Getting Involved
This month, NCVO launched a new publication, Getting Involved: How people make a difference (pdf, 3.4MB).
Drawing on extensive data from a range of sources, Getting Involved looks at the many ways in which different people participate in society, including charitable giving, ethical consumption – and volunteering.
It’s clear that the extraordinary capacity for people to help one another is alive and strong, though the report does highlight how diversity among volunteers is a concern. I address the question of diversity on the blog.
National Volunteering Forum – volunteering and wellbeing
Does volunteering really contribute to wellbeing and happiness? Is there any evidence? And if there is, how do we promote and demonstrate it?
Join us and a panel of experts on 9 February in London to explore current evidence and thinking about wellbeing and volunteering and consider how our organisations can practically promote wellbeing through volunteering.
Volunteers from overseas: new guidance
We have created new guidance to help volunteer managers understand the rules about volunteers from overseas. This is free to all.
The rules can be complicated, but we don’t want people to be turned away from giving their time. We have therefore outlined the restrictions to volunteering for each visa and provided best practice guidance for conducting right to work checks.
Thank you to NCVO trusted suppliers Roots HR CIC for their input.
Safer volunteering in migrant camps
NCVO have produced content to enable better and safer volunteering in migrant camps.
Since the migrant crisis first made headlines in 2015, members of the British public have shown extraordinary generosity by volunteering across Europe. However, in doing so, volunteers were thrown into difficult environments and some organisations lacked the structure to manage a large number of volunteers.
Through an expert stakeholder group made up of NGOs and community organisations, and interviews with volunteers, we have produced six information sheets with accompanying videos to help volunteers and organisations better prepare. We have worked in partnership with the Home Office to produce this content.
Full-time social action review: NCVO response
NCVO has responded to the DMCS independent full-time social action review.
We are supportive of growing high-quality full-time social action but have concerns over a proposed legal status for full-time volunteers. Our response suggests alternative routes to grow opportunities.
Sir Stuart Etherington, chief executive of NCVO, also gave his thoughts on the need for a legal status at an oral evidence session for the Lords Committee on citizenship and civic engagement. You can access the full transcript and recording of the session on the committee’s web page.
Trends in volunteering: free webinar
Catch up on our free webinar on trends in volunteering.
Jarina Choudhury, volunteering development consultant at NCVO, looks at the way in which people give their time is changing, and how charities can adapt their volunteering roles accordingly.
#iwill Week 2017
20–24 November was #iwill week, which celebrated the impact of young volunteers on the fourth-year anniversary of the #iwill campaign. Craig Bateman, #iwill ambassador, wrote a guest post on the blog about how volunteering has shaped his life and how it can shape others.
The week saw the announcement of new #iwill ambassadors, a new youth social action quality mark, and a renewal of cross-party support for the #iwill campaign from the Prime Minister and Leader of the Opposition.
Also during the week, Team London, Thrive LDN and the #iwill Fund announced new grants of up to £10,000 for projects aimed at improving wellbeing and emotional resilience among disadvantaged young people through volunteering. Here’s all the information and how you can apply.
Upcoming training
NCVO offer a range of training courses, including e-learning, one-day events and annual conferences. Here’s what’s coming up:
- Good practice in volunteer management – 2 February. Understand the key principles of good practice in volunteer management and how to apply them to your organisation.
- Assessing the impact of your volunteers – 8 February. Step-by-step guidance on how to use the VIAT to assess the impact your volunteers are having your organisation, your beneficiaries, and themselves.
- Volunteering and the law – 16 March. Better understand volunteering in relation to issues such as safeguarding, data protection and health and safety.
- Data protection reform training. A course to help you navigate the new General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) reforms.
Up until July 2018, Will supported NCVO’s policy work on volunteering development. His interests include the role of volunteering in public services and removing barriers to youth volunteering. He produced the monthly volunteering round-up blog and supported Volunteers’ Week. 
