27 th international conference of Alzheimer’s Disease International London Friday 9 March 2012 Volunteering: the best thing money can’t buy

Welcome Who are we? Who are you? Recruiting volunteers ‘Learning’ volunteers Keeping volunteers Volunteer experiences Question time

Alzheimer’s Society volunteering Alzheimer’s Society operates in England, Wales, Northern Ireland, Isle of Man and Channel Islands. 6,434 volunteers delivering 7,502 roles (2,000 staff) Roles cover services, fundraising, research, campaigning and other support 78% are female and 22% male 21% are over 65 years old 13% are under 30 years old 350 volunteer roles currently advertised on our website Volunteers help at every level of the Society

Why involve volunteers? Who do you really need? Planning is the key Targeting for success Recruiting volunteers

Tried and tested Newer options Social media ‘uber volunteering’ v ‘micro volunteering’ Involving clients Recruitment spectrum

Summary Never forget your Unique Selling Point (USP) Plan and target Think laterally. Be innovative. Lead the way Safeguard Remember: volunteering changes lives for the better

B-learning for volunteers

e-learning b-learning m-learning classroom-learning

The “Vrijwilligersplein”

Digital introduction-module

Questions?

Thank you

Keeping volunteers Understand motivations, skills and abilities Effective and efficient systems Clear roles Regular and honest communication Recognition and celebration Engagement and development

Keeping volunteers What does Alzheimer’s Society do? Development opportunities, including leadership roles Volunteer awards and celebrations eg: Volunteers’ Week Support meetings and ongoing training Reimbursement of expenses – travel, meals etc Volunteer Voice – quarterly magazine Volunteer survey – at least every 2 years Volunteer database – to aid management and comms

Volunteer experiences We are delighted to be joined by two volunteers from Alzheimer’s Society today. You will hear about their own experiences. We’ll then end our session with questions from you and, hopefully, answers from us!

Questions and answers

Thank you Merci Danke Gracias Dank u 감사합니다 ありがとう 谢谢