British Naturism has launched a new online volunteering platform, called Volunteer Connect, designed to help members get more involved in volunteering within the organisation.
Members can now create their very own Volunteering Profile in the volunteering pages of the Members Area (log in required)
My Volunteering Profile helps members register their interest in volunteering with BN. It enables all those who currently volunteer, those who are interested in volunteering (who perhaps don’t yet know what they want to do) and those who would like to register with the Volunteer Bank to create and update their own profile. Key features of My Volunteering Profile include:
- My Personal Information (taken from the BN membership records so there’s no need to retype in information we already hold!)
- My Contact Preferences
- My Emergency Contact
- My Additional Support Needs (details of any disability or health condition that you would like us to know about so we can support you in, or make adjustments to, your volunteering role)
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My Volunteering Preferences – easy to complete tick boxes that show the
- the type of volunteering you would like to do
- the location where you would like to volunteer
- the activities you would like to be involved in
- your skills, knowledge and experience
- and an optional free text box where you can provide additional information.
Organisers—volunteers appointed to national or regional roles with responsibility for planning, coordinating and/or organising activities, events and services—may browse all the profiles to identify potential volunteers with relevant skills and interests, and can then contact individuals who may be suitable for a particular volunteering opportunity.
Data in My Volunteering Profile is held securely on the BN web server as part of our Volunteer Connect platform. While some sensitive data is restricted to a small team of volunteer managers, most of the data in My Volunteering Profile will be available to organisers who may need to search for potential volunteers with the appropriate skills and interests. Members can set their contact preferences and update their data at any time.
Our new Volunteer Connect platform is being developed and rolled out in phases that are planned to include:
- integration of our current Volunteering Opportunities database with Volunteer Connect
- submission of online applications for volunteering opportunities
- management of the volunteer application process online
- listing any volunteer applications made in My Volunteering Profile
- listing current and previous volunteer roles in My Volunteering Profile
- matching of skills and interests between profiles and opportunities to highlight the most relevant opportunities to members
- matching of skills and interests between profiles and opportunities to assist organisers to identify potential volunteers
- the ability for volunteer managers to create and edit profiles for those members who do not go online.
Creating your own Volunteering Profile will take less than two minutes to complete, or a little longer if you add content to any of the free text boxes.
John Gelder, Volunteering Officer