Inspiring social action by changing the tune

Since the pandemic volunteering across the UK has taken a hit, and the recovery is turning out to be slow. NCVO 's Time Well Spent survey and report for 2023 highlighted some interesting feedback coming from the people they spoke to. Over a quarter of respondents said that volunteering felt too much like paid work (up from 19% in 2018), only two thirds of people said there were people from a wide range of backgrounds in their group (down from 73% in 2018), and only 55% of respondents said that their expenses would be reimbursed if they requested it.?

Basically, for too many people voluntary action can feel too serious, too exclusive and/or too expensive.??

I truly believe that the RockCorps model provides an antidote to those people, particularly younger people, who are struggling against these barriers.?

Give four hours of your time, get given a ticket to a unique music concert. It’s that simple.?

We work with community partners to unlock volunteering tasks that are time-limited and tangible that will create a sense of achievement, not work. We pride ourselves on leveraging the power of brands and music to engage young people from traditionally under-represented backgrounds bringing diversity and vibrancy to every community project.

Finally, in an environment where “funflation” is making going to gigs too expensive for many young people (Eras tour tickets anyone???), the RockCorps model demonstrates that not only does volunteering not have to leave you out of pocket, it can reward you with experiences that you otherwise couldn’t afford.

I get the challenge though. Can the transactional really lead to the relational?

Don’t people just take the ticket and run? The holy grail for all social action is of course a deep connection to the cause. However that takes time and in the same way our personal relationships tend to start with coffees not marriage proposals, we believe that longer term social engagement starts with a fun communal experience, powered by brand partners who already have a connection to people and can make it easier walking through the door to civic action.?

That’s what it’s all about - RockCorps partnerships and experiences making people feel valued and inspired and kicking off a virtuous cycle of social impact.?

#volunteering #socialaction #communityaction