As the year draws to a close we want to take this opportunity to show our deep appreciation to the 50 precious volunteers who willingly give up their valuable time, energy and resources on a weekly basis to make the daily running of A Step FWD, the UK Christian Charts, PIA London, annual Step FWD Awards and the many activities and partnerships possible.
Many hours of labour go into compiling and curating the monthly charts, producing content and updating the website, designing graphics, managing social media and responding to emails, just to mention a few of the ongoing tasks that are needed for A Step FWD to function. To give you some idea of how much work is involved, in the twelve month period ending in July 2022 there were 763 song submissions to process, categorise and circulate for inclusion in the charts. Thousands of voting interactions were facilitated each month and a whopping 650+ articles published on AStepFWD.com. Over 80 new artists were contacted, encouraged and supported individually via consultations and through the platform. Across the year we hosted major events such as Graham Kendrick 50th Anniversary Celebration, Poets in Autumn World Tour (London) and the 2nd annual Step FWD Awards. All achieved by volunteers! We were also involved in delivering many other events including Uni Gospel Choir Festival, Solos London, Limoblaze’s sold out Afrogospel Showcase and BeBe Winans & Friends to name a few.
Whereas for the majority of the year our focus is on championing Christian and Gospel music artists, providing a platform to showcase their achievements, it is our volunteers that are meriting an extra special mention. In the spirit of the principle underpinning the annual Step FWD Awards of ‘honouring one another’ from Romans 12:10, it is fitting that we include A Step FWD volunteers in giving them a special mention for their relentless hard work, often unseen behind the scenes.
Look out for posts featuring our volunteers on our social media pages in coming days sharing their experience of volunteering. As we ask existing volunteers to consider their circumstances before committing to continuing for another year, we will also be encouraging those out there with an interest in supporting A Step FWD, a passion for music and ability to commit at least an hour per week to apply to be part of the Step FWD team as a new volunteer. What are you waiting for? Put in your application today!
If you are unable to commit the time, but would like to support the work A Step FWD does, as a not-for-profit organisation we are always grateful for donations.
