Recently a group of staff and volunteers got together to think about how we communicate with our volunteers and how digital technology could be used to improve communication.
Cerys (pictured), an Administration Volunteer from South Wales, was part of that group. She says,
“It completely opened my eyes to the possibilities of digitally transforming my role. It was amazing to work with someone in Scotland without having to leave the house. We felt that there could be more collaborations regionally then nationally and sharing good practice with other volunteers in specific roles”.
Digital tools are a great resource, and can really help to reach out to people and tackle social isolation. Lots of our local groups use Facebook already.
Cerys shared some further thoughts on great tools that the Project group liked:
“Using apps such as zoom, would not only enable us to speak with other volunteers in specific roles but also people living with MS who may feel isolated, especially those confined to their home. Like branches of a “digital tree” providing information and support from someone you can speak to online and visually see. We have also considered the possibility of digi cafe’s where each month various issues affecting people living with MS are discussed. The person logging in could then choose to do this anonymously or not. This has had a positive response from group members as it would be two way communication.”
Do you have any experience with digital tools that you’ve found useful to connect with other volunteers, or provide support? We’d love to hear your feedback and ideas – email the Volunteering team and let us know what you think.
This article is included in "Testing, Testing..." email pilot July 2018
