Harrogate Homeless Project, a charity that provides homeless people with a safe place to stay and support with the move to independent living, wanted to grow its volunteer programme in line with an expanding and evolving role in the town. Our development officer was on hand to help them, providing tailored training, advice and networking opportunities.

What was the challenge?

Recruiting and managing much needed volunteers can be easier said than done.  With a new Volunteer Coordinator onboard, the charity soon realised there were key areas where they needed to boost their knowledge, understanding and confidence. These areas included streamlining their volunteer management processes, expanding their volunteer roles, finding a suitable management system and improving their understanding of DBS eligibility for volunteer positions.

How did Community First Yorkshire help?

Over just a couple of months, our development officer was able to provide a range of consultancy, training and networking opportunities that made a real difference:

• dedicated training workshops on volunteer management provided a wealth of information and useful resources
• ongoing advice on DBS criteria helped the team get to grips with this vital element of volunteer management
• one-to-one help with finding a better volunteer management system delivered a solution tailored to the project’s needs, and
• access to our popular peer support networks provided a useful sounding board to boost confidence.

What does the future look like?

Thanks to our partnership, Harrogate Homeless Project has been able to expand its volunteer programme, boost its capacity and make real progress in tackling homelessness in Harrogate. The support they received helped them embrace their ongoing mission to create lasting change.

How we can help you?

As a registered charity, we understand your needs. Our local advisers work across North Yorkshire and will come to you to ensure you get access to the best advice and guidance on everything from funding to marketing.

Working with volunteer coordinators and managers, we offer support in a range of areas including:

•  volunteer recruitment and retention
• policies and procedures, and
• operational good practice.

We also:

• facilitate a regular support network for people managing volunteers
• host a free online directory of volunteering opportunities
• produce a regular email newsletter dedicated to everything volunteering
• produce a range of specialist resources.

Find out more about our work in the volunteering sector here.

If you or a community group, charity or social enterprise that you know needs support to be even more successful, our advisers can help. Call us today on 01904 704177 or drop us an email.

Community Support North Yorkshire is funded by North Yorkshire Council and NHS North Yorkshire.