What has CRM got to do with voluntary work?
Actually, this blog has nothing to do with CRM. It also has nothing to do with business intelligence, software updates or even clever marketing tricks.
It’s about Voluntary Action Within Kent.
We like what they do - they are a registered charity supporting voluntary and community organisations in Kent. They run a number of services, including youth volunteering (training young volunteers to help projects in their local community), training and consultancy (providing training and development activities to various organisations), and supporting people who need a little helping hand.
One aspect of such support, especially for the elderly and disabled, involves driving – they may be unable to drive themselves, access public transport, or simply can’t afford taxis. So VAWK runs a community transport scheme called Dial 2 Drive, where members are picked up from their homes and taken on shopping trips, social trips, trips to various classes and events… but what this does is more than just taking them from A to B – it gives them a sense of independence, as well as an opportunity to meet others and have a laugh. Take a look at what they do!
Anyone can volunteer, as long as you pass their rigorous CRB checking process (and a couple of other formalities). Even businesses can volunteer “man days” (company time) towards this scheme. And they really are a friendly bunch at VAWK.
So here comes my confession – I was only asked to blog about VAWK and the great work that they do (which I have done above), and leave it at that. But I’d like to share my experiences with you.
Since Collier Pickard decided to “donate” some (wo)man-days towards Dial 2 Drive, some of us have been undergoing checks (good news: none of us are criminals – not in the legal sense anyway… some fashion crimes may be committed on a daily basis, but I digress), training to drive a minibus (good news: the driving instructor was NOT The Stig), as well as passenger assistance training (bad news: no singing “ten green bottles” allowed). Once we passed all of that, we were off!
My first solo assignment was to drive an elderly gentleman to a Falls Prevention Class. I instantly fell in love with him – he was the sweetest, kindest, loveliest gentleman I’ve met in a long time. We chatted all the way there and back again, and I felt completely inspired afterwards. When I remarked at his positive attitude and energy despite his high age, he simply remarked, “you’ve just got to be grateful for what you’ve got and keep going. If you give up, then it’s over”.
So what’s the point of this blog? Hopefully to inspire, hopefully to bring a new perspective on CRM – Coz Relationships Matter.
Eva Gross is Creative Manager at Collier Pickard.
