Kent eVent Team – flexible volunteering for events

The project

The ‘Kent eVent Team’ is a partnership between Kent County Council and the voluntary sector in Kent, aimed at recruiting volunteers for sport, leisure and cultural events across the county, including the build up to the 2012 Games.

The need

The project was developed in response to an obvious need for a co-ordinated county wide approach to recruiting volunteer support for events, for example the Tour de France in summer 2007. At present there is no mechanism for individuals interested in volunteering to take part on a flexible, one off basis at a variety of events, and likewise no network of helpers for event organisers to call upon, meaning volunteer recruitment for events can be very difficult, particularly at short notice.

How it will work

The Kent eVent Team will be led and facilitated by a project manager, who will be hosted at Maidstone Voluntary Action. The Project officially began 1 April 2008, with a full time project manager being in place by the end of the month.

A key role of the project manager is to recruit individuals to the scheme, via marketing and promotion, and then to inform them of opportunities to volunteer across Kent. Simultaneously, the project manager will work with local councils, community groups, Volunteer Centres, tourism organisations and sports clubs to develop and promote event volunteering opportunities. It is anticipated that volunteers will be contacted by email or text message and informed of forthcoming events, and those who are willing to take part will be put directly in touch with the event organiser.

The benefits to volunteers

The scheme aims to have 250 volunteers in the first year, and by 2011, it is hoped 2500 volunteers will be registered with the team. Team members will be from across Kent, with a spectrum of skills and abilities, and they will be offered the chance to volunteer at a wide range of exciting events. The flexibility of the scheme may attract people who would never normally have considered volunteering, and it may be that some will offer a more regular commitment as a result.

The benefits to event organisers

Anyone organising an event in the voluntary, community or statutory sector in Kent (any event that is not for profit) will have access to the service and be able to make a request for volunteers, as long as the event meets the basic requirements, for example in health and safety. The outcome should be more successful and effective events, due to the increased support from a volunteer workforce.

The future

Having an effective mechanism for recruiting volunteers for one off activities and events will put Kent in an excellent position in 2012. There will be a wide range of Olympic Games related activities in Kent, in areas such as tourism, the arts and with young people, many requiring volunteers, and the Kent eVent team will be ideally placed to provide these volunteers so that the events can run effectively.

For more information or to register an event, contact;
Charlotte Osborn-Howard charlotte.oh@mvbhub.org.uk or 01622 677337.