Date post: | 06-May-2015 |
Category: |
Business |
Upload: | association-of-volunteer-managers |
View: | 1,178 times |
Download: | 0 times |
An overview of ‘Modernising
Volunteering’ and results from Fresh Thinking researchJamie Thomas
Chief ExecutiveRed Foundation
Improving SupportCapacitybuilders funded programme of 11 national support services targeting local Third Sector infrastructure providers; one of the support services is ...
Modernising VolunteeringPartnership between:Volunteering EnglandNationwide FoundationNNVIA
Red Foundationv
Modernising Volunteering4 strands of work:
Skills based volunteering
Overcoming barriers
Faith based volunteering
New forms of involvement
Skills based volunteeringVolunteering England and Nationwide Foundation
Research undertaken and published
3 local pilots to explore a model of local delivery have been established
Darlington, Exeter and Oxfordshire Volunteer Centres
Support for the pilots is provided by Time and Talents at Westminster Volunteer Centre
Overcoming barriersNNVIA
Research undertaken and published
6 regional and 2 national Policy Action Community Teams have been established
Focus on developing policies and strategies about best practice in making volunteering accessible
Faith based volunteeringVolunteering England and v
Research undertaken and published
6 projects have been fundedShifa Trust; Jewish Volunteering Network; UK Islamic Mission; Multi Faith Derby; The Volunteer Centre Network, Newham; and Passion
Focus on improving young people’s leadership through volunteering with faith based organisations
New forms of involvementRed Foundation
The role of social network services in supporting volunteering
Improving the support for volunteer led volunteering
Developing the role of Volunteering Champions
Fresh Thinking research report published
Social network services and volunteering
We found that the volunteering movement is not maximising the potential of social network services
There is enormous potential in these new online relationship/communication networks
Less than 25% of volunteer involving organisations and volunteering support services are using them
But, the vast majority of these have found them to be successful
Social network services and volunteering
We also found that the volunteering movement wants
To be able to use the internet to interact with and develop information; identify support; and interact with others
More information about what social networking services are and how they can be used
And there is some demand for a volunteering specific social network service
Social network services and volunteering
In order to assist volunteer managers in online interaction we funded improvements to the AVM website
Social network services and volunteering
As a result, Red Foundation is using Modernising Volunteering funding to:
Work with Impetus/Brighton and Hove Volunteer Centre to develop a ‘case for support’
Run 9 basic training courses in use of social network services in 2009 (some spaces are still available)
Social network services and volunteering
In addition, Red Foundation is funding the development of
A pilot bespoke social network service for people that love volunteering.
Sign up to be a beta tester now!
Support for volunteer led volunteeringWe found:
The majority of organisations within the voluntary and community sector have no paid staff or very limited staff time and are dependent on volunteers for all of their activity
These will frequently be unaware of third sector support services available to them, and will fly beneath the radar of the very services that are there to support them
Support for volunteer led volunteeringWe frequently heard comments like:
“I had not appreciated that there were places to find volunteers and support.”
“The people I work with do not see themselves as volunteers and do not recognise that they are being managed. As a small community group we are not a very formal organisation in structure or operations.”
Support for volunteer led volunteeringWe found:
Volunteering support services should pay special attention to the specific needs of small informal groups and how to support them
There is an identified need to support governance in small organisations and within groups that undertake volunteer led activity
Support for volunteer led volunteeringAs a result, Red Foundation is using Modernising Volunteering funding to:
Work with Volunteer Centres Devon to explore the support needs of volunteer led organisations (we have already found over 2,000 in Exeter alone!) and how these can best be met by volunteering support services
Volunteering Champions We found:That the number of different ways in which the term Volunteering Champion is used causes confusion – and there are low levels of activity
The Commission on the Future of Volunteering’s recommendation about local strategic Volunteering Champions is too new to have been adopted in many areas, though there is interest
There is potential for an online network of Volunteering Champions
Volunteering ChampionsAs a result, Red Foundation is using Modernising Volunteering funding to:
Work with Warwickshire County Council to develop and pilot a local strategic Volunteering Champions scheme and explore the potential for a virtual network of Volunteering Champions
Additional activity We were commissioned by Capacitybuilders to provide training on employer supported volunteering for Third Sector infrastructure providers not wanting to set up a brokerage scheme; this was well receivedCapacitybuilders have asked us to deliver a further 9 training sessions on this during 2009 (some spaces are still available)
Additional activity We are delivering at least 9 dissemination sessions around the country this year (and this is 1 of them)In early 2011 we will be delivering 9 regional events to disseminate our final findings and offer practical workshops on the areas we have explored
Further informationYou can find out more about the Modernising Volunteering Programme at
www.improvingsupport.org.uk/volunteering
To follow up any of the activity that Red Foundation is delivering you can contact us at