Welcome to the March issue of Re-engage Matters. Every month we share information about your role as a volunteer, latest news and training hints and tips – if there’s anything else you’d like to see in Re-engage Matters, please contact us and let us know your ideas – we’d like to make this email as useful for you as possible.

We’re grateful to you for completing our annual survey and a big thank you to everyone who has already supported older people to complete their annual survey. Your feedback will help us shape the decisions we make, the services we provide and ultimately, the future direction of the charity – so if you haven’t already, please complete the survey.

If you haven't had a chance yet, please take a look at our lottery web pages for the latest news about this exciting new initiative. It’s a great way to raise money for Re-engage, while being in with a chance of winning a cash prize.

We’ll be launching our volunteer awards in early April and will be in touch soon by email with more information and a link to the nomination form.

With very best wishes,

Sally
head of service delivery

Facts about group funds

Fundraising for charities can sometimes feel complex, so we’ve pulled together into a simple guide containing everything you need to know about raising group funds for tea parties, including what happens behind the scenes after you’ve made a claim.

Your views matter

You should by now have received an email asking you to take part in our annual survey. The older people you support will also have received a paper survey to complete. Surveys are the best way for us to find out what you think, what older people need, and how we can continue to do our best work. Thank you for taking a few minutes to complete the survey, and please do encourage the older people you support and your fellow volunteers to do the same.

Safety first

Did you know that one of Re-engage's values is transparency? When accidents, incidents and near misses happen we want to know about them. This is so we can learn from what’s happened and put safeguards in place to help prevent similar things from happening again. Please report all accidents, incidents and near misses as soon as they occur by completing the short form on the Re-engage website.

Our vision for volunteering

Re-engage volunteers work together to create better communities. You help enrich the lives of older people by giving them something to look forward to, and by making sure they know that they are important. We believe that volunteers bring skills, experience, knowledge, energy, and excitement to Re-engage and without volunteers, we simply wouldn’t be able to achieve our goals.

Supporting a legacy

We're proud to help keep alive the legacy of Opening Doors, the UK's only charity dedicated solely to supporting older LGBT+ people, after it announced that it has permanently closed.

Nominations open in April

Everyone has a different motivation for volunteering, and we want to show just how grateful we are for the time, energy and care you give to older people. April will see the launch of our annual Re-engage awards, and winners will be rewarded with a bed and breakfast stay for two people from a choice of 500+ hotels in locations across the UK. We can’t wait to hear all about the amazing volunteering you’re doing!

The value of volunteering

We regularly ask older people what Re-engage means to them. Each month, we’ll share some feedback so you can see the impact your time, energy, and generosity have on older people’s lives all year round.