Kathrin Meyrick - High Value Giving

High value giving may be the term used to describe this team's aim of raising money, but they also benefit from 'high value giving' in time as well. As Kathrin Meyrick explains...

A volunteer's experience...

Having some free time to volunteer, I looked at do-it.org.uk, entered my desired categories of 'older people' and 'trust fundraising' and saw that Alzheimer's Society had some opportunities.

I was keen to volunteer in a head office environment. After a few phone calls I was able to discuss the kind of volunteering I was interested in and was invited for a chat with Rowena Morgan, Trusts and Statutory Fundraising Manager, at the Society's central office in London.

Shortly afterwards I became a Society volunteer and joined the team in summer 2008 for one day a week. I researched trust records from 2003 onwards, seeing which may be suitable to approach.

The team was, and still is, extremely welcoming and helpful and I soon got to know my way around the systems and databases. Since then, I've been helping out with other tasks, responding to local requests for trusts to approach, thanking trusts for their donations, and sending out updates and new appeals to existing donors.

There's plenty to do...and a good variety too. I'm learning about the world of trusts, which is exactly what I wanted to do. It's a satisfying role - a day a week is just enough to make a difference, even though my progress sometimes seems a bit slow week on week!

I'd recommend volunteering to anyone. There's so much out there, the key is to think through the kinds of tasks you'd like to do, where, and for whom, and then search for it. This match seems to work!