The future of Volunteer Focus

We wanted to use this space to talk to you about the future of Volunteer Focus. This is our 22nd edition, and with just a couple of exceptions (due to the pandemic and a redesign in 2018), we have produced two copies a year since 2011.

Volunteer Focus has always been a place to celebrate you – to share your stories and achievements and recognise all that you do for English Heritage. It’s also a way of keeping in touch and sharing important charity news and updates. But things have moved on since we started, so we’re keen to fi nd out if the magazine is still working for you, and whether it’s something you’d like to continue receiving.

It takes our small central team quite a lot of time to produce the magazine – even with the support of our wonderful communications volunteers. We’re mindful that we could be focused on other areas that we would like to work on, such as overhauling our ʻreward and recognitionʼ schemes, developing more learning opportunities for you and creating new roles for others to enjoy (which are all areas discussed in the volunteering strategy update on page 14).

We can’t ignore the increasing costs either. The charity’s fi nances are still recovering from the pandemic, and the production, printing and postage comes to £12,000 a year.

Ask The Curator

Do you have a burning historical question you’d love to have answered?

Send them in to us and we’ll ask the curator in the next edition.

So, what should we do?

We will soon be asking you to give us your thoughts and feedback in a survey – keep an eye out for it in the digital newsletter this summer.

At the moment, we’re anticipating that we’ll move to one larger, yearly edition of Volunteer Focus alongside bringing you stories in the newsletter and on Fuse, which we encourage you to join if you haven’t already. Speak to your manager if you’re not sure how to. But we want to hear from you before we make a decision, so do fill out the survey when it launches, or, if you’d prefer, you can share your thoughts any time by contacting: volunteerfocus@english-heritage.org.uk

Keeping You Connected

Don’t forget to check out our English Heritage Volunteers’ Facebook group. It’s a great space for you to connect with others. Over four hundred of you have joined and everyone’s welcome to come and be part of the friendly conversation.