The Chester Zoo introduced a range of micro-volunteering activities alongside our traditional roles to engage the community in conservation action and volunteering in various ways from citizen science projects from home using motion sensor cameras in people's gardens to discover hedgehog habits to digital roles such as writing subtitles, researching and checking data to responding to letters from school children and school groups when they wrote to the zoo.
At the same time, the Chester Zoo embarked on attaining their Investing in Volunteers quality standard, which requires documenting and improving practices in volunteer engagement. True to their community roots, they involved volunteers in helping frame their work during their credentialing process.
In this conversation, Lindsay shares their philosophy on engaging stakeholders in their process and how they focus on person-centered volunteer engagement. She also described how they maintained connections with volunteers through social events and coffee mornings, which has led to high volunteer re-engagement and retention.
Learn more about the Chester Zoo here:
For more on the Investing in Volunteers quality standard, visit - https://investinginvolunteers.co.uk/
For More:
For more on how organizations were managing during the pandemic in the UK, check out Time + Talent Podcast Episode 307: Connecting with Volunteers During Times of Change
Guest Bio:
Lindsay joined Chester Zoo's Conservation Education and Engagement team in 2019 to manage their award-winning volunteer team. She's worked in the UK charity sector for over 15 years, managing volunteers and working with children and young people. The zoo's volunteer management team successfully engages volunteers in various roles, including visitor engagement, youth volunteering, gardening, archiving, education, community engagement and micro-volunteering.
Chester Zoo achieved the Investing in Volunteers quality standard award in 2021; the award highlights their commitment to providing a high-quality volunteering experience. Chester Zoo's Plan for Volunteering highlights how volunteers contribute to key targets in the Conservation Masterplan, which aims to empower 10 million people to live more sustainably before the zoo’s 100th birthday in 2031.
You can reach Lindsay on LinkedIn at - https://www.linkedin.com/in/lindsay-marston-59804453/
209. Becoming an Architect of the Volunteer Experience
208. Transforming Your Volunteer Strategy from the Ground Up
207. Corporate Social Responsibility Its a Two-Way Street
206. Strengthening the Impact of Young Professional Volunteers
205. Digital Transformation as the New Normal - Moving Mentoring Online
204. Building Community Together - Online & During a Pandemic
203. Dignity & Respect Extends to Volunteers Too
202. The Hard Truth: Diversity & Inclusion from the Volunteer Perspective
201. Welcome to Season 2!
109. The Rewards & Challenges of Nonprofit Board Diversity - Part 2
108. The Rewards & Challenges of Nonprofit Board Diversity - Part 1
107. Digital Team Building with Remote Volunteers
106. Designing a Leadership Pipeline for 23,000 Volunteers
105. Building an Army of Volunteer Advocates
104. Using Radical Transparency to Build Volunteer Buy-In
103. Key Lessons from 7 Years of Intern Iterations
102. Putting Volunteer Wellness First
101. Welcome to the T+T Podcast - Bold Practices in Volunteer Engagement
Create your
podcast in
minutes
It is Free
The Commercial Edge: Unleash the Power of People
The emPOWERed Half Hour
Social Dallas Podcast
Change Church Podcast
Six Degrees with Kevin Bacon
Advocacy Scoop Podcast
Nonprofits Are Messy: Lessons in Leadership | Fundraising | Board Development | Communications