Volunteering with the Royal British Legion Poppy Appeal

The Poppy Appeal provides the largest fundraising income for the Royal British Legion, a charitable organisation dedicated to providing social and emotional support to members and veterans of the British Armed Forces, their families and dependants.

The charity still organises its volunteers and collections for the Poppy Appeal across the British Legion club network, rather than at a centralised national level, and the volunteers you see selling poppies are often involved directly with the charity and connected to or a family member within the Armed Forces.

This grass roots level volunteering creates huge dedication and relies on self-organisation and networking with organisations and businesses in the local community. As the Volunteer Organiser, I utilise my skill-sets around organisation, communication and strategic planning to engage existing and new supporters to efficiently collaborate with volunteers.

Practical responsibilities include ordering stock for the volunteers, including the famous blue boxes and collection tins, creating schedules for volunteers and arranging restocking and tin collection. I also spend time briefing volunteers on protocol and responses to a range of different questions. I encourage people to volunteer in pairs and allocate specific locations for additional safety.

Additional responsibilities include creating strong relationships with local organisations, including sports clubs and schools, and local businesses to develop opportunities for collaboration across the appeal. This may include allowing volunteers to fund raise at a match or event, or simply having a poppy box and collection tin available within their shop or business.

I started volunteering for the Royal British Legion at school selling poppies. My Grandfather had been in the Navy for 35 years and led his local British Legion group, so the Poppy Appeal had particular significance growing up.  

When my Grandfather passed away in 2012, I signed up to run the London Marathon in 2013, to raise the money he would have done for that year’s collection. I moved on from individual fundraising to becoming more involved as a local volunteer in 2018, becoming the Poppy Appeal Volunteer Organiser for Richmond upon Thames in 2019.