Accessible Volunteering & The Power of Lived Experience with Mencap’s Anne-Marie Zaritsky

In this episode of the Time for Impact Podcast, host Matt Cobble is joined by Anne-Marie Zaritsky, the Head of Volunteering and Inclusion at the learning disilbilities charity, Mencap.Together, they explore the mechanisms behind Mencap’s success in creating a genuinely inclusive environment. Moving beyond tick-box exercises, Anne-Marie shares how the charity ensures volunteering is accessible not just for people with learning difficulties, but for everyone.Crucially, this conversation challenges the idea that large charities must have a "blueprint" for every issue. Matt and Anne-Marie discuss why Mencap does not try to speak for all communities. Instead, they explore the charity's role as a convenor—creating the space for local people to come together, share their lived experience, and build the solutions that actually work for them.Universal Inclusion: How Mencap breaks down barriers to make volunteering accessible and inclusive to all, creating a model that benefits the wider community.From Blueprint to Convenor: Why Mencap avoids top-down answers in favour of bringing local people together to solve community-specific issues.Representation at Every Level: How people with learning difficulties are involved in shaping Mencap’s work, from the ground floor to governance.Bridging HR and Volunteering: Maximising the learning exchange between volunteering departments and HR to create a holistic approach to inclusion.The Culture "Glue": A dive into how Mencap’s organisational culture binds these elements together and enables their continued success.We hope you enjoyed this deep dive into inclusive leadership. Please remember that Time for Impact is more than just a show—we are a dedicated resource for the third sector.We provide strategic insights for charities and volunteer professionals, offering services that include:Strategic ConsultancyProfessional TrainingImpact Measurement ToolsExperience Surveys and Data AnalysisIf you are looking to elevate your organisation's impact, get in touch with us to see how we can help.If you found value in this episode and would like to say thank you, you can support the production of the show by buying us a virtual cup of coffee!👉 https://buymeacoffee.com/chriswadetfi