Volunteering Forum: What does the 2015 election mean for volunteering?
Thank you to everyone who joined us in Leeds on Tuesday 14 June for the Volunteering Forum, to talk about the 2015 election and what it means for volunteering.
After presentations from NCVO, the Institute for Government and Rob Pomfret (Head of Policy in the Social Action Team at the Cabinet Office) the discussion focused on devolution, reforms to public services and employer supported volunteering. Check out #volforum on Twitter to catch up on the conversation and follow @NCVOvolunteers to stay up to speed.
For further analysis on the election from NCVO – including how we see volunteering as one of the key opportunities – take a look at these blogs:
Save the date! The next Volunteering Forum will be held on 30 November in London
Employer Supported Volunteering: new policy to go ahead
In his blog, Justin Davis Smith welcomes the Conservatives’ proposal to offer a three day volunteering entitlement to all employees of public bodies and large companies. He says it has the “potential to bring about a sea-change in employer-supported volunteering and inject much needed skills and expertise into the voluntary and community sector”.
It would be good to hear your views and to learn of any good examples of businesses and voluntary groups which are doing this exchange well. Get in touch with us at volunteering@ncvo.org.uk
At NCVO, we’re on hand to help, details of what we offer can be found on our website
Budget 2015: key points and big questions
On 8 July, George Osborne announced the first entirely Conservative budget for almost two decades. Here is NCVO’s analysis of the changes, focused on what this means for the voluntary sector.
- The July 2015 Budget: how big, how blue, how beautiful?
- A budget full of implications for the voluntary sector
For further discussion, take a look at #volsecbudget on Twitter.
Youth Social Action: Demos’ recommendations to Government
In their new report, “Service Nation 2020”, Demos looks at how youth social action can “tackle some of our most pressing social problems” and makes recommendations for how the Government can harness and maximise the potential for youth social action.
At the launch event the Minister for Civil Society, Rob Wilson, announced a £1 million Youth Social Action Fund to encourage youth participation in social action.
Congratulations all round!
This month 11 organisations in England successfully renewed or achieved the Investing in Volunteers standard – congratulations to all the IiV Achievers!
Congratulations also to the following volunteer centres who recently achieved the VCQA Wave 4 Standard:
- Voluntary and Community Services Peaks and Dales
- Voluntary Action Leicestershire
- South Derbyshire CVS
- Lincolnshire Community and Voluntary Service
- East Durham Community Development Trust
- Newcastle Volunteer Centre
- Gateshead Voluntary Organisations Council (GVOC)
- Volunteer Centres County Durham
- Voluntary and Community Action South Bedfordshire
- Amber Valley CVS
- Daventry Volunteer Centre
Benchmarking volunteering activities
NCVO is conducting a survey looking at the potential benefits of organisations comparing or benchmarking their volunteering activities. Is this a service we should be developing & what would you want from such a service?
The survey should take around ten minutes to fill in and we would be really grateful if you could complete it.
Is training being overlooked for volunteer managers?
Do you manage or support volunteers? Jarina Choudhury, Volunteering Consultancy Development Officer, shares initial findings from NCVO’s Volunteering Development survey.
Upcoming Events:
Voluntary Sector & Volunteering Research conference
Join us at the leading annual research conference for the sector on 8 – 9 September in Leeds. Book your place.
Annual training seminar volunteer managers in the NHS
The National Association of Volunteer Managers’ Annual seminar is being held on 24 and 25 September in Birmingham. Find out more and book your place.
Mentoring and Befriending quality standard support workshops
New dates for Mentoring and Befriending quality standard support workshops confirmed. The Approved Provider Standard (APS) from Mentoring and Befriending at NCVO is the national quality standard designed specifically for all types of mentoring and befriending projects.
Trustee Conference 2015
Save the date! This year’s NCVO/BWB Trustee Conference will be held on 2 November in London. Email ncvoevents@ncvo.org.uk to register your interest.
Practical Support
Micro-volunteering: what is it? How can you do it? We’ve got the answers!
This research and guidance provides some practical tips on how to manage micro-volunteering successfully:
- Research – The value of giving a little time: Understanding the potential of micro-volunteering
- Guidance – Giving a little time: A practical guide to exploring and developing the potential of micro-volunteering for your organisation (PDF, 500KB)
Plus, in case you missed it, read our blog on how to “leave the micromanagement out of micro-volunteering”
We love hearing from you…
If you have any volunteering news or stories to share, of if you need any help, advice or support, please get in touch. You can also comment below or tweet us.
Emily was NCVO’s trainee volunteering development policy officer. She is interested in policy around volunteering, particularly diversity in volunteering, employability, volunteering in public services, and employer supported volunteering. 
