Volunteers and not-for-profit organisations mingle at last week’s inaugural Cambridge Community Roadshow.
A meeting today (Thursday) will unpick the findings of a pilot roadshow held to co-ordinate the hundreds of volunteers who are the lifeblood of not-for-profit organisations.
Cambridge Community House’s Amy Watkins is behind the initiative to hold the first roadshow here.
The Cambridge Community Roadshow at Bupa St Kilda last week was run jointly by Cambridge Community House (CCH) and Volunteering Waikato. It aimed to provide a platform for each participating organisation to give an outline of the service they provide and help direct potential volunteers to opportunities best suited to them.
“It is so important for people to find a volunteering opportunity that is the right fit for them, that gives them the flexibility they might be looking for,” said CCH’s Amy Watkins, whose idea it was to stage the roadshow. “It’s equally important for the organisations to benefit from being able to retain their volunteers.”
She said the event gave both parties the opportunity to learn more about the volunteering options.
The idea came out of regular community hui Watkins organises several times a year. She teamed up with Volunteering Waikato’s regional community advisor Danielle VanShipley, who in this year’s UN-designated International Volunteer Year, has been focusing on dividing the region into smaller areas to provide more effective coverage in each.
Volunteering Waikato’s Danielle VanShipley speaking at the roadshow.
“Because the Waikato is so vast, it’s difficult to be everywhere we need to be,” VanShipley said. “We don’t have exact number of volunteers, but we do know there are 25 organisations in Cambridge alone using volunteers regularly. We decided to start with small and inclusive roadshows… our partnering with Amy at CCH resulted in the first one being held in Cambridge.”
She said the trial had identified a lack of visibility and awareness of the services offered.
“We thought that would be the case, so now we want to move forwards to address that. The roadshow has shed a lot of light on where to go from here.”
The decision to hold the event at Bupa St Kilda was to tap into the demographic most widely represented amongst volunteers, and while they may have more time to give back, some face other constraints such as transport.
“It was a fantastic venue,” said Watkins, “but we know we need to reach a more diverse audience, perhaps tap into the student population or people who are at home but might have a few hours free when children are at school.”
Both Watkins and VanShipley said a more central venue would be an advantage for future roadshows. That, alongside other findings, will be the topic of discussions at today’s follow-up meeting.
“We want to brainstorm initiatives that will bridge the gap between where we are and where we want to be in terms of linking volunteers to the organisations needing them,” said VanShipley. “This was a first for us. It’s just a start… we want to take the roadshow to Te Awamutu, then further afield.”
Bupa St Kilda general manager Clare Coles said they were delighted to be asked to host the roadshow, while village co-ordinator Megan Williams said it presented a valuable opportunity to strengthen community connections.
Volunteers and not-for-profit organisations mingle at last week’s inaugural Cambridge Community Roadshow.
