuilds self-worth and confidence, serving as a powerful tool in preventing reoffending.

• Adapting Our Approach: Esther shares expert advice on how volunteer managers need to adapt their recruitment and support structures to effectively facilitate the future contribution of people with a criminal record.

• Reputation vs. Reality: We tackle the elephant in the room—risk. We explore why involving people with a history of the criminal justice system is actually beneficial for a charity’s reputation, demonstrating values of redemption and community support, despite perceived risks.

Esther Champion is the founder of Myrtos Consultancy. She is a dedicated specialist helping organisations navigate the complexities of inclusivity for people with a history of offending. Her work focuses on breaking down barriers to employment and volunteering, ensuring that everyone has the opportunity to contribute meaningfully to society.

• Connect with Myrtos Consultancy: https://www.myrtosconsultancy.com/

Does your organisation feel stuck? Are your volunteer programmes in need of a refresh?

Beyond the podcast, Time For Impact is here to help you rethink and revitalise volunteering within your charity or agency. We offer bespoke consultancy and training designed to innovate your strategy and maximise your social impact.

• Find out more about our services: www.TimeForImpact.co.uk

We are passionate about bringing you these conversations free of charge to help the sector grow and innovate.

If you enjoyed this episode and found value in our discussion with Esther, please consider saying thank you to Chris and Matt by buying us a coffee. Your support helps us keep the microphones on and the ideas flowing!

• Support us here: https://buymeacoffee.com/chriswadetfi

Don't forget to subscribe, rate, and review the Time For Impact Volunteering Innovation Podcast on your favourite streaming platform!

In this episode of the Time for Impact podcast, Chris Wade and his co-host Matt Cobble engage in a conversation with Amanda Naylor OBE, CEO of Volunteering Matters. The discussion centres around the transformative power of volunteering and its role in fostering community cohesion and social justice. Amanda shares insights into the Vision for Volunteering initiative, which aims to reshape the volunteering landscape by emphasising mutuality, empowerment, and inclusivity. The episode highlights various innovative projects, such as the RSVP program for senior volunteers and community-led solutions like the hearing aid repair initiative in Scotland. The conversation underscores the importance of flexibility, experimentation, and collaboration in volunteering, advocating for a shift from traditional service models to more community-driven approaches.

Keywords

Volunteering, Community Cohesion, Social Justice, Vision for Volunteering, Mutuality, Empowerment, Inclusivity, RSVP Program, Hearing Aid Repair, Community-Driven

Takeaways

• Volunteering is a powerful tool for social change and community cohesion.
• The Vision for Volunteering initiative emphasises mutuality and empowerment.
• Community-driven solutions are more effective than traditional service models at engaging volunteers.
• The RSVP program engages senior volunteers in meaningful activities.
• Hearing aid repair initiative in Scotland showcases community innovation.
• Flexibility and experimentation are key to successful volunteering projects.
• Volunteering Matters focuses on inclusivity and removing barriers.
• Volunteers gain as much as they give, creating mutual benefits.
• Collaboration and sharing power enhance the impact of volunteering.
• Volunteering is an act of optimism and hope.

Links.

Volunteer Maters https://volunteeringmatters.org.uk/

Volunteer Matters Impact Report https://volunteeringmatters.org.uk/about-us/impact/

Volunteer Maters Strategy and ecosystem. https://volunteeringmatters.org.uk/shaping-the-future-of-volunteering-together/

Dom Pinkney's article mentioned - what if everyone stopped volunteering https://www.works-4u.com/what-if

Vision for Volunteering. https://www.visionforvolunteering.org.uk/

In this episode of the Time for Impact Podcast, we are joined by Irenie Ekkeshis, co-founder of the New Citizen Project. Irenie shares her profound personal citizenship journey—from facing significant adversity to co-founding a forward-thinking agency that is reshaping how we think about our roles in society.

We dive deep into the "Citizen Story", exploring why moving away from the "Consumer" and "Subject" narratives is essential for the future of volunteering and community power. Whether you are a charity leader, a volunteer manager, or an active citizen, this conversation offers a roadmap for involving people as true partners in your work.

• The Three Stories: Comparing the Subject, Consumer, and Citizen narratives and how they dictate how we show up in the world.

• From Adversity to Agency: Irenie’s personal story and the birth of the New Citizens Project.

• The Citizen Shift: How organisations can move from "doing for" people to "working with" them as partners.

• The Roots of Charity: Why many charitable organisations were born from a Citizen Story, and how to reconnect with those origins.

• Modes of Participation: A look at the different ways citizens can engage—from storytelling and learning to crowdsourcing and connecting others.

• Systems Thinking & Community Organising: Why we need to look at the whole system to truly empower communities and enable participation.

• ⁠Citizens: Why the Key to Fixing Everything is All of Us⁠ – The book by Jon Alexander (Co-founder of New Citizens Project).

• ⁠The New Citizen Project⁠ – Explore the agency’s work and tools.

This podcast is brought to you by Time for Impact. We help organisations unlock the full potential of volunteering through data-driven insights and expert guidance.

How we can help you:

• Consulting & Training: Tailored support to evolve your volunteer strategy.

• Impact Measurement: Help measuring the impact of your volunteering programmes.

• Cross-Sector Volunteer Experience Survey: Join our comparative survey to see how your volunteer experience stacks up against the wider sector.

Visit us at: ⁠www.timeforimpact.co.uk⁠

In this episode, we discuss:Key Resources:About Time for Impact

This episode of Time for Impact is a masterclass in challenging the "we’ve always done it this way" mentality. Join us as we sit down with Elena Laguna, a veteran leader in the sector (St John Ambulance, British Red Cross), to dismantle the rigid structures of traditional volunteering and replace them with a model built on agency, outcome, and inclusion.

The Hermit Crab Philosophy: We discuss the fascinating way hermit crabs collaborate to ensure everyone has a shell that fits. In the volunteering world, we often try to force people into "pre-made shells" (rigid roles) that don't fit their lives. Elena challenges us to look at the vacancy chain model: how can we, as managers, facilitate an ecosystem where volunteers find the "shell" that fits their unique needs and agency?

Elena argues that the industry’s obsession with micro-volunteering—tiny, bite-sized tasks—often misses the point. The real goal should be Flex Volunteering. It’s not just about the length of time; it’s about giving volunteers the agency to shape their own opportunities. When we offer predefined solutions, we often fail to meet the human on the other side.

How do you balance structure with freedom? Elena uses a brilliant analogy: Curation.

• The Walls: The essential structure (safety, legal, core goals).

• The Paintings: The individual experience, which should be as diverse and unique as the volunteers themselves.You need the walls to have a museum, but the museum shouldn't dictate how you look at the art.

Charities sometimes position themselves as the "heroes" arriving to solve a community's problems. Elena challenges this: the most impactful organisations act as convenors and enablers, helping communities find and lead their own solutions.

We dive into why "presumed best practice"—like rigid role descriptions and standard policies—can actually be an enemy of Inclusion and Diversity. If your process doesn't flex, it excludes.

Elena suggests:

• Shift focus from Activity to Outcomes.

• Compete with Netflix: People’s time is scarce. If we aren't intentionally innovating, we are losing to the leisure sector.

• Elena Laguna on LinkedIn: Follow Elena here to read her latest articles on flex-volunteering and impact.

• Camarados: Learn more about their movement and the "Public Living Room" model at camarados.org.

• The HR/Volunteering Exchange: Insights on what these two sectors can learn from one another regarding people management and culture.

Time for Impact is on a mission to modernise the way the world gives time. Beyond these conversations, we offer:

• Modern Consultancy: Strategy for organisations ready to move from process-led to impact-led.

• Training: Equipping managers to modernise volunteering and demonstrate impact

• Measurement Tools: Cutting-edge impact and satisfaction tools to prove (and improve) your value.

Co-hosts: Chris Wade & Matt CobbleSpecial Guest: Saskia Rinkoff, Volunteer Engagement Manager, Harbourfront Centre (Toronto)

Recorded live at the 2025 Heritage Volunteering Group (HVG) Conference, this special 25-minute episode marks Time for Impact’s third consecutive year at the event. We are joined by Saskia Rinkoff from Toronto’s iconic Harbourfront Centre to explore the intersection of heritage, urban diversity, and social cohesion.

From managing a massive physical site to fostering a sense of "home" for newcomers, Saskia shares how one of Canada’s busiest cultural hubs turns participation into a powerful tool for community building.

• The Power of Diversity in ParticipationHow the Harbourfront Centre mirrors the multicultural fabric of Toronto, involving a vast range of demographics across artistic, cultural, and heritage-based volunteering.

• Managing Complexity at ScaleThe logistical and cultural challenges of managing an "ever-changing cohort" of supporters across a large, high-traffic urban site.

• Volunteering as a Gateway to CommunityA deep dive into how volunteering serves as a "first step" for people moving to new cities—helping them build social capital, learn the landscape, and feel a genuine sense of belonging.

• Social Cohesion & Organisational CultureHow diversity isn't just a metric at Harbourfront; it is woven into the organisational DNA and the wider civic identity of the city.

Volunteering in heritage and cultural settings is more than stewardship of the past; it is a mechanism for social integration in the present. By providing a low-barrier entry point into the life of a city, organizations like Harbourfront Centre are driving the social cohesion that is vital for our global sustainable future.— Chris Wade

• Guest: Saskia Rinkoff (Harbourfront Centre, Toronto)

• Event: Heritage Volunteering Group (HVG) Conference 2025

What role does volunteering play in your city’s social fabric? Share your thoughts with us on social media using #TimeForImpact or email us at podcast@timeforimpact.co.uk

To find out more about how Time For Impact can help you top modernise your volunteering go to www.TimeForImpact.co.uk or email us on podcast@TimeforImpact.co.uk

All our podcasts are free. If you are enjoyiong them please consider buying us a coffee at https://buymeacoffee.com/chriswadetfi

Most importantly, please tell at least one other person about the podcast.

Episode Overview

The Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) is a household name in the UK, famous for its courageous work saving lives at sea. But behind the iconic orange lifeboats is a massive, highly innovative volunteering infrastructure that extends far beyond the coastline.

In this episode, we sit down with Ollie Arthur from the RNLI to explore how an organisation with 23,000 volunteers manages high-stakes, life-and-death responsibilities. We dive into the RNLI’s “One Crew” culture, the power of radical trust, and some of the most unique volunteer roles in the sector. From starting volunteers at age 13 to equipping them with £2.5 million lifeboats, Ollie shares incredible insights into how the RNLI successfully embeds volunteering into its everyday workforce planning.

• The "One Crew" Culture: How the RNLI ensures that every staff member—whether they drive a forklift or work in finance—understands and values volunteering from day one of their induction.

• Radical Trust in Volunteers: What happens when you trust volunteers with a £2.5 million lifeboat? We discuss how the RNLI empowers its crew to perform under immense pressure in life-or-death situations.

• Pioneering the Volunteer Mediator Role: A fascinating look into the highly skilled volunteer mediators who resolve conflicts in stressful environments. We also discuss the potential for a cross-sector coalition to bring this vital role to other charities.

• Saving Lives Before the Water: The crucial impact of water safety education volunteers who provide sage advice and preventative care across our seas, rivers, and lakes.

• Engaging the Next Generation: Why the RNLI allows volunteering to start at age 13—younger than much of the sector—and how the Duke of Edinburgh awards programme plays a key role in building lifelong habits.

• The Power of Ad-Hoc Volunteering: How transient, flexible volunteering opportunities can not only build long-term engagement but also provide a significant boost to donations.

Ollie Arthur brings a wealth of experience to his role at the RNLI. During our chat, Ollie shares his inspiring personal journey into the third sector, starting with his formative experiences in the Prince's Trust (now the King's Trust) and the Scouts, leading up to his current impact at the RNLI.

• 23,000 total volunteers powering the RNLI.

• 14,000 community fundraisers driving essential revenue.

• 7,828 dedicated crew and shore personnel (with some of the most important crew members being entirely land-based!).

A massive thank you to our sponsors Investing in Volunteers and Volunteero for making this episode possible:

Key TakeawaysAbout Our GuestRNLI Volunteering by the NumbersSpecial Thanks to Our Sponsors

In this episode of the Time for Impact podcast, Matt Cobble and Chris Wade sit down for an inspiring and wide-ranging conversation with Kate Lee OBE, the new CEO of NCVO (National Council for Voluntary Organisations).

Kate shares her vision for the future of the UK’s voluntary sector, moving away from the image of a "sage thought leader" and toward becoming a powerful convenor, partner, and cheerleader.

• Changing the Narrative: Why Kate wants to shift both the internal and external perception of charities to be more celebratory, focusing on the incredible, life-changing work the sector delivers every day.

• NCVO as a Convenor: How NCVO is returning to its roots—bringing great charitable thinkers together to spark the next generation of social innovation, much like it did for the many charities it helped found.

• Harnessing Sector Expertise: Moving from a top-down approach to one that taps into the vast wealth of knowledge held by practitioners across the country.

• The Data Debate: We dive into the critical importance of quality data for the sector but debate the best "home" for its collection and analysis.

• The Future of Mutual Aid: Exploring how the surge in local, organic community support can be sustained and integrated into the wider voluntary landscape.

• Partnership over Preaching: The shift from being a "body that tells" to a "body that listens and connects."

• NCVO Website: https://www.ncvo.org.uk

• Time for Impact Volunteering Strategies: Learn more about our work

Guest: Matt Hyde OBE , CEO of Lloyds Bank Foundation for England and Wales

Episode Summary:What does it take to turn a moment of national crisis into a lifelong habit of community action? In this episode, we sit down with Matt Hyde, a powerhouse in the charity sector. Following an incredible tenure as CEO of the NUS and the Scouts in the UK, Matt is now the CEO of the Lloyds Bank Foundation for England and Wales, and Vice Chair of Comic Relief (which just raised a staggering £30 million for 2026!).

Matt joins us to discuss the return of The Big Help Out (running June 5th–8th alongside The Eden Project’s Big Lunch) and how the initiative is going global. We also get an exclusive look at the Lloyds Bank Foundation's groundbreaking new strategy, 'In a Good Place', and explore how shifting power and money directly into communities can build crucial resilience, tackle homelessness, and drive systemic change.

Please note: This episode was recorded in late 2025, so any references to "next year" apply to our current year, 2026!

Brought to you by our sponsors:

• Investing in Volunteers: The UK quality standard for all organisations involving volunteers.

• Volunteero: Volunteer management software helping charities save time and engage their communities.

Key Topics Discussed:

• The Origins & Future of The Big Help Out: How the pandemic inspired 12 million people to volunteer (including 4.6 million first-timers) and how Matt, alongside Catherine Johnstone of the RVS, seized the momentum to create The Big Help Out.

• Reaching the "1 in 5": How this year's Big Help Out is utilising influencers and simple messaging to target the 20% of the UK population who have never considered volunteering, with a special focus on young people navigating life transitions.

• The 'In a Good Place' Strategy: A deep dive into the Lloyds Bank Foundation's new place-based, community-led approach.

• The Power of Corporate Volunteering: How Lloyds Banking Group (including Scottish Widows and Halifax) mobilises its 65,000 employees with 3 paid volunteering days, and how charities can capitalise on this scarce, skills-based talent pool.

• Funding What Matters: Why the Lloyds Bank Foundation champions multi-year, unrestricted grants and isn't afraid to fund vital infrastructure—like CRMs—that other funders often overlook.

• The Risk vs. Power Dilemma: A candid conversation on the challenges large organisations face when trying to devolve power to local communities while still managing risk centrally.

Links & Resources Mentioned:

• Get involved with The Big Help Out (June 5-8, 2026)

• Learn more about the Lloyds Bank Foundation

• Comic Relief 2026

  
  

  Support the Show:If you found this conversation valuable, please share it with a friend, colleague, or your wider network! Time for Impact is proud to be a free resource for the sector. If you’d like to say thank you and support the work we do, you can drop a donation via our Buy Me a Coffee link: buymeacoffee.com/chriswadetfi.

  
  

Are traditional volunteering models actually helping communities, or just making volunteers feel good?

In the latest episode of the Time for Impact podcast, hosts Chris Wade and Matt Cobble sit down with Kimberly Haley-Coleman, founder and CEO of Globe Aware.

This episode dives into a fresh perspective on short-term service projects, exploring how the industry is evolving beyond outdated models to foster genuine connections, cultural sensitivity, and truly impactful change driven by the communities themselves.

In This Episode, We Explore:

• The Globe Aware Mission: Discover how Globe Aware facilitates ethical, short-term service experiences across 26 countries—from building homes in Kenya to installing hygiene stations in Ghana—always in direct partnership with local locals.

  
  

• A 25-Year Journey: Kimberly shares her personal transition into the world of volunteering, driven by a background in international business and art history, and an insatiable desire for authentic cultural exchange.

  
  

• Hard Lessons in the Field: Good intentions don't always equal good outcomes. Kimberly shares a powerful story about deploying water filters in the Andes, highlighting why solutions must be tailored to specific environmental and community contexts.

  
  

• Changing Dynamics & The "White Saviour" Complex: A candid discussion on the evolution of volunteer tourism over the past two decades, the growing awareness of ethical pitfalls, and how organisations are prioritising sustainability and local input.

  
  

Key Takeaways:

• True impact requires stepping back and letting local communities dictate their own needs.

• Authentic volunteering leads to profound cross-cultural understanding and personal growth.

• The volunteer landscape is rapidly shifting toward ethical, sustainable practices that actively combat the "white saviour" narrative.

• Corporate support is opening new, personalised avenues for employees to engage in meaningful service.

  
  

• Global volunteering acts as a powerful catalyst, sparking a lifelong habit of community service that participants bring back to their hometowns.

  
  

• Working alongside local communities abroad deepens cultural awareness and fosters genuine, lasting empathy.

Connect with Us:

• Learn more about Globe Aware: https://www.globeaware.org/

• Follow Time for Impact on LinkedIn

• Host Chris Wade: LinkedIn

  Host Matt Cobble: LinkedIn

  Time for Impact website

🎙️ The Heart of Volunteerism: Insights on Community Engagement with Angela Williamson

Episode SummaryWhat makes someone dedicate their life to giving back, and how do we design volunteer experiences that truly matter?

In this episode of the Time for Impact podcast, host Chris Wade sits down with seasoned volunteering consultant Angela Williamson CVA to explore the profound, community-shaping impact of volunteerism. From trading trash collection for concert tickets in Nebraska to leading volunteer programs across diverse sectors, Angela shares her personal journey and professional masterclass on what it takes to build a thriving volunteer culture today.

Whether you are a volunteer manager, a non-profit leader, or just someone looking to connect better with your neighbours, this conversation reveals the true essence of making people feel part of something larger than themselves.

In this episode, we discuss:

• The Journey into Volunteerism: Angela’s early introduction to giving back in childhood, and how family culture sets the foundation for a lifelong commitment to service.

• The Evolution of the Sector: Insights from Angela’s career spanning public horticulture to blood bank management, and how the motivations behind volunteering have shifted over time.

• US vs. UK Volunteering Culture: A fascinating look at the cultural differences in community service, the role of local institutions, and how the modern "movement of people" impacts community bonds.

• Creating Meaningful Experiences: Why effective volunteer management has to go far beyond simply assigning tasks to truly fostering connections with your organisation's mission.

• Hyper-Local Community Building: How a simple "Groundhog Day dessert night" proved to be a powerful, grassroots way to bring neighbours together.

Key TakeawayAt its core, the art of engaging volunteers isn't just about getting jobs done; it’s about building community and fostering relationships. Whether through a formal programme or a simple act of neighbourhood kindness, everyone has the power to contribute to their community's well-being.

About the GuestAngela Williamson is a dedicated volunteering consultant who helps organisations establish solid, sustainable foundations for their volunteer programmes, ensuring that engagement strategies are effective, rewarding, and deeply connected to their mission.

Tags / KeywordsVolunteerism, Community Engagement, Nonprofit Leadership, Angela Williamson, Time for Impact Podcast, Building Connections, Volunteering Culture, Social Impact.

*** Host: Chris WadeProduction: Time for Impact Ltd

In today’s fast-paced political landscape, ensuring young people have a voice is more crucial than ever. But how do we actually bridge the gap between disenfranchised youth and the political system?

In this episode of the Time for Impact podcast, host Chris Wade sits down with Dan Lawes from My Life, My Say—a national charity focused on mobilising underrepresented young communities.

Crucially, this isn't about adults speaking for the youth; it is a movement built entirely on the passion of young people volunteering their time to lead the charge.

Dan shares his personal journey of grassroots, youth-led organising following the political shocks of 2016, and reveals how empowering young volunteer leaders is the secret to bringing an entire generation back to the democratic table.

In this episode, we discuss:

• The 2016 Catalyst: How major political shifts like Brexit sparked a grassroots movement, driven entirely by young volunteers stepping up to engage 14,000 of their peers across the North West of England.

• The Power of Democracy Cafés: A look inside the innovative, peer-to-peer model where young people volunteer as trained facilitators to run community gatherings, identify local issues, and engage directly with policymakers.

• The Campaign for 'Vote 16': Why lowering the voting age could enfranchise 2.5 million young people, and how early inclusion creates lifelong habits of democratic participation and civic volunteering.

• Making Politics Relevant: Why traditional political outreach fails, and how youth-led, volunteer-driven initiatives successfully connect policymakers with young voters by focusing on real-world issues like housing, education, and the cost of living.

Key TakeawayThe future of a healthy democracy relies on the active participation of young people. By stepping away from top-down outreach and empowering young volunteers to facilitate peer-to-peer discussions in their own communities, we can build a much more inclusive, representative, and resilient political system.

About the Guest & OrganisationDan Lawes is a passionate advocate for youth democratic engagement with My Life, My Say (MLMS). MLMS is a youth-led, non-partisan charity heavily driven by the dedication of young volunteers, on a mission to empower their peers to participate in democracy and get their voices heard by decision-makers.

This episode is proudly supported by the organisations championing the power of volunteering across the sector:

• Volunteers' Week: The annual celebration of the incredible contributions volunteers make across the UK.

• Investing in Volunteers: The UK quality standard for good practice in volunteer management.

• Volunteero: Volunteer management software helping charities streamline their processes and maximise their impact.

*** Host: Chris WadeProduction: Time for Impact Ltd

🤝 A Special Thanks to Our Sponsors

Episode Summary:

When every second counts, who answers the call?

In this episode of the Time For Impact podcast, hosts Chris Wade and Matt Cobble are joined by Joe Crook, the National Volunteer Lead at the Association of Ambulance Chief Executives (AACE).

Together, they explore the vital, life-saving role of the 9,000 volunteers embedded within UK ambulance services. Moving past the misconception of volunteers as "well-meaning amateurs," Joe unpacks the rigorous training these individuals undergo and how they work hand-in-hand with professional clinicians to save lives—especially in hard-to-reach rural communities.

Whether you are a healthcare professional, a community leader, or someone looking for a pathway into emergency services, this conversation redefines what it means to step up in high-stakes environments.

• The Reality of Ambulance Volunteering: Why the 9,000 volunteers active in the UK are far more than just amateurs, and how they operate under the direct guidance of clinical control rooms.

  
  

• The Crucial Role of Community First Responders: How volunteers provide immediate, life-saving interventions (like during cardiac arrests) in rural areas before paramedics can arrive.

  
  

• Bridging the Professional Divide: Joe discusses overcoming the stigma sometimes associated with volunteers and highlights the unique, invaluable skills they bring to emergency response.

  
  

• Joe’s Personal Journey: From international volunteering in Bangladesh to his current national role, Joe shares how understanding the "privilege" of volunteering drives his passion for inclusivity.

  
  

• Pathways to Healthcare Careers: How volunteering acts as a stepping stone for social mobility, fostering the next generation of paramedics and emergency healthcare professionals.

  
  

Joe Crook is the National Volunteer Lead at the Association of Ambulance Chief Executives (AACE). With a background rooted in international volunteering, Joe is dedicated to broadening participation and ensuring that diverse voices and backgrounds are represented in vital emergency service roles across the UK.

• Association of Ambulance Chief Executives (AACE): https://aace.org.uk/
• AACE's Volunteering Strategy : https://aace.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/Volunteering-Strategy-Phase-3-v1.0-April-2026-.pdf

• Follow Time for Impact www.TimeForImpact.co.uk

Join the conversation online: #Volunteerism #EmergencyServices #AmbulanceVolunteers #CommunityFirstResponders #Healthcare #SocialImpact #TimeForImpact #JoeCrook #AssociationOfAmbulanceChiefExecutives