Volunteers Week 2019 The Plan

Contents Aim of the campaign Getting involved Key messages and tips The Week

Purpose

Purpose Volunteers’ Week is a UK wide campaign now in its 35th year. Primary objective: To recognise, celebrate and thank volunteers and encourage people across the UK to do the same Secondary objectives: To raise the our profile To increase participation in volunteering The campaign has huge reach. In 2018 in reached 28.49m with 701.6k twitter impressions. Facebook averaged 4,000 people per day and #volunteersweek trended UK and worldwide (26k uses)!

Getting Involved

Resources Available via Swim England Box Download: The logos Downloadable images Templates Social media banners Who need access? Please let us know via Volunteering@swimming.org

Social Media Connect on social media: www.twitter.com/NCVOVolunteers www.facebook.com/volunteersweek www.instagram.com/volunteersweek2019 Use #VolunteersWeek to be connected to the campaign Tag us: @Sw_EngVolunteer @Swim_England Tag our partners: @NCVOvolunteers @Sport_England

Tips and Key Messages

Suggestions Try to attach media (photo, video, GIF, logo or link) to any social posts – this hugely increases the amount of interaction and engagement Get videos of athletes and parents saying thank you (or photos and quotes) Get videos of volunteers saying why they volunteer (or photos and quotes) Try and get a range of individuals eg. Swimmers, disciplines, parents, club volunteers, event volunteers, officials, young volunteers, elite athletes, staff. Think about the time of day for tweets – generally mornings, lunch times and evenings are best as this is when people are typically on their phones Think about who could be tag in the post to increase exposure eg. Swim England Volunteering, Swim England, NCVO, Sport England, etc Remember to use the hashtag #volunteersweek Change social media banners to the volunteer week ones provided. Try and get as much of the content created in advance

Examples of key messages Theme Tweet Example Tags Media Links Stories of your volunteers Anna is 22. She's been volunteering as a coach with Electric Eels for 9 years, supporting children with Down Syndrome learn to swim and compete at national level #volunteersweek Thank You Anna. Electric Eels, Swim England Volunteering, Swim England Image of anna coaching link to electric eels article on SE website Saying thank you "I'd like to thank my coaches for their continued support, guidance and coaching and for getting us to nationals" [insert name of swimmer, name of club] #saythanks #volunteersweek Club, Swim England Volunteering, Swim England Image or video of athlete   Why I volunteer "I don’t just do it because I love it. It's really nice to see them progress and they all have a great time. Its just a lovely environment so I really enjoy it." Anna, volunteer cosch Electric Eels Swimming Club #whyivolunteer #volunteersweek image of anna - option to use NCVO why I volunteer resource

The Week

Overview Day What’s happening Saturday 1 June Teasers day 1 Sunday 2 June Teasers day 2 Monday 3 June Twitter launch party Tuesday 4 June Employer supported and skilled volunteering & volunteer managers chat Wednesday 5 June Youth volunteering Thursday 6 June Volunteers talking about the difference they make…to themselves Friday 7 June Looking back over the week

Saturday 1 & Sunday 2 June Examples of tweets It’s National Volunteers Week! How are you saying thank you? Send us your pics on social media to @Sw_EngVolunteer using #VolunteersWeek and we’ll share them. Did you know that next week is #VolunteersWeek? Follow @Sw_EngVolunteer to celebrate your volunteers. Get involved in #VolunteersWeek – post a pic of what volunteering you’re up to this weekend 2018 South West Volunteer of the Year. Esther's main role is competition secretary for Tavistock SC, but she engages far beyond this, sharing her experiences as a coach & official to inspire & mentor others across Devon. #VolunteersWeek Thank You Esther http://bit.ly/2HiuHxd [insert pic] Teasers Day 1 and 2 From 9am Share picture and videos of how you are celebrating inviting people to get involved. Ask people to tag @Sw_EngVolunteer and use the hashtag #VolunteersWeek Share stories of previous regional or national volunteer award winners on social media using #VolunteersWeek

Monday 3 June Twitter Launch Party 11.00 – 12.00 Use #VolunteersWeek to celebrate the start of Volunteers Week 2019 Support @Swim_England in the announcement of the Swim England National Awards open for nominations Invite nominations for the Regional Awards Examples of tweets We’re joining the #VolunteersWeek celebrations and saying a big thank you to all our volunteers. We are celebrating #VolunteersWeek – follow us and share your pics Do you know an amazing volunteer? Nominate them today [insert link] [insert regional awards banner] #SEAwards #VolunteersWeek

Tuesday 4 June Skills-based volunteering Share how you support and develop your volunteers through education and training Volunteers bring so many different skills to their roles – what skills do you bring? #VolunteersWeek It’s #VolunteersWeek and we’re delivering [name of workshop]. Join us by booking your place [link to booking page or email]

Wednesday 5 June We are celebrating our Young Volunteers for #VolunteersWeek! Here’s what we do in our region to support young volunteers [link to your programmes] Do you know someone in your club or community who champions the youth voice? Nominate them for our Youth Champion Award http://bit.ly/2vY9FxC #VolunteersWeek Here’s how our young volunteers help us and our aquatic community #VolunteersWeek [insert pic or video or link to article/case study] Spotlight on youth social action Celebrate your young volunteers Promote your young volunteer regional development programmes and share the stories of those involved.

Thursday 6 June Do you volunteer? Its #VolunteersWeek and we’d love to hear what difference volunteering has made to you? Over ¾ of volunteers say that their volunteering improves their mental health and wellbeing #VolunteersWeek "I don’t just do it because I love it. It's really nice to see them progress and they all have a great time. Its just a lovely environment so I really enjoy it." Anna, volunteer coach Electric Eels Swimming Club #whyivolunteer #volunteersweek Impact and wellbeing day Today we want to shout about the difference volunteers make to Swim England, our clubs and aquatic community. We also want to hear from volunteers about the difference volunteering makes to them

Friday 7 June #VolunteersWeek Wrap up Today we are looking back over a great week of celebrations Its also a chance for your region and its clubs and swimmers to tweet their thanks to volunteers It’s the last day of #VolunteersWeek but we’re still celebrating! [insert of pic or video of your regional colleagues thanking volunteers] It’s been a fantastic #VolunteersWeek! Here’s a selection of our best photos [insert up to four pics] "I'd like to thank my coaches for their continued support, guidance and coaching and for getting us to nationals" [insert name of swimmer, name of club] #saythanks #volunteersweek [insert pic or vid]