What you said about volunteering at LASSN, and what we've done to try and make the experience even better

1. Volunteering at LASSN

2. Volunteers by project
Project Volunteers
English at Home 63
Grace Hosting 74
Befriending 70
Press Gang 21
Trustees (not
3
already counted)
Total 231
Grace
Hosting
31%
Press Gang
9%
Trustees
1%
Befriending
27%
English at
Home
32%

3. Who completed the survey?
0.0% 5.0% 10.0% 15.0% 20.0% 25.0% 30.0% 35.0% 40.0% 45.0%
Trustee
Press Gang
Grace Hosts
Befriender
English at Home Tutor
Overall Numbers Survey Response

4. What you said about training and support
• 60 people responded
• 89% of people said they got the right amount of support
• 70% of people said the amount of training was about right
• And any people suggested we offer “top ups” once or twice a
year

5. What ways do you want to be supported?
0.0% 20.0% 40.0% 60.0% 80.0% 100.0% 120.0% 140.0%
English teaching materials
Bring and share meals at office
Meeting volunteers from other projects
Information on Asylum/Refugee Issues
Being available when I have a specific question/problem
Social evenings
Project meetings
The Project Manager checking in with me
All Ways Most important way

6. The support we offer: you said, we did
• “Managers need to available”
• All staff now have mobile phones
• “Information and Materials are important”
• We’re putting more info for volunteers on the new LASSN website
• “Project Meetings are valuable”
• These will continue for each of the projects
• “Social evenings and meeting volunteers from other
projects is/are important”
• We’re scheduling more evenings like tonight over the next year

7. What would you like to know more about
(and how)?
0 10 20 30 40 50 60
Finding Work
Physical health
Mental Health
Trafficking/Trauma
Money Problems/Financial management
Benefits Issues
Housing Issues
Help people stand up for their rights (advocacy)
Informal group discussions Short training courses
Written materials Web resources

8. Additional Training: you said, we did
• “One size does not fit everyone”
• We need to offer info and training in lots of ways.
• “Housing and Benefits”
• Written and web-based materials are probably the most helpful
• “Advocacy, Trafficking and Trauma, and Mental Health”
• Training sessions and group discussions are probably the most
helpful
• “They’re all important”
• All the options got at least 33% approval, so we should probably
look at everything

9. How often do you use the following to
find info to help with volunteering?
0 10 20 30 40 50 60
Googling it
Talking to other volunteers
Talking to staff
Resources in the Office
Our Newsletters/emails
Our Facebook page
Our website
Our Directory of Services
Our Volunteer information Pack
Often Occasionally Never

10. Info for Volunteering: you said, we did
• “Talking to staff is the most helpful resource”
• We’ve tried to make staff easier to contact.
• “Newsletters are helpful”
• We’re thinking about developing a volunteers newsletter to cover
information updates, to follow up each training session
• “We Google when we can’t find an answer”
• We should make info easier to find - our website should include
more links to reliable sources of information

11. Claiming (or not claiming) expenses
• All but one
person knew
how to claim
•69% do not
claim
it's too
complicated/not
worth it
17%
I forget
19%
I feel
embarrassed
2%
I see them as
part of my
contribution
I don’t want to
claim
19%
43%

12. Expenses: you said, we did
• “It’s complicated”
• We’ve drafted a simpler policy
• We’re thinking about an option to submit expenses by email
• “I forget”
• We will send you reminders, if you ask
• Our newsletters should act as a prompt
• “I see them as part of my contribution”
• We get specific funding for some expenses
• If you claim them and Gift Aid them back – we get 25% more

13. What would enable you to come social
events?
I do not like social events
They are for all LASSN volunteers
They are just for volunteers in my project (eg…
They are combined with learning/a theme
Have them three or four times a year
Have them once or twice a year
Make them more family friendly (you can…
0.0% 10.0% 20.0% 30.0% 40.0% 50.0% 60.0%
Have them at Weekends
Have them later evenings (7pm-9pm)
Have them Early Evenings (5pm-7pm)
Any food/drink is paid for

14. Socials: you said, we did
• “They should be combined with learning”
• All our training will be combined with a social element
• “They should be for all LASSN volunteers”
• We agree
• “Have them once or twice a year/ three or four times a year”
• We will struggle to cover all the training in one or two sessions, so
we’re suggesting every 3 months to begin with.
• “Evenings are best”
• There’s no clear picture of what’s best: so we will try and vary the
days and times, to suit everyone

15. What else might you do?
0.0% 10.0% 20.0% 30.0% 40.0% 50.0% 60.0%
Become a trustee
Become a member
Take part in a sponsored event
Put out a LASSN collection box
Organising a fund-raising event
Run an information stall about LASSN
Taking photos of our work
Writing a short article for our newsletter/website
Giving a talk about LASSN's work
Sharing your experiences with new volunteers
Campaigning and awareness raising

16. What else: you said, we did
• “Sharing your experiences with new volunteers”
• We’re seeing if buddying new volunteers with more experiences
volunteers is useful
• We want to involve volunteers in delivering and reviewing our
training to other volunteers
• “Writing a short article for our website”
• We’re getting in touch with everyone who said this
• “Giving a talk/taking part in a sponsored event”
• We will use the newsletter as a way of publicising opportunities