Guest Blog: Hattie Billingham, SOSAD Dundalk

Louth Volunteer Leader Awards Profile - Hattie Billingham

The 2021 Louth Volunteer Leader Awards are coming up, and this week we will be profiling our three 2020 winners. We hope their stories will inspire you to nominate someone in your life who has made a special impact on your volunteering journey.

Hattie is the Volunteer Coordinator in SOSAD’s Dundalk office. According to the person that nominated her, she is a ‘complete diamond’, and ‘the place would be lost without her creativity and hard work. She’s really kept the place ticking away in these crazy times.’.

Hattie’s Volunteering Journey

Hattie originally started off with SOSAD as a volunteer in Drogheda, where she took up role as admin suicide intervention officer and support worker. She is now the Volunteer Coordinator in SOSAD’s Dundalk office.

When the position came up in Dundalk, she’d been in Drogheda for a number of years. She now coordinates not just volunteers, but the entire service.

A typical day at SOSAD can vary greatly depending on the role. The typical role most people think of is the administration role. These volunteers work four hours a week in the office, where they man the phones and answer the emails. There’s also the helpline and the messaging roles, which are both work from home but they are still very involved in the organisation via Zoom calls - something which Hattie considers to be very important.

Hattie’s Tips For Volunteer Leaders

To Hattie, volunteer leadership is all about setting an example, and being a part of the team. She doesn’t see herself as ‘above’ anyone - she describes her position as ‘just another cog in the wheel that keeps the organisation going’.

She says the key to success is knowing your volunteers well, figuring out what they’re good at and what areas they find exciting. If you can figure this out, you’ll have a happy team of volunteers that excel at what they do.

SOSAD volunteers say that she’s always there to help them when a tough case comes up, which they really appreciate.

Another key factor in Hattie’s leadership success is her compassion and friendliness. ‘There’s a fine balance you have to have when you’re managing volunteers. Like in any leadership role, you must be organized and focused. But when you’re working with volunteers, you have to be passionate about what you’re doing. You have to be calm, able to handle all sorts of events. Being friendly is important - it makes the role much easier when you can get along with everyone. Being approachable and open to talking to people is an important quality.’

Hattie’s tips:

Hattie says that sometimes the volume of volunteers can be a challenge. Still, she says that making your volunteers your top priority is absolutely crucial. ‘It has to be your top priority to make time to check in with your volunteers and see how they are getting on.’

Another useful tip that Hattie has shared is in regards to taking on new volunteers and keeping them engaged. In a sensitive volunteer role at SOSAD there can be a few weeks delay between the initial expression of interest and the commencement of the training date. Hattie recommends checking in with new volunteers before their training starts so that they don’t lose engagement. ‘You have to be transparent and let them know what you’re expecting, and let them know they can come to you for help any time, even before the training begins.’

Winning the LVLA

It’s safe to say that it was a shock - she didn’t even know she’d been nominated! However, she says that knowing the work she’s putting in is being seen by the volunteers, and knowing that they feel supported, is very touching.

‘Hattie makes volunteering in SOSAD a joy. She makes the service open to anybody to volunteer, no matter what their skill sets are.’

The winners will be announced on the fifth of November. This year there’s five categories: a special COVID 19 category, and a category for those who lead young people. These awards are county-wide. Once again, Sarah McKenna will be designing and creating the awards.

2021 Louth Volunteer Leader Awards

It’s time to find our next round of legendary leaders in Louth. The Louth Volunteer Leader Awards will be taking place on November 5th, and they are the perfect opportunity for volunteers to show their gratitude for the leaders who have supported them.

We know there are loads of these legendary leaders in Louth - let them know their community notices what they are doing and appreciates it!

There are five nomination categories - Drogheda/South Louth, Mid Louth, Dundalk/North Loud, Leading Young Volunteers (county wide), and the COVID-19 category (countywide.) You can nominate multiple people in any category. All nominees will receive a certificate and thank you card and five nominees will be shortlisted for awards.

Nominations close October 19th at midnight, so show your appreciation and get those nominations in!

Happy Volunteering!