Learning from the 50+ volunteering programme to support COVID-19 recovery: age-friendly and inclusive volunteering

Author(s)

NOTTINGHAM TRENT UNIVERSITY. Nottingham Business School

Publisher(s):

Nottingham Trent University

Publication year:

2021

This briefing brings together lessons from the 50+ volunteering programme with other research and resources to explore how volunteering can be developed and sustained in an age-friendly and inclusive way to support recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic. This is particularly relevant now as many volunteers aged 50+ had to step back from their volunteering during COVID-19. As organisations bring back their volunteers or look to engage new ones, these lessons will be useful in efforts to sustain the engagement of those aged 50+ and ensure volunteering is age-friendly and inclusive. The programme supported 39 organisations to test and develop ideas or grow existing models involving volunteers aged 50+. Projects from a wide range of fields, backgrounds and sizes were involved, from those growing young people’s mentoring projects to new emerging ideas testing the involvement of 50+ volunteers in community fraud prevention. A key focus for the programme was creating volunteering opportunities for those aged 50+ in and alongside public services, enabling them to use their skills and experiences, creating a ‘habit for volunteering’ and bringing benefits for volunteers and communities. The briefing focuses on two specific areas: 1. Enabling flexibility – useful lessons can be learnt from how organisations made their volunteering offers flexible to help those aged 50+ fit volunteering around their lives. Flexibility has been identified as a key area to support returning volunteers and sustain volunteer involvement as part of COVID-19 recovery; 2. Harnessing the strengths, skills and experiences of volunteers – this was a key focus of the 50+ programme and the evaluation provides useful learning for developing opportunities for 50+ volunteers. (Edited publisher abstract)