New app launched to support Basildon volunteering

A new mobile app, that allows Basildon volunteers to keep a complete record of their vital community contribution and gain volunteering achievement awards, has just been launched by Basildon, Billericay and Wickford Council for Voluntary Service (BBW CVS).

Called the Volunteer Activity Portal, the free app has been designed to reward volunteering through gamification, help organisations collect statistics about the work volunteers have contributed and champion volunteering within the community.

Volunteers can log any volunteering activity they have undertaken to gain digital achievement badges (that can be shared on social media etc) and they will also collect points for every hour they log which creates a running ‘Community Star Score’. Additionally, the app creates a bespoke downloadable ‘Volunteer Passport’, that provides a full record of their volunteering activity, which can be used as part of a job application or for further volunteering.

Steve Jeyes, Special Projects and Volunteer Manager at the BBW CVS said:

‘We’re really excited to release our new app, to make it easier for volunteers to access the Volunteer Activity Portal. Their contribution to society is invaluable, so it’s great to be able to reward them for all the important activities they do.’

From a growing list of organisations and activities in the borough and across the county, volunteers can not only log any formal volunteering activities they have undertaken but can also add any informal volunteering activity, like helping a neighbour or doing a sponsored walk.

The app is free to use and can be downloaded for mobile from the Play Store for Android devices and from the App Store for Apple devices. It can also be accessed via a browser by visiting www.volunteeractivityportal.co.uk or bbwvolunteernetwork.co.uk/volunteering/volunteer-activity-portal.