Get Ready for Volunteers’ Week 2015, 1–7 June

It’s the year’s biggest celebration of volunteering and you’re invited!

Volunteers’ Week is a time to recognise and celebrate the fantastic contribution made by the millions of people who volunteer across the UK. It is an annual event that takes place every year, 1-7 June.

This year we want to make it the biggest celebration of volunteering we have ever seen, encouraging as many organisations and individuals as possible to get involved in the week, to showcase and celebrate the amazing impact that volunteers make across our society.

Celebrating Volunteers’ Week is a great way not only to say ‘thank you’ and highlight the impact volunteers are making to your organisation, but also to help to showcase the range of ways that new volunteers can get involved, and share stories and experiences to inspire others. For example, running one-off taster sessions during the week can be a great way to engage new or existing volunteers who might want to try a different role.

How you can get involved…..

Sign up for your free resource pack

This year we revamped our free digital resource pack for Volunteers’ Week. It provides you with ideas and some new exciting resources to get started, and to help make your Volunteers’ Week a success. It includes templates if you are running an event or awards ceremony, as well as guidance on recruiting volunteers and developing new roles. Over 1000 people have signed up so far!

Put your event on the map

You can also post any events which you are running during the week on the Volunteers’ Week events map. This could be an awards ceremony to celebrate and thank your volunteers, or a recruitment event to attract new potential volunteers. A number of events have already been posted on the map, including the BBC My Bradford Project, working in partnership with Volunteer Centre Bradford to celebrate the fantastic work done by the thousands of volunteers across the district, through film and photography. These images will be shared during Volunteers’ Week on the BBC screen in Centenary Square in Bradford.

Share how you’re celebrating on social media

@NCVOvolunteers will be encouraging everyone to celebrate and say thank you on social media using #volunteersweek. If you volunteer we want to hear about what inspires you to do it, how your volunteering helps others, or how it has helped you, through photos and videos using #ivolunteer. You can find your #ivolunteer banner in the digital resource pack. We will be sharing some of the most inspiring examples on our Volunteers’ Week 2015 Pinterest Board. #ivolunteer showcases the diversity of volunteering roles, celebrates the impact volunteers are having in their communities, and inspires others to get involved.