Jamie Thomas
Founder and CEO
Jamie started his career in the volunteering sector in 1995, leading the Kensington & Chelsea Volunteer Bureau which became renowned for its ability to generate new business and pioneer new ideas. These included the controversial campaign 'the nation's second favourite pastime' which received international recognition, and a virtual volunteer bureau, a pilot for a national project to follow.
In 1999 he was head hunted by YouthNet UK to set up the country's first search engine for volunteering opportunities and to lead their consumer marketing and communications. do-it.org.uk was launched by Tony Blair in 2000 and has since become a key recruitment tool for many volunteer involving organisations. 
Whilst at YouthNet Jamie exploited new online marketing techniques, driving traffic to 500k users a month for online advice service TheSite.org and enabling the charity to win a number of industry awards, including Marketing magazine 2003 Best Online and Best Overall Campaign for the Drugs Boy viral series.
In 2003 Jamie moved to the Home Office Active Community Unit as deputy director with responsibility for community participation. There he commissioned the UK's first digital TV red button service for the charity sector - which raised millions for the Tsunami appeal - along with a national identity for volunteer centres. He also established the Volunteer Recruitment Fund and the Gold Star exemplar programme which is still in place today.
In 2004 Jamie co-established and ran the Russell Commission, serving as Ian Russell's chief advisor and leading the secretariat. This review of youth volunteering made its report a year later resulting in the Treasury committing up to £100m to implement the Commission's recommendations for a new national framework for youth action and engagement.
Following a brief period as a freelance consultant, Jamie set up Red Foundation in 2006 which he has led since and recently launched the social media project i-volunteer.org.uk which launched on International Volunteer Day 2009.
Jamie is a professional coach and volunteers as a trustee for Brighton and Hove Impetus; he also serves as an advisor for the Community Channel and was a member of the Experts' Advisory Group for the Ministry of Justice's Youth Citizenship Commission which published its report 'Making the Connection' in June 2009. He is a member of the Profile Raising Action Group taking forward key recommendations from the Commission on the Future of Volunteering.
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