I have 20 years of specialist experience in strategic volunteer involvement and have worked with over 40 organisations across a wide range of sectors. I was the keynote speaker at the 2025 DSC Conference on the Future of Volunteering and regularly deliver training and speaker sessions to national audiences.

In 2013, I led a pioneering infrastructure project supporting people with convictions to access volunteering and enabling organisations to create safe, inclusive roles. As part of this, I established the UK’s first volunteer centre inside a prison, working with Nesta, NCVO, and the Cabinet Office to pilot an innovative through-the-gate model. The programme expanded nationally and demonstrated the powerful role of volunteering in reducing reoffending.

Before setting up my consultancy, I worked for 13 years in volunteer leadership roles — managing local volunteer centres, university programmes, and leading national volunteering strategies at organisations like Parkinson’s UK and England Netball. I also conducted research for Historic England Archive during the pandemic, exploring how volunteering models could adapt in a remote and digital environment.

I now support charities to develop meaningful, research-led volunteer strategies, evaluate and improve programmes, and shape the infrastructure needed to sustain effective volunteer engagement. I also deliver specialist training — including the Association of Volunteer Managers’ annual Volunteer Strategy Masterclass.

Clients

My clients have included Blood Cancer UK, Citizens Advice UK, Dogs Trust, Marine Conservation Society, Historic England Archive, the Centre for European Volunteering, Kinship, Vision for Volunteering, MACC, V&A, NCVO, Sport England, Surfers Against Sewage, Peak District National Park Authority, and a wide range of regional and grassroots organisations, including several Volunteer Centres.

Services Offered

• Volunteer strategy development and reviews

• Evaluation of volunteer programmes

• Bespoke research into volunteer engagement

• Interim leadership and team support

• Training and workshops for teams, boards, and networks