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Don't let Olympic volunteering momentum die

Governance | Vibeka Mair | 27 Jul 2012

The extravaganza of the Opening Olympic Ceremony tonight could be the launch of a new legacy of volunteering, says Vibeka Mair, who as an Olympic  volunteer got a sneak preview at the Olympic stadium on Monday. But the opportunity could easily be lost, she warns.

I’ve vowed to #savethesurprise, but without giving the game away... no-one should miss the Opening Olympic Ceremony tonight. Its director Danny Boyle, I predict, will be offered a knighthood for his amazing spectacle.

Giving a short speech before the event, Boyle highlighted that most of those performing in the Ceremony had given their time and skills for free as I, and thousands of other volunteers for the London Games, sat in the Olympic stadium to see the first performance.

I’m certain that one of the legacies of the London Olympics will be a renewed or newly-found commitment to volunteering on a regular basis by the 70,000 'Games Makers' – who are volunteering at the Olympics and around the capital as support-giving London Ambassadors.

But will we have anywhere to volunteer? Charities already say they have large volumes of enquiries about volunteering, but many are unable to cope with the demand due to limited resources and budget. This is particularly the case for smaller charities. Official figures show government spend on volunteer centres is down by 12 per cent, equivalent to £28,000 per centre.

My Olympic volunteering experience has starkly highlighted the essential role of volunteer support in developing, inspiring and encouraging volunteers. Olympic volunteers had regular emails, text messages, 12-hour telephone support Monday to Sunday, and letters. During training fellow volunteers have been refreshingly impressed with the level of support - one volunteer had a replacement uniform hand-delivered to her home when she realised it was too small.

This has given us confidence and commitment to volunteering for the Games and it will be tragic if this momentum is lost. In recent years, volunteering and support organisations have been particularly vulnerable to government cuts in my view because it’s an easy target.

It’s easy to pretend volunteering is ‘free’ and it’s easy to hope it’ll just happen. But while, I am giving my time for ‘free’ during the Olympics, and I actively sought out to volunteer - not all charities have this luxury, and the support during my training was essential. But the cost of this support to volunteers will have been much less than hiring employees.

This is the beauty of volunteering. It is value for money. But it needs upfront investment to blossom – something which charities too often lack.

There are rumours of a Spending Review this October where the government will review its spending plans from March’s Budgets and recently communities minister Andrew Stunell wrote to every local authority in the country urging them not to leave the voluntary and community sector behind in funding allocations.

In both cases, I hope the Olympics will encourage vital funding for volunteer support, because while volunteers are free, volunteering isn’t.

Enjoy the Olympic Opening Ceremony tonight. It’s been worth the wait…..

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Who's Who: Vibeka Mair