DID YOU USE VOLUNTEERS’ WEEK AS A STORY HOOK?
The first week of June each year is Volunteer’s Week. It provides a dedicated platform for charities, grassroot groups and public sector organisations to thank millions of volunteers and inspire more people to get involved with the third sector. This kind of awareness week can provide a national opportunity to share any volunteering work you do – or your team does and demonstrate your company and personal ethics.
It’s not about boasting – it’s about honesty. I often hear the phrase ‘do it for the cause not the applause’ and I call BS on that. Most charities and community projects want you to ‘boast’ because it encourages others to do the same. So ‘do it for the applause because the applause helps the clause’.
If you don’t want to shout about it – let that be for another reason that has nothing to do with this self-congratulatory nonsense of ‘no one should know’ – keep silent for reasonable reasons such as you are very wealthy and you don’t want to deal with loads of requests; you are helping an organisation which has silence and discretion at its core for clear reasons; you are a celebrity and don’t want to be overwhelmed. These are valid however these apply to the few not the many.
Launched in 1984, Volunteers’ Week has been running for over 40 years, providing communities a platform to thank current and past volunteers for their efforts. Across the UK, millions of people contribute their time, energy and skills to support others. This makes a real difference in their communities. From helping at local charities and community groups to supporting events, sports clubs and other vital services, volunteers are at the heart of so much that happens around us.
The statistics speak for themselves; 14.2 million people in the UK have formally volunteered at least once a month. Volunteering added £4.6 billion in productivity gains to the UK economy in 2024. It’s estimated around 25 million people in the UK volunteered informally at least once in the year. These figures highlight the incredible contributions of volunteers across the UK.
Can you be part of this vibe? Can you be part of this vibe for next year?
Here at Scott Media, we’re passionate about Volunteers’ Week and aim every year to contribute in the best way we can – the awareness week is a time to talk about it but the ethos is there all of the time.
A community project we regularly support is one very close to our hearts called ‘Ainslie’s Pavilion Project.’ It’s a community-driven initiative around Purton Cricket Club to build a new, fully accessible sports pavilion. Launched in memory of Ainslie Duffell who passed away from cancer in 2015 and was one of my best friends and godmother to one of my children. The campaign was created to ensure that disability and lack of female changing facilities never prevent anyone from enjoying sport at the pavilion in Purton.
Ainslie, her husband Phil Duffell and Alex Duffell remain close to us today. After reading her journals following her passing, Phil (Ainslie’s husband) and Alex Duffell (Ainslie’s son) chose to honour her memory by raising money to build a new cricket pavilion in place of the current one, where Ainslie had been unable to watch her son Alex play once she was in a wheelchair as the ground was not accessible or suitable for a wheelchair user. She missed Alex as he reached his first century. Phil, Alex and Ainslie’s friends, including me, have since raised around £70,000 to make this dream a reality. The pandemic set us back as building costs rose so steeply but we’re still committed and determined to one day see Ainslie’s Pavilion become a reality.
My ‘PR no BS’ summit in November this year will also be raising money again for this cause where we will have a dinner with a fund-raising raffle and auction of lots.
Every year, in Scott Media we also support a charity or community project with pro bono PR support. This year we’re volunteering and supporting the incredible charity, Best Mates. Best Mates is a fairly new Wiltshire based charity set up to simply make a difference to people’s lives when they face a crisis. The unique idea being to connect people going through difficult times with a ‘best mate’ who’s had a similar experience and come out stronger. Recognising the absence of such a vital support system, founders Jeff and Carl set about creating something local to help those in need at a very individual level, the charity is now well on its way to becoming national.
Last year, Scott Media was able to support local community project Swindon Hub. Swindon Hub is a community run space for all in the heart of Swindon town centre. The hub is run by volunteers who host several different events within the town centre and act as a safe space for people of all ages to connect with each other.
The good news is there is no right or wrong way to participate in Volunteers’ Week. All organisations, groups and individuals can engage with the campaign in whatever way they wish. The same can be said of volunteering in general. Hosting an event can be a great way to bring people together. Hosting a coffee morning provides a casual and informal way to show appreciation for volunteers. Engaging on social media and using the Volunteers’ Week hashtags helps to spread awareness and create conversations.
Volunteering can make great PR if you do it with the right intentions. Sharing how you or your business supports local charities helps to foster greater connections and spread the word and shows that you care as an individual or organisation.
Remember, volunteering doesn’t always have to be about money, it can be about giving your time and energy to a great cause. Choosing to give to your community can come back to you in great ways.
Want to put this awareness week or any other into your PR plan for 2027? We can help you plan for that in a practical and realistic manner. Do get in touch.
If you want to get a feel for Volunteers’ Week, find out more here – https://volunteersweek.org/