Helping a small charity double its capacity

“Spotlight YOPD supports people diagnosed with Parkinson’s under the age of 50,” Dawn explains. “Often they’re still working, maybe at university, raising young families – and dealing with a life-changing condition. We create a network so they can talk to people in a similar situation.”

The charity, which marks its tenth anniversary this year, is entirely volunteer run. Many trustees and volunteers have a personal connection to young onset Parkinson’s, which brings passion – but also practical challenges.

Small

“We’re small, we’re patient-led, and we have no paid staff,” Dawn says. “That can create capacity issues because people are also managing the condition themselves or supporting family members. So it’s really great to have an organisation that supports small charities like us.”

Reach has become central to how Spotlight YOPD builds that support. The charity uses the platform to advertise trustee and volunteer roles, from governance to hands-on community work.

“We’ve recruited charity secretaries, trustees and finance volunteers through Reach,” Dawn says. “We always create a clear role description and link to our website and social media so people understand our values and what we do.”

Doubled

That clarity has paid off. In the past year alone, the charity has more than doubled its volunteer numbers.

“We’ve gone from six to 13 volunteers – which feels like a huge explosion for us,” she laughs. “We’ve used Reach as our primary advertising point.”

The range of people coming forward has been especially encouraging. Dawn highlights the diversity in age and background, including students and people early in their careers.

Diversity

“We’ve had students on visas looking for UK volunteering experience, people studying accountancy who’ve helped us set up a new finance platform, and media and comms students who join for specific projects,” she says. “Sometimes they stay longer term, sometimes they come in, do a piece of work and move on – but it’s great that they’re using Reach as a portal to access those opportunities.”

For Spotlight YOPD, this flexible, skills-based volunteering makes a tangible difference. Volunteers have strengthened governance, improved financial systems and expanded communications – all vital for a small charity supporting a growing community.

Mutual benefit 

But Dawn is clear that the benefits flow both ways.

“That’s the beauty of volunteering, isn’t it? It should be of mutual benefit,” she says. “As a volunteer, it’s about meeting new people, networking, learning about a different organisation, adding to your CV – but also contributing back to society. I’m a great believer in that double benefit.”

Just as important is how easy Reach makes the process for a time-stretched team.

Simple

“The one thing that keeps us coming back to Reach is that it’s simple to use,” Dawn says. “It’s easy for us to upload roles, easy for volunteers to access, and if we’ve had any problems, there’s good support and guidance. Tangibly, it saves us time.”

For a small, patient-led charity with big ambitions, that time saved – and the skilled volunteers gained – is invaluable. Through Reach, Spotlight YOPD is not only strengthening its organisation, but building a wider community of people connected by purpose, skills and shared impact.