Volunteering round up: June 2017

Volunteers’ Week 2017: you make the difference

Thank you to all those who joined Volunteers’ Week to tell volunteers everywhere – ‘you make the difference’. We’ve collected some of our favourite pictures of the week on our Pinterest board.

At over 700 events across the UK, volunteers were thanked for their contribution to people, organisations and communities. We loved seeing you get creative at your events and hearing your inspiring stories of how volunteers’ make the difference.

While you wait for next year, have a look at some of our fantastic resources released during the week:

• Blogs from volunteers and volunteer managers
• Case studies from volunteer centres in Bradford, Tower Hamlets and Dorset
• Joint blog from Step up To Serve and V Inspired on youth volunteering
• How-to guide on employer supported volunteering

We also released our first ever podcast – hosted by Karl Wilding. Hear about the challenges and opportunities around flexible volunteering with volunteering experts from NCVO, National Trust, RSPB and Greater London Volunteering.

And finally, watch this short video on latest volunteering data. For more great volunteering data visit the NCVO Almanac.

General election 2017: what now for volunteering?

Another surprise election outcome will have many charities asking, what does a hung parliament mean for us?

The insecure position of the government position creates both difficulties and opportunities for charities looking to influence. We will continue to remind politicians of the importance of volunteering, as outlined in our election manifesto.  This manifesto aims to shape an agenda for change. We invite you to work with us and contribute your thoughts as we go forward.

With all the election noise, it is important to thank Rob Wilson for his work as minister for civil society – in particular, his commitment to growing volunteering among young people. Rob Wilson has lost his seat of Reading East and we expect a new appointment to his former ministerial role in the coming weeks.

Safer volunteering in migrant camps

We have been working in partnership with the Home Office and Kindred Agency to develop a series of factsheets for organisations sending volunteers to refugee and migrant camps in Europe. The factsheets contain good practice and relevant resources on volunteer recruitment and understanding irregular migration.

We are grateful to the charities and NGOs that have helped to inform and shape the content of the factsheets which will be available online in July.

We are looking for organisational representatives and individuals who would like to speak on camera about their volunteering experiences in camps. These interviews will be made into videos to accompany the factsheets as part of a social media campaign about the risks and dangers of trafficking and smuggling. To find out more and to register your interest, please email Jarina by Wednesday 21 June.

Full time social action

We discussed the full time social action review with 50 charity representatives at our latest National Volunteering Forum (NVF). We discussed the review in our March round-up

A panel of experts debated the key issues surrounding the review – including accessibility, the benefits of youth social action and potential legal implications. Our Storify summarises the day

We will work with members to support their input into the review and the thoughts and suggestions shared at the NVF are the start of this process. Please get in touch if you would like to share your views and get involved.

European Volunteering Capital 2019 Deadline

The deadline to apply for European Volunteering Capital 2019 is 30 June. The honour recognises somewhere in Europe which is doing great things to build, support and grow volunteering.

Sligo, Ireland is the current capital and Aarhus in Denmark will host in 2018. London was the capital in 2016.

Know a JCB Hero?

JCB Workwear are searching for professionals from the trades, construction and agricultural industries who volunteer to make a positive contribution to the area where they live. Find out how to nominate

Jarina is on the judging panel – with winners of the JCB Heroes Award in line for a 12-month clothing sponsorship worth over £500.

Suggested reading

• PQASSO manager Nadeem blogs about the undervalued ways trustees make a difference to charities.
• Matt examines the evidence behind barriers to volunteering for over 75s – and what we can do to overcome them.
• Paul and Kristen discuss how government can help unemployed people get back in the job market by supporting unemployed people to volunteer.
• New Philanthropy Capital have some interesting volunteering findings in their annual report looking at how charities can adapt to current pressures and opportunities
• The Office for National Statistics (ONS) joined us for a breakfast seminar during Volunteers’ Week to discuss volunteering trends. Read write-up from Third Sector here (subscription required)

Training and events

NCVO training

• Volunteering and the law – 3 July. Understand volunteering in relation to safeguarding, data protection and health and safety
• Data protection reform – 28 July. Navigate the new General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) reforms
• Assessing the impact of your volunteers – 1 November. Step-by-step guidance on how to use our toolkit to assess the impact of your volunteers

Trustee Conference 2017: Good governance in action

Join 400 colleagues from across the sector at the leading annual event for trustees on 14 November. Find out how you can ensure your organisation follows best practice on good governance to comply with tighter regulations and higher expectations.

Help keep volunteers safe – free training

The British Safety Council are offering free 90-minute workshops on practical ways to assess and reduce risks. This is relevant to anyone planning volunteering activities and who want to know more about keeping people safe. Workshops will be held on 30 June and 1 July.