One of the most rewarding things we've seen as we build the Stitch Community is the ever-increasing number of members who would like to volunteer their time and experience to help the community in some way. 

We think this says a lot about how more and more people are starting to understand the importance of Stitch's social mission. 

We've also learned, however, that all our members are different, and often have different ways they'd like to get involved to help in some way.

Some members love the idea of getting the community started in their area, but many others live in an active area already or would prefer to get involved in other ways. 

So we've come up with four broad options for the different ways Stitch members can volunteer to help the community in ways that suit their interests, availability, skills, and experience. These are: 

The sections below give a high-level overview of the different types of volunteering we're currently working on at Stitch. Please have a read, follow the links for more details, and if you'd like to get involved then please register your interest!

PLEASE NOTE: The Stitch volunteering program is primarily designed for Stitch members, which means you need to be aged 50 or over to participate. If you are under 50 but would like to contribute in some way, then please reach out to us and we would be happy to chat. 

Community Champion Volunteers are people who would like to help the community get started or more active in their area or beyond, and are attracted to the idea of organizing regular events to help people connect.

Stitch now has a structured program to provide guidance, support, encouragement, and assistance to members who would like to become Community Champions, called the Stitch Pioneer Program.

It's called the Pioneer Program because our community volunteers are the pioneers helping to establish communities and build social connections in new areas.

That might make it sound like a lot of work, but it's not: it's the best volunteering role in the world, because it's all about having fun.

But it's having fun with purpose.

Community Pioneers grow the community in new areas by:

Pioneers who have joined the program have told us it's been one of the best things they have done since joining Stitch! You can learn more about Community Pioneer Volunteering by selecting the button below.

Community Evangelist Volunteers are people who want to help spread the word about Stitch, raise awareness of the community, and help get new members to join or community organizations to participate.

Community Evangelists get involved in a variety of ways, which can include:

You don't need to be a member of Stitch to volunteer for some of these activities, but it definitely helps if you are. 

Learn more about Community Evangelist Volunteering by selecting the button below.

Community Enablers are people who want to assist individual members of the community who face barriers which prevent them from fully participating.

Stitch is increasingly being contacted by local community organizations who serve older adults who may be socially isolated and would love to participate in Stitch, but face barriers such as lack of access to technology which prevent them from doing so. 

Stitch will be working with these community organizations to maintain a register of people who need a little bit of help to be part of Stitch, and to buddy them with Community Enabler Volunteers in their area. Community Enablers may get involved in a variety of ways, which may include:

You don't need to be a member of Stitch to be a Community Enabler Volunteer, but it's great if you are.

Learn more about Community Enabler Volunteering by selecting the button below.

Community Expert Volunteers are people who have other skills or expertise they would like to contribute to the Stitch Community to help make it successful.

In case you're not aware, the Stitch team itself is extremely small (only 5 employees!) and the fact we're a social enterprise means we are always likely to be constrained by very limited resources. 

We do, however, have a wealth of incredible members who have lifetimes developing unique skills and expertise that can be used to assist the Stitch Community. 

There really is no limit to the sorts of things which Community Expert Volunteers can get involved in, but some examples of areas we have had help from members have included:

Learn more about Community Enabler Volunteering by selecting the button below.

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