Top seven issues facing volunteering

What are the big issues in volunteering today?

Well how about these for starters:

1. How can we build and strengthen the volunteering infrastructure which underpins much of the social action which takes place in our communities?
2. How can we develop meaningful partnerships between the volunteering movement and the statutory and business sectors, based on the principle of co-production?
3. What role is there for volunteering in the delivery of public services? What are the opportunities and dangers? How can we reform the commissioning environment so that it takes appropriate account of the contribution that volunteers can make?
4. What contribution can volunteering make to aiding employability? How can we safeguard the integrity of volunteering as an act freely given?
5. How can we increase the value, impact and recognition of volunteer management?
6. How can we re-shape the voluntary sector to take account of young people’s aspirations and ambitions?
7. How can we harness the benefits of digital technology and get a better blend of online and face-to-face social action?

Be involved

If you have strong views on these, or any other volunteering-related issues, or if you just want to hear what others think, and reflect on the implications for your work, then make sure you are at the Brewery in London on 16 June for the Evolve conference, the biggest event of its kind in the volunteering and voluntary sector calendar. You might be especially interested in our Evolve workshops:

• Understanding the new public service commissioning environment and volunteer’s place within it
• Building effective and sustainable foundations to develop the full value of volunteering
• Increasing the value and impact of volunteer management.

The conference will be a heady mix of great keynote speakers, interactive workshops and fringe meetings, a packed market place and, most important of all, space to meet and network with friends and colleagues. Participants will include CEO’s, volunteer managers, heads of Volunteer Centres and Councils for Voluntary Services, trustees and other volunteers. There will be representatives from the public, private, voluntary and community sectors and from no sector at all – all linked by a passion for, and commitment to, voluntary action, and a desire to learn from, and share, experiences and ideas.

The future of volunteering

There is unprecedented interest in volunteering from all parties, which presents both opportunities and dangers. Funding for volunteering is tighter than it has ever been, particularly for infrastructure organisations, and yet demand has never been higher. New technology is opening up new access routes and opportunities for people to participate, but the value of face-to-face volunteering has never been more apparent. Volunteering is both timeless and characterised by an ability to keep itself relevant for a rapidly changing world. Do join us to take part in the Big Volunteering Debate as we consider the future of this great movement.

Find out more about Evolve, including how to book your place.