Ready Steady GoVo! New volunteering platform seeks to reach the 6 in 10 UK adults not currently volunteering
Gethyn Williams, GoVo Help Team Member at Royal Voluntary Service
Like many members and supporters of National Voices, at Royal Voluntary Service we recognise the huge role volunteers are already playing in making health and care more equitable and person-centred. That’s why we’re excited to tell you a little about GoVo – the innovative new national volunteer recruitment platform we’re launching this month.
Developed with those with lived experience and building on our insights from NHS and Care Volunteer Responders programme, GoVo is designed to appeal to those open to volunteering but who may struggle to fit a new commitment around busy lives.
Promoting both traditional volunteering roles and more flexible alternatives, it allows individuals to search for opportunities by geography, cause, their time available and the type of activity they’re looking for. So, if you’re considering updating your volunteering programme, it’s a great way to start appealing to a more diverse group of volunteers.
A flexible new tool in your volunteer recruitment strategy
GoVo is primarily an opportunity finder, built very much for the convenience of the modern volunteer and designed to be very simple and intuitive to use. Think of it as a ‘Rightmove’ for volunteering – making searching easier, giving potential volunteers the quickest path to your door.
GoVo is not a ‘Volunteer Management System’ – so whether you manage your volunteering on an excel spreadsheet or a dedicated piece of software, it’s not here to replace that. What it can do is supplement your existing recruitment activities, helping you reach those you may not be finding through other channels.
Once an individual has found and chosen your opportunity on GoVo, they complete a quick online identity check before being sent through to your own website (or recruitment systems) to complete their application – including any of your own essential stages, such as training or a DBS check.
How to use GoVo – and ask your own questions
If you’re a small charity considering using GoVo as part of your volunteer recruitment, why not sign up to one of our introductory webinars to find out how it works and ask your key questions. There are several times available throughout October and November.
Register now to take advantage of the national media campaign
However, if you want to be ready for GoVo’s launch on 17th October, taking advantage of the interest from new volunteers we’re hoping to generate from our national media campaign with ITV and others, you can get going on your own right now by:
- registering your charity now and
- uploading your opportunities via our ‘bulk upload’ spreadhseet before 17th October.
This short video explains more about the platform, and this more detailed briefing walks you through how it works.
Together, lets reach and inspire and new generation of volunteers to ‘click and connect’ with the causes they care about!
GoVo is powered by the players of the People’s Postcode Lottery.
* Please note that at launch the platform will only support charities registered in England, Wales and Scotland.