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Volunteering and sector news

Action Learning  – Practical Problem Solving

The Experts in Volunteering team offered a free Action Learning taster session at GLV’s network event last month.

Originally created for the National Coal Board in 1945, it’s an internationally recognised development method that really works!

Take a look at the presentation below and have a browse through the Experts in Volunteering website to find out more and see how it could work for you.

GLV Action Learning Presentation April 12

Sustainable Experts, Over To You!

After three years dedicated work to recognise, improve and invest in volunteer management in London, the Big Lottery funded Experts in Volunteers project comes to a close and hands over to our network to continue the cause.

With review and reflection on the key aims and achievements, the team unveiled the all-encompassing new resource available to all London Volunteer Centres and GLV members to ensure the legacy lives on.

Created and designed by the team, assisted by network consultant James Banks, the Experts in Volunteering Toolkit is a small stick that packs a huge punch in pulling together a wealth of resources and information to help organisations achieve the best possible levels of good practice in volunteer management – including generic health checks, actions plans, Charters and links to useful organisations and sites. All present unanimously agreed it was a fantastic, quality tool and a more than fitting highlight for the project.

If any further convincing of the impact and importance of the project was needed, Jennette from Shepherds Bush Housing Association offered her personal experience. As a team of one, she reviewed and questioned existing processes and policies, found it immensely useful to have a one-stop resource base, gained effective benchmarking which, in some areas, grew confidence in how she and her organisation were performing. Overall it led to greater interaction, input and feedback from volunteers themselves as they could see the value and investment being made in their support. She also highly recommended Action Learning.

Add to that, a quiz and unique cake and you have a practical, inspiring and fun morning to go forward with, all thanks to the fantastic team of Anne, Jen, Lisa, Marzena, May and Nia, who will be sorely missed.

Plans are in place for all members to receive their free toolkits by the end of May – the team will be in touch.

In the meantime, why not have a little fun learning about the project and have a crack at the Experts quiz…for the competitively minded answers available by emailing GLV!

GLV Experts Quiz – Apr 12

Team London Achievement Awards

City Hall hosted an inspiring evening to celebrate volunteering throughout the Capital at the Mayor’s first Team London Achievement Awards.

Filled with entertainment, courtesy of Hardeep Singh Kohli, and with celebrity spots from Barbara Windsor to Premier player Keiron Gibbs, the real stars of the night were the many individuals, teams and organisations that have given hundreds of hours of time supporting their communities.

Each and every nominee was a worthy contender but after rigorous and difficult shortlisting, our congratulations go out to the final winners, as announced last night (1 March):

Individuals:

Gordon McArthur (Building Stronger Neighbourhoods)

David Hughes (Cleaning & Greening London)

Sania Sehbai (Improving Community Safety)

Charmain Charles (Increasing Opportunities for Youth)

Teams:

CSV Respect Us, Trinity Special Education Needs School (Building Stronger Neighbourhoods)

Gardening Group – Older Peoples Networkers (Cleaning & Greening London)

Youth Team, Volunteer Police Cadets (Improving Community Safety)

KEEN London Senior Coaches (Increasing Opportunties for Youth)

Longevity:

Frank Smith (Building Stronger Neighbourhoods)

Eugene Callinan (Cleaning & Greening London)

Ray Hudson (Improving Community Safety)

Sylvia Burt  (Increasing Opportunities for Youth)

Organisations / Best Practice in Volunteer Management:

London Borough of Merton Libraries & Heritage Services (Building Stronger Neighbourhoods)

Sydenham Garden (Cleaning & Greening London)

Blenheim CDP Volunteer Programme (Improving Community Safety)

Family Mosaic Housing Association (Increasing Opportunities for Youth)

Brightest Team London Star

Ernest Merritt

Mayor’s Award

Darwin Bernardo

See the official pictures and more information on the winners on the Team London website.

GLV Network Day

On a bitterly cold day, including snowfall, everyone who braved the weather was rewarded with a warm welcome, engaging discussions, interesting presentations, lots of updates and plenty of networking.  For a reminder (or to see what you missed) take a look below.

Volunteer Passport Presentation

London Funders Presentation Feb 2012

Hot Topics 8 Feb 12

Notes from GLV Network Day – 8 Feb 12

Team London Achievement Awards

** Deadline extended to 5pm Friday 3 February 2012 **

In partnership with Greater London Volunteering (GLV), Mayor Boris Johnson is calling on Londoners to nominate their top volunteers for the first annual Team London Achievement Awards. The awards will celebrate the positive effect volunteering can have in our communities and recognise the unsung heroes who give up their time to help others.

Four awards will be made under the categories of Improving Community Safety, Increasing Youth Opportunities, Building Stronger Neighbourhoods and Cleaning & Greening London plus one special Mayor’s Award.   Individual volunteers, teams or volunteering organisations can all be nominated as long as they are based in London and their contributions benefit London or Londoners.

The Mayor of London, Boris Johnson, says “The Team London Achievement Awards are our chance to celebrate not only the excellence of volunteers but the amazing things we can accomplish when we work together to make London the best city it can be. We want to ensure that the volunteering heroes of our capital don’t go unrecognised for the huge contribution their efforts make to the lives of others.”

GLV Director, Eithne Rynne states ”This new award scheme is a wonderful way to recognise those who go one step further for their London communities by offering help, skills and support through volunteering. We are working closely with Team London to ensure that they are recognised for the valuable contribution that they make to our capital.”

Due to the high level of interest and a few issues experienced, the deadline for nominations is now 5pm 3 February 2012 with winners to be announced at a high profile ceremony on 1 March 2012.

Download Nomination Forms below or visit the Team London website for more information.

Team London Nomination Form – Organisations

Team London Nomination form – Individuals or Teams

Team London Libraries Project

Selection of the ten boroughs to implement the Mayor’s London Libraries Project has been made.

The successful boroughs are Croydon, Redbridge, Hammersmith & Fulham/Westminster/Kensington & Chelsea (tri-borough), Waltham Forest, Barnet, Ealing, Enfield, Hackney, Havering, Bexley/Bromley (joint borough).

Volunteer Centres in each area are partners in the six month project and will help with volunteer recruitment and the training of both volunteers and library staff, as well as developing and contributing to peer support networks and best practice toolkits.

Find out more at the Team London website.

GLV Network Day & AGM

GLV’s final member event of 2011 took place on 14 December.

After a few technical hitches (mainly heating!) the morning session covered a round up of  key activities and projects from GLV Director, Eithne Rynne, followed by presentations to share EYV 11 learning from Arts & Business and Volunteer Centre Warrington – two of the national delivery partners for the intitative.

Discussions moved to income generation and the future work of GLV, focussing on what’s most important to our members.  We heard about some of the years highlights – including GLV’s first baby, working with the public sector, refreshed and supportive Boards and staff teams, the London Ambassadors programme and positive perspectives on the aftermath of the August riots.  After a difficult year for many, the session ended on a high, with optimism and opportunities for the forthcoming Olympic year.

The AGM followed in the afternoon, swiftly progressing the business of elections, annual accounts and our trustees’ report, before the serious matter of networking and the annual quiz got underway, sponsored once again by London Ambassadors.  Beware – photographic evidence of the proceedings may or may not be available soon!

Find out more about the day by downloading the notes and presentations below.

EYV 11 – Arts & Business Presentation

EYV 11 – VC Warrington Presentation

GLV Network Day Notes – 14 Dec 11

Draft AGM Minutes Dec 11

GLV Audited Accounts 2010-2011

Be A Big Jubilee Lunch Champion

Volunteer Champions are needed in every London borough to help promote The Big Jubilee Lunch set for 3 June 2012.

The Big Lunch began in 2009, a simple idea created by the Eden Project, designed to encourage people throughout the UK to get together with neighbours for a few hours of community, friendship and fun.

Next year’s Lunch is part of the official programme of events for the extended bank holiday weekend to celebrate The Queen’s Diamond Jubilee, commemorating 60 years of reign.

Get involved, find out more and register your interest at the The Big Lunch website.

Team London 2012 Volunteer Recruitment

Team London’s latest challenge is to recruit 140 volunteers for the 2012 Olympics.

Adult volunteers are needed to help with young (14 -17 years) London Ambassador volunteers based at 43 tourist attractions and other sites across the Capital.  Anyone excited about the Games, passionate about London and with previous experience working or volunteering with young people, can apply now.

Volunteers need to commit to a weekend’s induction and training in January 2012, an additional training day in February/March, 6 consecutive days of volunteering (5 hours per day) during the Games and having a great experience as part of the 2012 games!

Full details and expression of interest forms are available by emailing Team London or calling 020 7983 4426.  An enhanced Criminal Records Bureau (CRB) check is required for the role.

Apply by 5pm, Monday 12 December 2011.

London Ambassadors Training

GLV continues to work on the London Ambassadors volunteering programme for the Olympics. Now entering its training phase, we’ve provided a half day training session on Volunteer Management for 250 Area Managers & Locality Managers. Delivery takes place in early December and, with the trainers largely from London Volunteer Centres, will once again highlight the expertise within our network.

Greater London Authority (GLA) have commissioned GS4 to deliver other areas of this initial training and the future programme from January to June 2012 and we anticipate they will work closely with us to help ensure a successful experience for all.

Digital Outreach

Over recent months you’ve probably seen a variety of ads and posters – it’s not about instant potato it’s about the switch to digital TV on 4 April 2012!

To try and ensure the most vulnerable and isolated people don’t miss out, a Help Scheme is underway. GLV and the Volunteer Centre network are playing a part by delivering a Community Programme in 20 inner London boroughs.

The first round of volunteers have been recruited and trained as Community Supporters to work within local communities to reach the very hard to reach through those who are naturally in the know about their residents – local shop owners, postmen and women, hairdressers or handymen.

Find out more at the Switchover Help Scheme website or if you’re interested in getting involved and volunteering, let us know and we can put you in touch with the right people.

Fundraising Workshops for Small Charities

Attend Academy, in association with the Institute of Fundraising, is running a series of subsidised workshops in the New Year.

Suitable for both volunteer and paid fundraisers, the workshops cost a nominal fee of £15 and cover a range of topics including Developing a Fundraising Strategy, Community and Events Fundraising, Trusts Fundraising, Corporate Fundraising, Major Donors and Tax Effective Giving.

For more information and to apply, visit the Attend website.

Applications close 5 December 2011.

A Place for Pride

A new report published by Demos suggests a link between volunteering and being patriotic.

In this research of over 2,000 people, findings indicate that people who express patriotic sentiment are 10% more likely to be volunteers and are much more likely to be proud of their community, with 40% of respondents who had volunteered strongly agreeing with the statement ‘I am proud to be a British citizen’.

Those who agreed that they volunteered more now than they had five years ago were almost twice as likely to be proud to be a British citizen than those who had maintained or decreased their level of voluntary activity.

It also seems that volunteers are substantially more optimistic about Britain than those who don’t volunteer – 27% of respondents who had volunteered in the past 12 months disagreed with the statement ‘Britain’s best days are behind her’, compared with 19% of those who hadn’t.”

Find out more and download the full report here.

Team London Libraries Project

A new project to recruit more volunteers for London’s library services has been awarded funding by Greater London Authority (GLA).

The project is led by the Association of London Chief Librarians (ALCL) and will work with local library services and Volunteer Centres in ten boroughs to increase volunteering in London’s public library services and develop tools and guidance for sustainability.

Selection will be by steering group in December with project delivery over the first six months of the new year and Volunteer Centres receiving a minimum of £1,000 to recruit and place volunteers in their libraries.   Following a successful project in the Borough of Merton, Volunteer Centre Merton was invited to take a lead for a consortia of Volunteer Centres on the steering group.

Information is being sent to local borough library services on 25 November, who are invited to bid for inclusion in the project by 9 December 2011.

Interested Volunteer Centres should contact their local Head of Library Services now!

Health & Social Care Volunteering Awards

As part of their programme of work for the final months of EYV11, Age UK are to host a celebration event on 12 December to recognise the invaluable contribution that volunteers make to the health and social care of older people.  Full details are to be announced shortly.

The event will include the newly created Health and Social Care Volunteering Awards. These one-off awards, to celebrate EYV11, have four categories and will have two winners in each.  The categories are Information & Advice, Home Services, Digital Inclusion and Wellbeing Services.  Nominations close on Monday 5 December.

Download the Awards Guidance Notes and Nomination Form below.

Health & Social Care Volunteering Awards Guidance

Health & Social Care Volunteering Awards Nomination Form

Age UK & EYV 11

The final months of this year’s European Year of Volunteering focus on health and social care with Age UK managing the theme.

They are delivering three activities – policy will look at engaging older people in volunteering, practice is about delivering health and social care to older people and celebration will create health and social volunteering awards.

As part of the Practice strand, Age UK is compiling a guide to volunteer roles that support the health and social care needs of older people.  The aim of the publication is to enable organisations to understand the many ways in which volunteers can support older people and how they can set up similar volunteering programmes.

If you have any case studies of volunteer roles that reflect the wide diversity of volunteering that supports older people, get in touch with them now!  It’s also a great opportunity to showcase your organisation and volunteer programme.

You can keep in touch with their other EYV2011 activities by joining their iVolunteer EYV2011 Health and Social Care Group or email them here.

EYV 11 London Tour

The Experts in Volunteering team led the way in raising the profile of volunteers and volunteer management at the European Year of Volunteering London tour event.  We’re sure Nick Hurd MP was left in no doubt of the huge value, impact and importance of supporting the sector’s work!

EYV 11 -Age UK Conference

Age UK have announced details of their first one-day conference to identify actions that need to be taken to better engage older people in volunteering.

Taking place at the Age UK office in Central London on 1 November from 11.00am – 3.20pm, the conference will cover the three key topics of the benefits of involving older volunteers, the barriers to involving them and how to overcome them, and involving older people in the localism agenda through volunteering.  It’s an event for older volunteers and older people not currently volunteering, volunteer managers, organisations, local authorities and statutory service providers.  Places are free.

Further information and a registration form can be downloaded from the UKVPM website or Age UK’s i-volunteer group or email Age UK.

Their second conference will take place later in November in the north of England and will focus on the involvement of older volunteers in the shaping and delivering of services.

Unshackling Good Neighbours

The Red Tape Task Force spent nine months examining the rules and regulations which put people off giving their time and money to good causes and which stifle volunteers and the charity sector.  They set out to to look at the issues of what stops people giving their time, what stops people giving their money and what stops charities and voluntary groups and social enterprises growing.

Unshackling Good Neighbours is the report they produced and published in May and which makes six key recommendations to the Government to help reduce bureaucracy and red tape:

• Reform the law to clarify the extent of charity trustees and volunteer liability to encourage more involvement and participation by individuals
• Eliminate regulatory duplication and repeated requests for the same information in slightly different formats, eg Companies House, Charity Commission and commissioners
• Establish a Working Party to include representatives of the insurance industry and civil society organisations (CSOs) to address the insurance needs of the sectors
• Encourage investment in CSOs by creating a new category of “social investor” and clarify the position of trust law with regard to charities
• Simplify the licencing of fundraising events and provide clear standard guidance across the sector
• Encourage the out-of-work to get involved in greater volunteering and ensure they and Job Centre staff understand that it does not automatically affect their benefits and welfare payments

For more detail, download the full report below.

Unshackling Good Neighbours

 EYV 11 – Digital Inclusion Event

On 31 October, the Big Society Network and the Network of National Volunteer-Involving Agencies (NNVIA) will bring together inspiring social entrepreneurs , known as Nexters, to showcase innovative ways of using social media to strengthen communities, particularly excluded or isolated groups.

The Nexters, who are part of the Big Society Network, are charged with developing new ways to enable people to volunteer time, expertise or money, or to engage democratically with public services and with civil society. All use networked technologies, such as web, mobile or games to ensure their services deliver maximum impact and are accessible to everyone in the UK.  Organisations involved include the National Trust, Breast Cancer Care, Leonard Cheshire, Guide Dogs and CSV.

The event takes place at Coin Street, where a number of workshops, exhibitors and networking opportunities will be hosted from 28 October to 3 November for the European Year of Volunteering 2011 London tour.  Email for more information or to book your place.

Digital Inclusion Invitation

New Funding Opportunities

Very recently launched, the Silver Dream Fund is the Big Lottery Fund’s dedicated investment in older people in England, delivered in association with the Daily Mail.  It aims to recognise the positive contribution older people make to society with grants of £50 – £200k to be awarded (from a total fund value of up to £10 million).  Expressions of interest are invited by 28 October. Find out more from the Big Lottery Fund website.

Closing very shortly after, on 2 November, the Social Action Fund – a new grant fund of £20+ million managed by The Social Action Investment Business on behalf of the Office for Civil Service. Launching 6 October, the aim is to inspire organisations to create new social action opportunities through people giving time, money or skills. Find out more and register interest at the Social Action Fund website.

Trustees’ Week 2011

Led by the Charities Commission, the second annual Trustees’ Week takes place 31 October to 6 November, celebrating and highlighting the vital work of trustees around the country. Find out more, including information on local events from the Trustees’ Week website.

National Citizen Service 2012

Nick Hurd, Minister for Civil Society, has announced nineteen service providers to run National Citizen Service (NCS) pilots in 2012 with the aim of up to 30,000 16-year-olds benefitting from the scheme – three times the number of places in 2011.  See the list of providers on the Cabinet Office website.

Good News for Volunteer Drivers

If you’ve been confused by insurance or other issues for volunteer drivers, you’ll be glad to hear that months of negotiation between Volunteering England (VE), the Association of British Insurers and the Community Transport Association have finally resulted in clear guidelines now being available on Volunteering England’s website .  Alongside this, a list of 50 insurance providers that don’t charge additional premiums to volunteer drivers is available on the Association of British Insurers website.

Pathways Through Participation – Final Report

September saw the launch of the final report and summary, ‘What Creates and Sustains Active Citizenship?’

The project aimed to explore how and why people get involved and stay involved in different forms of participation over a lifetime. Participation was viewed in a very broad sense and considered the act of taking part in a wide range of social or civic activities.  The paper focuses on the implications of the findings for volunteer management and is aimed at all volunteer-involving organisations, as well as Volunteer Centres and other volunteering infrastructure organisations at local, regional and national level.

Pathways Through Participation is a joint research project which began in April 2009 and is led by NCVO in partnership with the Institute for Volunteering Research (IVR) and Involve and is funded by the Big Lottery Fund (Research Grants programme).

Free workshops in London to present the Report’s findings will take place on 18 October (Houses of Parliament) and 21 October (NCVO) – book online through the Pathways Through Participation website or download the Summary Report below.

Pathways Through Participation – Volunteering Briefing

GLV Network Day

The new GLV team hosted another busy event packed with a diverse range of topics and discussions, from the use of social media and EYV 11 to supported volunteering and the Transforming Local Infrastructure Fund, to name a few.  See the key presentations below – more to follow soon.

Experts in Volunteering – Sep 11

EYV2011 Update – Sep 11

Inclusive Volunteering – Jewish Care

Transforming Local Infrastructure Fund – Kirsty Palmer

EYV 11 Webinar – Leading the Way

The next European Year of Volunteering 2011 webinar is to take place on 15 September, 2-3.30pm.

Leading the Way – Influence and Ownership in Volunteer Management will explore why volunteer managers have to take the lead in influencing a wider ownership of volunteer management, both within their own organisations and beyond. It will focus on influencing more effectively, why it’s important to do so, developing a voice for volunteer management and sharing successes, inspiration and insight!

Contribute to the debate or just tune in and listen. Book a free place now – space is limited.

For more information, email Chris Huffee.

Local Compact Survey Results

Compact Voice has today published the results of its first comprehensive survey into the state of local Compacts - an ongoing annual commitment to improve understanding of, and engagement with, local Compacts across England.

The Compact is the agreement between the government and the third sector (independent voluntary organisations, charities, community groups, etc.) which outlines a way of working that improves their relationship for mutual advantage.

The survey covered 74% of local Compacts and the results provide a mixed, but encouraging, picture.  Key findings included 88% of respondents overall agreed that “the Compact is important and that effort needs to be made to implement it in full”, with 60% agreeing strongly.

It also highlighted the need for strong leadership on the Compact from both local and national government.

The report also sought to establish  whether local authorities were making cuts to voluntary and community sector organisations in proportion with their own reduction in settlement from central government, plus other information about funding cuts across the 9 regions of England.

Download the full report below or read more at the Compact Voice website.

Compact Survey Report 2011

New appointments at GLV

Joining the GLV team in August, a warm welcome to our new Director, Eithne Rynne, and Income Generation Manager, Lynne Fearn.

Eithne’s most recent work has been as Director of Community Links Bromley and Chief Executive of the Federation of Irish Societies.

Lynne brings her fundraising experience to GLV from Teenage Cancer Trust and Childline.

With a full remit from the off, both look forward to supporting and working with our members.  Meet them at our forthcoming Network Day on 13 September – book by 2 September to ensure a place!

EYV11 London Tour Event

The London leg of the the European Year of Volunteering 2011 (EYV11) tour lands in the capital city for one week, 28 October to 3 November.

With exhibitors and workshops, the event sets out to create a fantastic opportunity to celebrate and raise awareness of volunteering in the UK and the European Year of Volunteering.  It aims to enable networking for both volunteer involving organisations and volunteers, to share ideas and experiences, with themed areas for Sport, Environment, Children & Young Adults, Culture & the Arts, Health & Social Care and Employer Supported Volunteering and Volunteer Management.

Organisations are invited to exhibit, make presentations, deliver workshops or help by contributing resources from local level.  For more information, email EYV11 or complete and return the form below by 9 September.

You can find more information on the Year on the EYV11 website

EYV11 – London Tour Event

Parliament Week

Parliament Week is a new national initiative from the UK Parliament,  aiming to build greater understanding of and engagement with parliamentary democracy in the UK.

The inaugural Week takes place from 31 October to 6 November 2011 and involves a programme of activities exploring how and why the House of Commons and the House of Lords matter to everyone.

A flagship event for London is planned at the Houses of Parliament on the evening of 3 November, focussing on online communities and local bloggers engaging with Parliament.

More information about Parliament Week, and other free local events around the UK, is available on the Parliament Week website or you can email Parliamentary Outreach.

Commonwealth Youth Parliament

The Fourth Commonwealth Youth Parliament takes place on Friday 9 September at Westminster.  Young people between 18- 29 years old, with commonwealth links, are invited to participate in this unique opportunity to learn about Parliament through personal insight and experience.  Participants will represent their communities, meet young people from across the world and debate on climate change in the House of Lords chamber, with a  free tour thrown in!

Find out more on the Parliament website or register by emailing your completed Registration Form to Parliamentary Outreach.

Commonwealth Youth Parliament Registration Form

Volunteer Performers for Olympic Ceremonies

Casting has begun for 10,000 adult volunteer performers – musicians, dancers, actors and all round performers can apply to be part of the 2012 Opening and Closing Ceremonies.

The closing date for applications is 31 August, with auditions taking place in November and December.  As well as talent, the producers will be looking for energy, enthusiasm, personality and a postive attitude, find out more from LOCOG’s website.

London Ambassadors – Barking & Dagenham

Congratulations to Volunteer Centre Barking & Dagenham on their recruitment events for London Ambassadors, the volunteer programme to welcome visitors to London during the Olympics.

Their team of staff and volunteers not only had a great time over the recruitment period but are continuing to work together as a group, using the skills they learnt in borough-wide events.  Since completing their London Ambassadors work, they have been booked by the local authority to support their Older Persons Conference and they are also supporting the Living a Dream Trust which raises funds to help the borough’s young, aspiring athletes.

EYV 2011 Flagship Conference

CSV are to hold a flagship conference in Central London to celebrate the European Year for Active Citizenship through Volunteering on 21/22 September 2011.

Broadcasters and representatives of the voluntary sector from across Europe will be brought together to share their ideas and successful experiences of promoting volunteering and active citizenship on air and to discuss what more can be done. The event is co-hosted by the BBC and supported by the European Commission.

As well as a platform for broadcasters, it promises to be a great opportunity for anyone in the voluntary sector with a good story to tell.  A number of presenters are also sought for various workhops, such as using social media to promote active citizenship through volunteering to new people, how best to use volunteers’ voices to promote volunteering and engaging hard-to-reach groups in volunteering through media projects.

Places are limited and available on a first-come, first-served basis and accommodation may available to participants.  Find out more or register here.

Bridging the Gap – EYV 2011 webinar

Rob Jackson, Volunteer Centre Warrington and colleagues from the field of Volunteer Management are set to explore the current challenges and discover inspiration in managing volunteering programmes with their Volunteer Managers’ Afternoon Tea Party webinar broadcast on Wednesday August 17, 2pm.

The broadcast will be the first of several monthly webinars, specifically for managers and co-ordinators of volunteers and volunteer-involving organisations as part of the European Year of Volunteering 2011. Each month, topics and issues facing the profession will be examined with the aim of gaining new ideas and inspiration through featured guest speakers and contributions from anyone leading and managing volunteering programmes.

A free session with limited spaces, you’re recommended to register and reserve your place now

To participate, you’ll need access to a computer (Windows or Mac) with speakers and a microphone, or a telephone.  And if you don’t wish to contribute, you can still listen in.  For more information, email Chris Huffee.

National Survey of Charities and Social Enterprises (NSCSE)

The results of the Cabinet Office 2010 NSCSE are available now.  In total, 112,796 organisations were invited to participate, across 151 upper tier local authorities in England, from September to December 2010.  Of those invited, 44,110 organisations responded.  All London authorities are included in the findings – see how your borough did by reading the full reports here.London Ambassadors in Kensington & Chelsea

Volunteer Centre Kensington & Chelsea have produced an excellent case study of their recent work for the recruitment phase of the London Ambassadors programme, with fantastic positive feedback across the board.  Find out what they did and how their volunteer team enjoyed the experience in the full report below and view their pictures here.

VCKC London Ambassadors Project Report

Active Citizens of Europe Awards

Nominations are sought from across Europe for individual volunteers, NGOs and corporate organisations with great CSR programmes, who have proved to be outstanding pioneers and ambassadors for voluntary action and Active Citizenship.

The ACE Awards ceremony will be held on Friday 21 October 2011 in Edinburgh, during the annual Volonteurope Conference.

Make a nomination now by completing the form below and emailing it to Piotr Sadowski before Friday 19 August 2011.

ACE 2011 Nomination Form

Network Day – June 2011

A lively day was had at The Ability Centre, packed with discussion, workshops, presentations and plenty of networking.

Have a recap, or get a flavour of what went on, by taking a look through some of the excellent sessions below.

Network Day Minutes 15 Jun 11

Open Space Discussions June 11

Hammersmith Community Gardens Presentation

Giving White Paper Workshops June 2011

Exploring Sustainability and Creating a Surplus

Volunteering England update June 11

Volunteering England Staff Profiles May 11

European Year of Volunteering 2011

The Cabinet Office has released the latest update of the proposed work programme for this years celebrations and activities.  Read more below on plans for the tour, the flagship projects and work with the national delivery partners.

EYV11 Update June 2011

CBE Awarded to Volunteering England CEO

The Board of Volunteering England is delighted with the news that Justin Davis- Smith, CEO. has been awarded a CBE in the Queen’s Birthday Honours List.  The Chair of Volunteering England, Sukhvinder Kaur-Stubbs, stated ‘on behalf of the Board of Volunteering England, I extend my congratulations to Justin for this honour. It is well deserved and a powerful endorsement of the respect he commands, the efforts of his team and the value of volunteering. The honour reflects the significant role that Volunteering England has played in promoting voluntary action and recognises Justin’s influence in shaping the new agenda.’

Justin himself commented ‘I welcome this honour as recognition of the esteem and value which volunteering holds in our society.  Volunteering has never been higher on the policy agenda or more widespread in public debate, and we are celebrating this in the European Year for Volunteering and in this month’s Volunteers’ Week. I hope very much this recognition will serve to keep the focus on the importance of volunteering in our communities and the need for proper resources and support across public, private and voluntary sectors’.

London Ambassadors in Greenwich

Volunteer Centre Greenwich is one of the ten London Volunteer Centres selected to recruit volunteers for the official 2012 volunteering programme, London Ambassadors.   Volunteers will welcome the world’s visitors to the 2012 Olympic Games and offer expert insider knowledge on anything from where to eat, to how to get there!

For Greenwich volunteers, it’s already proving to be a unique, inspiring opportunity, being involved in a once in a lifetime experience.  See what just some of them had to say to their local press.

New Volunteer Voice for London website

Perfect to end our Volunteers Week, the new Volunteer Voice for london website is now live.

The new site aims to engage volunteers and enable real, lively volunteer discussion, on consultations and key issues facing London’s volunteers.  You can  find out about the volunteer team driving the project and add your voice – they’d love to hear from you!  Take a look now.

Wave of Friendship Bursaries for Londoners to Discover Scotland

The Wave of Friendship is a volunteer exchange programme encouraging and supporting Londoners who would like to volunteer in Scotland. And all we want in return is your story!

Volunteers can apply for bursaries of up to £500 to cover travel, accommodation and other costs involved in the exchange.  The programme gives people the chance to travel, learn new skills and meet new people whilst having fun and helping communities in Scotland.  New opportunities that have recently been highlighted as excellent examples for people to apply for a bursary to take part include:

• Enjoy the atmosphere of a natural reserve protecting birds (RSPB Residential Volunteering)
• Give a helping  hand at a welfare centre for animals: Animal Carer (SSPCA)
• Don’t miss the opportunity of driving a pick up and transporting volunteers taking part in practical conservation projects throughout the National Park: Conservation Projects Driver (Loch Lommond & The Trossachs National Park)
• If you’re good with children, get involved in a playscheme this summer: Children Summer Play scheme (Voluntary Action North Lanarkshire)
• Love your bike? You’ll love this ride then: FRESHNLO Pedal for Scotland 2011 (Friends of the Earth Scotland)
• Contribute to the NHS Shetland values and support enhancing patients experience whilst in hospital: Music Volunteer (NHS Shetland)

Volunteers can choose any opportunity that takes place between now and September 2012.

Find out more by visiting the Wave of Friendship website.

Applying for a grant:
1. Go to the Wave of Friendship website
2. Find a volunteering opportunity (like the ones provided above or try Volunteer Scotland)
3. Book it with easy online forms
4. Enjoy (take some photos!)
5. Tell us about it! We’d love to have your story posted on our website

Quotes from previous participants in the Wave:

“The experience moved me, made me cry, educated me, made me laugh, gave me insight and made me aware of things I simply had not known.”  Gerry, Assistant, Jewish Museum

“The visit was a brilliant way for new ideas and to get fresh perspectives on the work we are doing and it wouldn’t have been possible without the Wave of Friendship.” Louise, University groups intern, British Red Cross

For more help, please contact us: wof@peoplemakingwaves.org.uk

Nominate Your London Star

Thousands of Londoners volunteer to make life better in London every day, helping friends, neighbours, relatives and their local community.

Do you know some who volunteers regularly, someone who’s made a difference, an un-sung hero? Whether they run a local activity, fund raise, or lead a community group, the Mayor of London, Boris Johnson, would like to recognise their effort and say thank you.

Find out more and nominate your top Londoner for the Mayor’s Team London Certificate on the Team London website.

Volunteers Week 2011

It’s that time of year again when we celebrate and thank all our volunteers for their amazing work.  The invaluable support we receive from the individuals that give their time includes the research and technical skills to maintain our London Events Volunteering Calendar, administration and promotion of the Wave of Friendship volunteer programme, database and website wizardry for the Experts in Volunteering team and our most recent recruits, the Volunteer Voice for London team – dedicated to ensuring the geniune voice of volunteers is heard in consultations and by policy makers.

Throughout the coming days we intend to sing their praises on Twitter, highlight their work on the Volunteers Week 2011 website and have a celebratory lunch.  And when the week’s over, we hope they continue to feel recognised, happy and valued – see how from our paper below.

Rewarding and Recognising Our Volunteers (Word doc)

The Big Squeeze – Phase 3

London Voluntary Service Council (LVSC) and partners have launched a third ‘Big Squeeze’ survey to study the impact of the recession and public spending cuts on the capital’s voluntary and community sector (VCS) organisations and the Londoners they serve.

Responses are sought from across London’s Voluntary and Community Sector (VCS) to gather a full picture on the spending cuts and recession.  An opportunity to voice the issues affecting us, the information can help influence strategic policy and help decision-makers understand the impact of recent cuts.  We urge all VCS organisations in London to take part in the survey and have a say.

Questions include how the economy and changes in policy are affecting clients and demand on services, the impact of funding cuts on Londoners and lessons learned from challenges faced and how to take them forward.

Alongside ourselves, the other partners for this year’s survey are London Funders, MiNet, Race on the Agenda (ROTA), HEAR,  Women’s Resource Centre (WRC), London Civic Forum, LASA, Children England, City Bridge Trust, Stonewall Housing, London Community Resource Network and Ethical Property Foundation.

The deadline to the complete the survey is Friday 27 May 2011.

Click here for the Big Squeeze Phase 3 Survey or for more information email the LVSC Policy team.

Team London

This week sees the first phase of  Team London’s £4 million strategy well under way, with the Mayor calling on volunteering organisations to help deliver seven high impact programmes to support his objectives in cutting crime, improving quality of life and increasing youth opportunities.

Requests for Proposals are invited for Building Stronger Neighbourhoods, A Greener London, Young Readers and A Sporting Chance.

The inititaive also includes a small grants fund, investment in recruiting adult volunteers for uniformed youth groups such as Scouts or Volunteer Police Cadets, and the Mayor’s mentors to help guide young people through their life choices and provide strong adult role models.

Find more detailed information and downloadable application documents online on Team London’s webpages.

Big Society Select Committee Inquiry

Following the Green Paper on Giving, a Select Committee Inquiry was launched to look into the government’s ‘vague and woolly’ Big Society proposal in detail.  The last meeting of the London Stakeholders Volunteering Forum discussed the four questions and areas most relevant to our sector in order to submit a coordinated response, which includes an invitation to hear further detail from us first hand - we await to hear.

See the Select Committee Paper and our response below.  If you support the points raised, add your voice and make your submission by 18 March.

Big Society – Select Committee Issues and Questions paper

Select Committee Submission on Big Society

GLV’s response to Green Paper on Giving

Following discussions with our members and network, GLV has submitted a response to the consultation which closes today, 9 March.

The response offers our collective comments and views on the areas of Great Opportunities, Information, Visibility, Exchange and Support (GIVES) .   A White Paper will follow in Spring.

Read our full response below.

Green Paper on Giving response

The Future of Volunteering in London – FREE CONFERENCE

Friday 18 March 2011, 10am – 4pm  :  Royal Statistical Society, 12 Errol Street,EC1Y 8LX

GLV and LVSC, in partnership, are organising this free event aimed at anyone involved with volunteers and organisations who are interested in volunteer policy and programmes.

Workshops on the day include the Olympics and Volunteering, Big Society, Volunteering in the Current Economic Climate, plus discussions around what makes a good volunteer experience and how the London sector can collaborate to promote current initiatives.

Speakers are confirmed from Institute for Volunteering Research, London Development Agency, Greater London Volunteering and Greater London Authority.

Help us promote best practice, learn from each other and share what we know to ensure volunteering remains a key skill in our sector.

For more information, or to book, email Anna Costi or call her on 020 7253 0065.

Booking Form – The Future of Volunteering in London, 18 March 11

GLV Network Day

‘Great day’, ‘informative’ and ‘excellent’ are just a few of the initial comments received from yesterday’s Network  Day.  It proved to be one of the busiest GLV events to date, with fantastic representation and participation from across our growing membership.

Alongside the networking opportunity and strategic updates, the agenda included lively workshops on Accessing Parliament, presented by Sharon Stanley from Parliamentary Outreach, and an Introduction to Marketing, delivered by Andy Smith from WVDSA, and information and an update on the European Year of Volunteering from the Cabinet Office.

‘Hot Topics’ of the day focussed on skills exchange, Volunteers Week, collaboration, National Citizens Service and Big Society, with GLV Director, Kerry Tweed, giving updates on Community Experts and led discussions on the Green Giving Paper.

If you need a refresher of the event, or want to see what you missed, take a look below.

European Year of Volunteering 2011 – Cabinet Office

EYV 2011 Actions

Introduction to Marketing – Andy Smith

Introduction To Parliament – Sharon Stanley

Accessing & Engaging with Parliament

Health & Wellbeing at Work

The busy LVSC / Department of Health event  on 26 January raised many current issues and offered a wealth of resources and support through its presentations and workshops.  Access them and find more useful links here.  And specifically to support volunteers, you can find Rebecca Tully’s presentation on the Experts in Volunteering website.

National Citizen Service

National Citizen Service is the Government’s proposal for all 16 year olds to engage in a non compulsory 7-8 week voluntary programme, incorporating a residential element and a community element.  The programme aims to help young people develop “social action projects” to help their communities.  A recent briefing in London offered more detail of the proposal and its delivery.  Cath Bavage, Chief Executive of Volunteer Centre Tower Hamlets and GLV trustee,  offers her notes from the event below.

National Citizen Service feedback

Giving Green Paper

The Government’s Green Paper on Giving is out now, outlining its initial ideas for building a stronger culture of giving time and money, with a deadline for comments of 9 March.

Raise your questions and ensure you feed into the consultation both directly at giving@cabinet­office.x.gsi.gov.uk and through Volunteering England policy@volunteering.org.uk.  You can find the full Paper and Volunteering England’s briefing below.

Giving Green Paper

Giving Green Paper – VE Summary Briefing 5 Jan 2011

Community Experts

We provide human resources for the Big Society

We deliver employability, community cohesion and wellbeing through volunteering

We want Big Society to work, and we know from our experience that increased participation requires interventions from people who know how to deliver effective volunteering.  Community Experts aims to ensure Government:

• understands our role in facilitiating volunteering
• knows that we are here to provide volunteer management training
• includes us as partners in planning and consultation
• values our expertise and experience

We are an efficient existing resource – working with us more closely will deliver better value for money and give people more access to volunteering.

To get people involved, we’ve so far provided:

• www.communityexperts.org.uk
• key messages document
• Twitter 6-step set up guide
• poll statement to send out/discuss with groups & volunteers
• template letter for local authority/local councillor
• set up an i-volunteer discussion group
• Opening Our Doors To Our Stakeholders – a guide to holding ‘open days”

All you need to do is publish it, send it, talk about it and, really importantly, provide feedback and evidence to us.

See more of the story so far, with what’s been said, activity that’s taken place and feedback received on the Community Experts webpage.  You’ll also find Kerry Tweed’s (GLV Director), full presentation from our December Network Day there and you can give us your feedback and comments.

GLV Network Day & AGM

Last week saw GLV’s last network event of 2010, with updates on key work, member highlights of the year and presentations and workshops on some of the key issues being tackled head on – collaborative working, using social media to advance the way we encourage volunteering and the Community Experts campaign.

The afternoon dealt with the formal business of presenting GLV’s accounts and Business Plan, followed by the election of the Board of Trustees and London Volunteering Stakeholders Forum. Special thanks were given to Lizzie Saunders and Peter Stokes, who were amongst those standing down from the Board, and Andre Carvalho (Samaritans) was welcomed as a new member.  The Forum, now a members forum, was freshly created from a list of 10 nominees.

And swiftly the remainder of the day degenerated into the annual Christmas quiz, hosted this year by London Ambassadors. Testing the networks’ creative skills and general, musical and sector knowledge, the Ferrarro Rockers took first prize, despite attempts of sabotage by Lynne’s Lovelies.  Photographs are yet to be revealed…

Thanks to all our members, volunteers, partners and supporters – a fitting final event with plenty to take on into 2011.

Inspiring and informing new volunteers (presentation by Damien Austin-Walker, TimeBank)

Community Experts Presentation Dec 10 (presentation by Kerry Tweed, GLV)

FREE Seminar to Support London’s Voluntary Sector – Invest in Health at Work

Thursday 27 January 2011, 9.30am – 1pm, SE1

The Department of Health’s London’s Health, Work and Wellbeing team are co-ordinating a half-day seminar  designed to support London’s Voluntary and Community Sector look after the health of its workforce, including support for volunteers.   The event is set to include capacity building short training sessions for senior managers, trustees and volunteer managers, interactive panel discussion to look at ways of responding to issues around health and work and information on resources and support available for the sector.

The ‘pass it on’ event will build a commitment amongst participants to share learning and resources across their organisation and wider networks.

Contact Haifa at haifa.kelifa@dh.gsi.gov.uk for more information by 14 January 2011 or download a Registration Form.

GLV at The Garden Museum

In the midst of increasingly grim weather in early November, and what
turned out to be student riots in Central London, some bright spark
organised an outdoor team volunteering day at The Garden Museum in
Central London.

Although the team are all involved in their own causes, as well as doing
a bit of good for nature and the community, this was an opportunity to bring the team together in a way that their usual work wouldn’t.  It reinforced GLV’s commitment to employer supported volunteering, and hopefully allowed some fun in the process.

By the river at Lambeth Bridge, the Museum is housed in what was a dilapidated church, St Mary-at-Lambeth.  It was set for demolition until
the rediscovery of the tomb of 17th century plant hunters, the John Tradescants, and it opened its doors as a museum in 1977.   Its gardens comprise the church grounds and yard, which are faithfully maintained with plants and arrangements true to the 17th Century and some allotment space and plant beds on the public highway just outside the church wall.

The day thankfully dawned beautiful and the team set to clearing and preparing the Museum’s vegetable plot for the next season, with a little root propagation, mulching and leaf sweeping thrown in too. Under the patient and expert guidance of Garden Manager, Ben, and more than a few curious looks from passers by, a satisfying day’s work was achieved even for the most reluctant and inexperienced of gardeners.

An added bonus was the unexpected and tasty lunch from the Museum’s cafe for sustainance and the small crop of buried treasure that was harvested – leeks, fennel, carrots, chard, beetroot.

The day was universally enjoyed and, as Development Manager Anne said’…the totality of the experience was good – not something I would
usually contemplate doing…and it was a bit of a workout’.

Aside from gleaning gardening tips and differentiating between types of manure, there were some surprising revelations -  ‘I realised that if one were an offender or doing something of compulsory community service…it could be quite difficult if you were a sensitive soul.  We had some nice comments from passers by but quite a lot of stares too’.

For a number of the team, it was the discovery of a discreet attraction
in a part of London they were not so familiar with and, overall, it cemented the working relationship of an already close team:

‘I would certainly recommend this sort of team volunteering (and have
done so already!) as a really good way of doing something different with
your colleagues, in a different environment as a good way of getting to know each other and working together.  Much more effective as a team building exercise than some of the posh expensive ones I have attended in the past.’

‘Felt invigorated by the time outdoors and enjoyed working with the team in an out-of-the ordinary environment.  They are great!’

‘It was a refreshing change to volunteer as part of work.  Most of my work involves supporting organisations from the outside, so it was great to be a volunteer for the day and experience a new role.

Aside from a great day had, an ongoing legacy was created with individuals being inspired and spurred on to pursue exploring London, homegrown cooking and work in community gardens.

It’s amazing what a bit of enthusiasm, encouraged by good volunteer
management, can achieve.  And even better when you find an old school boozer at the end of it…

For more information on The Garden Museum, visit www.gardenmuseum.org.uk.

For information and resources on volunteer management, take a look at www.expertsinvolunteering.org.uk.

GLV’s Network Day

Feedback so far tells us a good day was had by all, packed with a range of information and activity.

Along with GLV’s update on continued work across current projects, forums and campaigns, attendees heard from one of our newest members, the National Army Museum.  Teresa Scott and Gill Brewer gave an insight into their work and the new volunteering programme they’re working on.  A testament to the day and our members was the sense of support and expertise they found amongst the room.

The Open Space section of the day raised discussions on consortium bidding & partnership working, Big Society Network / ASDA Volunteer Centres, Job Centre Plus and the benefits of volunteering, sports & volunteering post 2011, Community Experts, working with the private sector and targeting the right volunteers.

Four diverse workshops ran, generating great participative ideas and work.

And joining the afternoon session, Justin Davis Smith, CEO of Volunteering England, shared his observations and views on the future and answered questions from the floor, from rumours over mergers, to services provided by VE to members.

Find more detail and read more about the day below.  And if you missed it this time around, make a date to join us on 15 December.

GLV Network Day 20 Oct 10

GLV Network Day 20 Oct 10: Open Space Discussions

London 2012 Trailblazers

London 2012 are recruiting 150 Selection Event Trailblazers to support their  Selection Event in London, commencing in February 2011.

Successful applicants will attend a one days training session in early January in East Finchley and be set to start their Selection Event Volunteer role in early February.

Applications can be made through London 2012′s website, after which there’s three information and interview sessions end-October/early November.

European Year of Volunteering 2011

Working closely with the voluntary and community sector, the Office for Civil Society (OCS) has developed a draft work programme for activity in England during European Year of Volunteering 2011 (EYV11).

Proposed activity includes:

• EYV 2011 tour: providing volunteers and volunteer involving organisations (VIOs) with an opportunity to exhibit achievements, meet one another and raise awareness of volunteering.  The tour will be hosted in London from 1 – 14 June 2011, in a purpose built tent in an outdoor venue.  If you have any venue suggestions or ideas on how the space could be used, email Tom Leftwich at the OCS.

• European Relay:  two organisations are to be identified to particpate in a european journalistic relay taking place throughout the Year.  The aim is to celebrate and share the day to day challenges and experiences of working with volunteers.  The organisations will be filmed and films, radio chronicles and written articles will be promoted through the media. Applications from interested organisations should be submitted by midnight, 25 October 2010.  Or you can get more information by emailing Georges Drout.

• Flagship projects: one or two projects are to be identified in each member state with grant funding to be made available.  There is a focus on the improvement of the quality of volunteering, creation of an enabling environment for volunteering in the EU, employer supported volunteering, mobility schemes in volunteering, social exclusion and senior volunteering.  Find more information here.

More news and updates will follow with information also available at on the EYV11 Alliance website or PAU Education’s website. PAU Education are contracted to deliver communications for EYV2011.

Priorities for Office of Civil Service (OCS)

Sharon Tynan of TimeBank, and also a GLV trustee, lends us her feedback on the last meeting of the All Party Parliamentary Group on Community and Voluntary Sector on 8 September.

As guest speaker, Nick Hurd MP outlined the priorities for the OCS.

The government wants to reignite a sense of social responsibility across the whole population, with three strands to this work:

• decentralisation and localism
• reforming public services
• improving the existing infrastructure

In his view, the two main challenges are the capacity of the sector to respond and the short term challenge of funding.

His feeling is that the central role of the OCS is to support and strengthen wider civil society as well as delivering the flagship programmes of National Citizens Service, training up 5,000 Community Organisers and the Big Society Bank.

His vision is of a financially independent (from government) voluntary and community sector and a belief in localism.

Worth reading alongside the above is the report below from Skills Third Sector on the Big Society.

Voluntary Sector Skills Landscape

London Ambassadors partner with Volunteer Centres

With recruitment for the two official volunteering programmes for the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games at full speed, most Volunteer Centres in London are now signed up as supporting partners to the London
Ambassadors programme.

Why two programmes, what’s the difference and which one should volunteers choose?  To clear up any confusion and help potential volunteers decide, Volunteer Centre Tower Hamlets, have shared the key points from their own information sheet.

Games Makers is LOCOG’s programme to recruit 70,000 volunteers for both
Generalist and Specialist roles.  Generalists need enthusiasm and passion for the Games for roles such as steward, radio operator or athlete escort and will be given full training.  Specialists will have particular skills or training and could be medical staff, sports specialists or press operators.  To apply, you must be over 18 years old, commit to a minimum of 10 days volunteering between July and September 2012, attend a 30 minute interview and three training sessions, and undertake a CRB check.  Uniforms and meal vouchers will be provided.

London Ambassadors is the Mayor’s additional, complementary programme to recruit 8,000 volunteers to offer a personalised, passionate and knowledgeable welcome and information service to visitors.  Volunteers
will be based at locations spanning the Games venues and all major tourist and travel points.  The application process and opportunities offer more flexibility with a minimum age requirement of 16 years old, a commitment of six days volunteering, provision of two references, a 45 minute interview and group exercise and three training sessions.  CRB checks are only required for Team Leaders and as well as uniforms and meals, volunteers will receive free travel within London zones 1 – 6.

Still confused or in doubt over registration or the opportunities?  Information and help for the programme is now widely available through
London’s Volunteer Centres – so give it a go!  Contact details are available on our Volunteer Centres page.

Campaign 2011

As the government prepare to announce their Comprehensive Spending Cuts, GLV’s Director has formally submitted a letter on behalf of the London Volunteering Stakeholders Forum to clarify the offer of support for the Big Society agenda.  The letter highlights our network’s links, skills and expertise and the opportunity available to engage us as their Community Organisers.

Whilst an official response is awaited, work continues to plan the campaign around the issues and opportunities that will undoubtedly arise.

Read the full letter and if you have any ideas or information to add further weight to our message, email us now.

Community Experts Key Messages

Final call for Queens Award Nominations

The deadline for nominations for the 2011 Award is fast approaching, 30 September 2010, so nominate now!

Each year, the Queen recognises outstanding voluntary groups by bestowing the highest National Honour that a group can receive, The Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service, the MBE for volunteer groups.

The Award was launched in 2002, to mark Her Majesty’s Golden Jubilee and to acknowledge the outstanding contributions made by voluntary groups giving freely of their time for the benefit of their local community – wherever that may be in the UK.

Sixty-eight groups in London have received the prestigious National Honour since its creation in 2002, after being nominated by friends, family, beneficiaries or a member of the public.

The Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service, Main Award Committee Chair and former broadcast journalist Martyn Lewis CBE said,

“There are millions of people volunteering or involved with charity work across the UK and it’s those we are calling on to make nominations for their region. The voluntary sector is playing an even bigger part in our lives and is a vital contributor to today’s society so it’s only right that voluntary groups giving freely of their time should be recognised at the highest level.

The Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service is the top voluntary sector honour and has proven invaluable to previous winners who have gained increased awareness of their work and experienced a boost in support from the area. I’m therefore urging the public to nominate as many great voluntary groups for the 2011 award, particularly from youth projects, black and minority ethnic groups and rural community organisations.”

Visit www.direct.gov.uk/thequeensawardforvoluntaryservice for more information, where a nomination form can be downloaded, or call 020 7781 2397.

Successful groups will be announced on 2nd June 2011.

Valuing Volunteer Management

The new Valuing Volunteer Management report reveals the need for more training and development for managers of volunteers. It shows that nearly half of people who manage volunteers have not received any training that would help them in their work.

The report canvassed opinion from over 1000 third sector organisations, and was commissioned by Skills – Third Sector. Despite identifying that there is much good practice in volunteer management in England today, it also reveals that volunteer management remains undervalued and underfunded in many organisations, including those with the largest incomes.  See the full report here.

GLV’s Experts in Volunteering project offers a first step antidote to some of the issues raised.  It aims to build the capacity of volunteer involving organisations, enabling them to manage volunteers well and provide Londoners with fulfilling volunteering experiences.

100th sign up for London’s Volunteer Management Charter

Congratulations to GLV’s Experts in Vounteering team who now have over 100 London organisations signed up to London’s Volunteer Manangement Charter.

The 100th signing came from ELHAP, a special needs adventure playground in Redbridge

The Charter gives clear guidance on what makes excellent volunteering experiences and helps organisations to prepare and support volunteers.  By signing up, organisations make a clear commitment to offering their volunteers a supported and flexible volunteering experience.

Once signed up, the Experts team are on hand to offer follow up advice, training and referrals to develop volunteering programmes.

That’s the first hundred, we look forward to hundreds more!

To find out more or get in touch with your local Development Worker, email experts@glv.org.uk or visit www.expertsinvolunteering.org.uk where you can also sign up online.

GLV Big Issue event

GLV’s Big Issue event last week focussed on ‘Converting Taster Volunteers’ and featured a presentation from Jennie Smith (Volunteer Manager, Crisis), workshops and and plenty of healthy debate.  If you’d like a reminder of the issues discussed, or if you couldn’t make it and would like to see what was covered, check the links below.

Big Issue Notes 4 Aug 10

CRISIS presentation

Volunteer Bank, Volunteer Centre Croydon

London Ambassadors

The Mayor launched the London Ambassadors programme at St Pancras on Tuesday 27 July, which aims to recruit 8,000 enthusiastic London-loving volunteers to welcome and advise visitors to the 2012 games .

In the first week, over 3,500 registrations of interest were formally submitted.

The Volunteer Centre network, along with local library services, holds an integral part in supporting this programme, offering the use of computers to those without internet access and, where necessary, giving assistance to anyone needing a little additional help in navigating the internet.

For more information on the programme and how to register take a look at the official London Ambassadors website.

If you’d like to help promote the programme and would like some publicity materials, click here.

Volunteering for online confidence

You might be surprised to read that ten million people in the UK have never been online*: that’s more than the population of Belgium.

About a quarter of Britons don’t use the internet because they lack the skills to get online. But across London, volunteers are teaching people how to connect to the web – to save money, access opportunities and have fun!

Here’s just a snapshot of the volunteering opportunities that our members are offering in this field:

• Westminster Volunteer Centre promotes a Seniors Online programme based in local libraries
• CamdenVolunteer Centre has paired up with the Over 50s Swiss Cottage Computer Club for weekly volunteer-led learning sessions
• Kensington and Chelsea Volunteer Centre recruited volunteers for Age Concern to offer internet lessons within older people’s homes, and together with TimeBank, offer a Digital Mentoring programme, pairing a younger person with a mentee to teach IT skills

Feeling inspired to assist someone getting online? Take a look at www.helppassiton.co.uk for free online courses and resources on using the internet.

*Source: Raceonline2012.org

Summer Network Day

Members from across the network came together in June to think through issues affecting us all.

We kicked off the day with a ‘Hot Topics’ session, sharing ideas on how to fulfil an increased demand for volunteering opportunities, and ways of using skilled volunteers effectively. Brent Volunteer Centre related how they had effectively worked with local libraries to create volunteer roles including storytellers and meeter-and-greeters.  Charity shops can also fulfil young people’s desire for retail experience: advertising a charity shop voluntary role as ‘Fashion Guru’ has proved to be very effective.

Other discussions included how Timebanking fitted in with London’s volunteering landscape,  and the problems posed by job agencies trying to use Volunteer Centres to source experience for their clients, without paying for brokerage services.

How can volunteer centres work effectively with the private sector? After lunch, Lyn Asquith-Brown from Greenwich Volunteer Centre gave a presentation on her experience of working with the O2 venue, to create a Major Events Volunteering programme (MEVP).  The programme has been a huge success, with 53% of participants going into further work and high uptake among women and BAME groups. Feedback from participants has been hugely enthusiastic, and many are planning to go on to volunteer at the Olympics.

A highlight of the day was the lively debate about what GLV’s campaign theme should be for 2010 / 2011.  Discussions are still ongoing about how to take forward the campaign, so watch this space…

MEVP presentation June 2010

The Election Effect on Volunteer Centres

With the May election a distant memory, the effects of the new regime are still yet to fully emerge.  Without doubt, changes are ahead for all but what can Volunteer Centres anticipate in the months ahead?  Kirsty Palmer, Chief Executive of Volunteer Centre Kensington & Chelsea, takes the situation head on and offers her view on the increasingly difficult climate and path ahead.

VC Kensington & Chelsea Post Election Presentation

New Support Resource for People Managing Volunteers

For the first time information on the training, advice and resources offered by Volunteer Centres across the UK will be available to view in one place.

Today, Volunteering England launches the new Volunteer Management Portal, which will link to hundreds of resources across England, and provide access to the range of services offered by GLV’s members, adding helpful information on facilities in addition to our own Experts in Volunteering website (www.expertsinvolunteering.org.uk) which offers regional information on training courses, consultants and forums.

The portal will act as a national gateway to the world of Volunteer Management, providing a central source of information on support, training and development opportunities for people managing volunteers.

“We wanted to create a central site where people managing volunteers could go to look for support and development opportunities locally as well as nationally”, explains Ally Hammock, who managed the development of the portal. “The Volunteer Management Portal is an organic project and we hope that the more it is used, the more resources we will be able to add and the greater the value it will provide to people managing volunteers.”

The resources signposted on the portal were sourced through a comprehensive national mapping exercise undertaken by Volunteering England and the nine Regional England Volunteer Development Councils. GLV, which mapped London’s resources, uncovered around 100 resources for the region including meeting rooms, training providers and Councils for Voluntary Services.

The portal has two key functions; a basic key word search engine, allowing users to search for a wide variety of resources and a ‘training provider finder map’ where users can search for training providers and consultants in their local region. To access the Volunteer Management Portal visit; www.volunteering.org.uk/vmportal

If you are an organisation that would like to add your resources to the portal, please contact Ally Hammock. To find out more about the Volunteer Management Portal and wider campaign visit Volunteer Management Programme.

Out and about at Volunteering Week 2010

It’s a jam-packed schedule this week for GLV’s staff. All over London, volunteer centres are celebrating Volunteers’ Week, and here in London, GLV’s staff have been out and about celebrating with them.

Appreciating the contributions which volunteers make is crucial to good practice in volunteering. The Volunteering Charter lists Reward and Recognition as a key principle. So it’s great that throughout the week, volunteer centres are showing their appreciation for volunteers’ hard work.

Many are hosting volunteer award ceremonies. Tonight, volunteers at the Southwark Stars Award event will be treated to live music, drinks and canapes in the atmospheric arts venue Shunt. Tomorrow, lucky volunteers in Haringey will attend an awards ceremony at Tottenham Hotspur FC.

And let’s not forget the volunteer recruitment happening this week too. From Speed Volunteering  at VC Greenwich and VC Wandsworth, to Brent VC’s Meet Munch and Mingle event, this year’s innovative events are sure to draw in a new cohort of enthusiastic volunteers.

Happy Volunteers’ Week to all our members!

GLV at the NNVIA conference

How can volunteer involving organisations ensure that people from all backgrounds feel confident to volunteer?

Today, three members of GLV’s staff have been exploring this question at the National Network of Volunteer Involving Agencies (NNVIA) conference on Changing the Profile of Volunteering. It’s been great to see lots of London volunteer centres in attendence. Highlights of the day have included a speech from Justin Davis Smith, head of Volunteering England, on the business case for diversifying volunteers; and some truly inspiring stories of people who have overcome obstacles to begin volunteering.

Whether you’ve attended the conference or not, GLV can advise on how best to diversify your volunteer base. The Experts in Volunteering Resource Directory is a good place to start for information on how to get your Equalities policy right; to involve LGBT volunteers or to encourage disabled people to volunteer.

New Government: How did Volunteering Fare at the Elections?

May 12th, 2010

Whilst almost every political party recognised the value of volunteering, very little was said about how it is, and will be, supported to help the government achieve its social and economic ambitions for Britain. However, the extraordinary activities and engagement around the election have demonstrated the impact of volunteering:

“The election proved an excellent example of what happens when people act to change lives for the better. Giving up time to make their voices heard. This is the first step to understanding the power of voluntary action.

As a sector that is used to collaboration and partnership working, we look forward to working more closely with a gov ernmen t which is united in recognising the importance of volunteering and community support.”

- Kerry Tweed, Director of Greater London Volunteering

Free conference on diversifying volunteering

April 12th, 2010

The National Network of Volunteer Involving Agencies is hosting a conference entitled ‘Changing the profile of Volunteering’ on June 1st.  Speakers include Dame Elisabeth Hoodless DBE, Executive Director, CSV and Chair of NNVIA and Dr. Justin Davis Smith, Chief Executive, Volunteering England.

For more information, see the website: www.csv.org.uk/nnviaconference2010

Glasgow museum volunteers inspired by British Museum trip

April 19th, 2010

Three volunteers from Glasgow have just completed several days working at the British Museum as part of the Wave of Friendship volunteer exchange programme. According to one of the volunteers, ‘Staff inspired us! We were blown away by the generosity of the people we met on our trip. It was far more than we expected, and offered us a unique insight into the museum’.

The Wave of Friendship offers grants of up to £500 for London-based volunteers to volunteer in Scotland; or for Scottish volunteers to volunteer in London.

The volunteers were ‘blown away by the generosity of the people they met’ and hope to be able to host volunteers from London in the future.

Volunteering England and Youthnet launch the 25th hour campaign

14th April, 2010

Today, Volunteering England and YouthNet are announcing details of workshops to help local organisations use the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games to create and promote Games inspired volunteering opportunities. These opportunities will form the backbone of the 25th Hour campaign, also launched today by the Government.

The workshops are intended to show local organisations how to use the 2012 Games to create and promote Games inspired volunteering opportunities in your area. It’s important that everyone has the chance to take part in Games inspired activities, and volunteering is a great way for people to spend their time. We’ll be explaining how to create Games inspired opportunities and how to make them easily available to local people, for example, by posting them on the Do-it website.

Libraries Modernisation review: what role for volunteers?

March 23rd, 2010

Around half of London libraries use volunteers*, in roles from leading reading groups to delivering books to housebound people. There’s even one library in Hackney, Woodberry Down Library, which is wholly volunteer-run.

But if proposals in the Department of Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) Modernisation Review of Public Libraries are taken up, volunteers will become an increasingly important part of delivering the UK’s library services.

The review, launched by Culture Minister Margaret Hodge after two months of consultation, includes the proposal that  “All libraries should consider how best to attract, nurture and utilise volunteers, to complement their workforce.”  It notes how volunteers can help libraries deliver the longer opening hours to attract more users, and praises a scheme in Leicester which encourages refugees and asylum seekers to volunteer in their public library, helping them gain the skills needed for employment.

It is particularly welcome that the review explicitly states that volunteers can offer skills “which complement (but don’t replace) staff expertise.” The need to ensure that volunteers provide an enhanced service, rather than substituting paid jobs, has been set out before in GLV’s Principles of Volunteering, and the Charter for Strengthening Relations Between Paid Staff and Volunteers, agreed by the Trade Unions Council [TUC] and Volunteering England), and it’s encouraging that Government and local authorities recognise that volunteers should supplement the work of paid staff, never to displace them.

Many London libraries are already managing volunteers responsibly and sensitively – Bromley and Bexley libraries deserve particular mention here for their Volunteer Policies. But as more volunteers get involved in everything from summer reading schemes for kids to Books on Wheels projects, there will be a growing need to support outstanding volunteer management in libraries.

- Have you worked succesfully with library volunteer? Think Hodge has got it right? Post a comment and have your say!

*Based on data from the 2008 – 2009 CIPFA review – with thanks to Libraries for Life for London

Election ‘Fever’ at Volunteering England Hustings

March 4th, 2010

“The third sector has come through these difficult times and helped the hard to reach” says Angela Smith

More than 100 people gathered in Westminster, central London, for Volunteering England’s first ever hustings meeting on the 2nd March.

To celebrate the launch of Volunteering England’s manifesto, calling the Government to recognise the value of volunteers and sustain government programmes and funding to support volunteering.

The event was chaired by eminent political commentator and Guardian Assistant Editor, Michael White, with Third Sector Minister, Angela Smith and Shadow Ministers Nick Hurd and Jenny Willott making up the panel.

Nick Hurd was the first on the panel to speak and voicing his concern about the amount of money given to v and the Experience Corps and reiterating his worries, voiced previously, about his frustration at government departments trying ‘to reinvent the wheel’.

“We have to look at what we can do to support local, community and voluntary action and get more resources into the third sector. Volunteering totally enriches the lives of people who give their time. There is too much focus on ‘initiatives’.”

Hurd also said that the Conservatives would: “give government employees the right to volunteer for eight hours a year” and highlighted the need to remove barriers to volunteering, such as those relating to regulation and cost which he believes currently get in the way.

Jenny Willott, Liberal Democrat, told delegates:

“It will be really tough financially after the election and we have to be realistic about what can be done.

“The Government needs to do more to generate a culture of volunteering in the UK, and look at the role of schools and employers.”

Minister Angela Smith, was very positive about achievements in the sector:

“An indication of how far the sector has come can be seen in the agreement here with the speakers tonight. The third sector has come through these difficult times and helped the hard to reach.”

The Minister spoke of the benefits of volunteering but also about the challenges ahead.

“We need to find the right kind of volunteering opportunities and work with the capacity of the sector. By increasing the number of volunteers we can do more to support cohesion and bring more people in and also spread good practice.”

Smith, Hurd and Willott were united when asked if they would continue to support funding for volunteering infrastructure although they stressed the need to be realistic about what can actually be done in the tough economic climate.

Lobbying for a strong volunteering sector

March 17th, 2010

Full coverage of the Volunteering England Hustings and other latest volunteering news can be found in Volunteering Magazine.

Unless you’ve been trekking in remote hills and valleys for the last six months, far from the British media, you cannot fail to be aware that a general election is looming. And an election is a crucial time to lobby candidates and MPs about the need for political support for the volunteering sector.

Volunteering is universally lauded by politicians as A Good Thing: ’supporting volunteering’ is a motherhood-and-apple-pie election promise. But how many local MPs will pledge to support the measures we, as the volunteering sector, know we need to ensure a vibrant volunteering sector?

Things like making a clear distinction between volunteering and work experience schemes. Or ensuring that organisations are properly funded to include the costs of training and recruiting volunteers. Measures like committing every government department to develop a volunteering strategy by 2011.

Volunteering England have published a manifesto, setting out the crucial measures that the new government should take to ensure a strong volunteering sector. Alongside is a pledge parliamentary candidates and MPs can take to show their support.

VE and GLV are calling on members to contact their MPs and prospective parliamentary candidates to sign the pledge. VE’s website has information on how to contact them, as well as template letters. Why not use this as an opportunity to raise the profile of your own organisation, perhaps even inviting local media along?

Please let us at GLV know if you’ve engaged in any lobbying, and we’ll feature it on our website or newsletter.

Statistics needed on volunteering in London

March 3rd, 2010

In the last year or two, in the face of rising unemployment and funding cuts, volunteering enquiries have risen dramatically across London.

Volunteering England are collecting statistics from Volunteer Centres, and you are urged to complete their survey if you haven’t done so already.  Email matthew.hill@volunteeringengland.org if you haven’t yet, or to agree to share your information with GLV.

GLV needs to be able to articulate what’s going on now in terms of London’s volunteering. We need to be able to tell funders and decision makers exactly how the recession has affected the volunteer sector in London.

So if you have any reports or facts and figures which will tell us the numbers of volunteers coming forward, where volunteers are coming from and their background or abilities and interests, get in touch!

Students: up to £500 available to volunteer in Scotland!

February 23rd, 2010

If you volunteer, you’ll already know how volunteering with others has an uncanny to bring people together.

The Wave of Friendship scheme is an exchange scheme which funds volunteers from London up to £500 to volunteer in Scotland…and funds Scottish volunteers to come and volunteer down here in London too. It’s open to anybody over the age of 18.

The beauty of the scheme is its flexibility. To qualify for the bursary, you must demonstrate that your volunteering demonstrates one of the  ‘Olympic Values:  Friendship, Respect, Courage, Determination, Equality or Inspiration.

Aside from that, it’s up to you! Whether your volunteer placement is for three months or three hours; in a charity’s offices or in a school; hacking down brambles or collecting petition signatures; gardening or litterpicking or designing a website, Wave of Friendship can fund the accomodation, travel and tools you need to make it happen.

200 volunteers will benefit from this scheme over the next four years. If you’d like to be one of them, visit the Wave of Friendship website and download the simple three page application form.

Good luck!

The Big Squeeze: How is the recession affecting you?

February 19th, 2010

Has the recession affected your volunteer centre? Have you had to change the way you operate because of cuts, or faced increased pressure from newly unemployed wannabe volunteers? GLV’s partner LVSC (London Voluntary Service  Council) is surveying volunteer and community groups across London at the moment, investigating how any cuts, or fear of cuts, may have impacted upon the groups serving Londoners. The survey’s important, because it provides evidence which LVSC can use to influence government and funders about the issues which the voluntary sector face. It only takes a few minutes, but hopefully will give a picture of how volunteer centres and other groups are coping with the recession. So make a cup of tea, and add your voice to the call for a strong voluntary sector to help tackle the effects of recession.

Vetting and Barring Scheme

January 26th 2010

Over eighty people attended a briefing on the new Vetting and Barring Scheme yesterday. Organised by GLV’s Experts in Volunteering project, the briefing heard presentations by

• Kate Bowgett from London Museums Hub and the Association of Volunteer Managers (presentation here)
• Simon Morrison from the Home Office (presentation here)

After his detailed presentation, Simon responded to questions. If you have questions of your own, you can contact the ISA at www.isa-gov.org or by ringing 0300 123 1111.

New presentation on Wave of Friendship

January 26th, 2010

The Wave of Friendship is a fully-funded volunteer exchange programme which VCs and VIOs can use to develop, reward, and inspire volunteers. And GLV has just produced a free presentation to communicate the benefits of the Wave.

If you haven’t heard already, the Wave of Friendship funds volunteers from London to volunteer in Scotland; and vice-versa.  Bursaries of up to £500 are available; and over the four-year period that the programme runs for, over 200 volunteers will  be able to benefit from the scheme.

Want to know more? This short (four slide) presentation on Wave of Friendship summarises all the basics about this Olympic-inspired volunteer exchange programme between Scotland and London.  Please feel free to disseminate to any organisations you think may be interested, and do get in touch if you’d like a follow-up visit about the project.

WaveofFriendship Presentation

Our say on the London Plan

January 8th, 2010

The Mayor of London recently released a new draft of the London Plan: eight chapters of strategy for making London a flourishing city. The plan discusses London’s economy, green spaces, transport and regeneration; setting out ideas for making London a successful, safer, more pleasant city to live in.

And the contribution of volunteers is not mentioned once.

With nearly half of Londoners volunteering on a regular basis, omitting to mention the role of volunteers and the infrastructure to support volunteering is a huge oversight. GLV’s consultation response focuses on the part that a well supported and well funded volunteering infrastructure can play in enhancing activities by volunteers to create a vibrant London.

We think that the volunteering movement is crucial to improving the environment. To enhancing community cohesion. To providing excellent local services. To winning support for green initiatives. And we hope that the replacement plan, due to be published in 2011, recognises the centrality of volunteering to community life in the capital and the expert support that is needed to maximise volunteering’s potential.

The deadline for feedback on the London Plan is 12th January. We’ve got our response in, but if you or your organisation has something to say, don’t forget to get your response in fast!

LondonPlanresponseGLV2010

Collaboration: what does this mean for the network?

December 22nd, 2009

What does collaboration mean for the GLV network? How can we better collaborate, both in the short term, and in the longer term? What are the benefits, for both our members, and for users of Volunteer Centres (VCs)?

Groups at our September 2009 network day looked at these questions, and explored some possible pathways into better collaboration. They looked particularly at how regional groups of VCs can work together, sharing information and expertise.

The potential benefits – in terms of speaking with a stronger voice for VCs, saving money, and providing the best possible support for volunteers and for Volunteer Involving Origanisations – are many.

Collaboration_session_notes

Personal Best: Meeting for Volunteer Centres

December 3rd, 2009

Volunteer Centres and other voluntary organisations play an important role in Personal Best in many boroughs. They provide volunteering opportunities, for example, and promote Personal Best to voluntary organisations’ service users. Staff discussed Personal Best at GLV’s recent AGM – they found it useful to compare their experiences of the programme across London, and came up with many positive ideas about how to take it forward. As part of that process, a Third Sector Good Practice Group has been organised at GLV’s office on Tuesday 15 December. For more information email personalbest@glv.org.uk.

London’s Volunteer Management Charter Launch

5^th December (UN International Volunteer Day)

 Recession Boom for Volunteers: 2.5 Million Volunteers to Benefit from Excellent Management

 Over the past year 90% of Volunteer Centres in the UK have had an increase in volunteering enquiries. This is clearly evident in London with figures increasing by over 600% in the first 6 months of 2009 compared to the same period in 2008 for Volunteer Centre Greenwich.  Greater London Volunteering’s network aims to ensure that new volunteers resulting from the recession’s impact will find relevant, interesting and valuable opportunities.

The London’s Volunteer Management Charter has been developed by Greater London Volunteering in close consultation with the London Volunteer Centre network. It gives clear guidance as to what makes excellent volunteering experiences, and provides assurance for volunteers looking to get involved in organisations that support London’s communities.

Over 50 partner organisations have joined together to begin to respond to the huge increase in demand for volunteering opportunities in the capital.

Research by YouthNet in 2009 evidenced the need for an increased supply of volunteering opportunities. This is further echoed by The Institute of Volunteering Research’s findings in 2008 which identifies the need to respond to the demand for volunteering with an improved supply of quality opportunities and by strengthening the volunteering infrastructure.

Working through the Volunteer Centre network across Greater London, the Experts in Volunteering team will be reaching out to organisations of all shapes and sizes over the next 3 years.

Quotes

“I welcome the London’s Volunteer Management Charter as an exciting initiative that will continue to improve volunteering experiences in our capital. Every hour donated by volunteers helps make London a more civilised and pleasant place in which to work, visit and live. Earlier this year we launched our volunteering website where there are an abundance of volunteering opportunities. I would urge more people to get out there and give it a go.”
Mayor of London, Boris Johnson

“The Association of Volunteer Managers really welcome initiatives such as GLV’s Charter of Good Practice which promote good volunteer management, and help to highlight that volunteer involvement needs to be planned and resourced properly “
Sean Cobley, Chair, Association of Volunteer Manager

Further information: http://www.expertsinvolunteering.org.uk/web/charter

-Anne Layzell, Experts in Volunteering Manager

What Volunteering Is

November 18th, 2009

Following on from several consultations to clarify what volunteering is, and what it isn’t, the regional group of volunteering support bodies – The London Stakeholders Volunteering Forum – agreed the attached Principles of Volunteering.

Principles of Volunteering

Research: The Health of Volunteering in London. All Set for 2012?

This document was published January 2009, but slipped off our new website. Here it is again to support the case for continued and increased volunteering infrastructure investment. In a world where volunteering is growing and where the recession has led to an increase in employability opportunities, GLV feels the case is clear that local support agencies, Volunteer Centres, are vital to helping people back on the path to employment through volunteering, whilst serving the needs of the community for voluntary support.

London Volunteering Health Check 2009

Personal Best: The Role of the Voluntary and Community Sector

October 30th, 2009

We’ve recently created a PowerPoint presentation which shows where the sector can get involved to support Personal Best.

To see it, click here for the Personal Best PowerPoint Presentation.

We’ll add more details about Personal Best to our website soon. For more detailed information, go to www.personalbestprogramme.co.uk.

Developing the 2012 volunteering legacy

October 9th, 2009

Volunteering England held a 2012 Symposium on 30 September 2009 to bring together stakeholders to discuss volunteering, the Games and the legacy. Kerry Tweed, Director of Greater London Volunteering and Chair of the Volunteering London group at the GLA, presented on some of the work that’s going on regionally. Her presentation is available to review. Information on other 2012-related volunteering projects is warmly welcomed.

Presentation to 2012 symposium

Wave of Friendship Launched

August 11th, 2009

The Wave of Friendship volunteer exchange programme has been launched! Applications for the scheme are encouraged to be sent in to Scotland and London. Each month GLV and Volunteer Development Scotland will award bursaries of up to £500 to volunteers who want to take part.

Jane Sterland, GLV volunteer on The Big Opportunity Direct and now supporting the Wave of Friendship, gave a speech as part of the launch sharing her experience of 2012-related volunteering. This will be shared on the My Volunteering website shortly. The My Volunteering website is being created as part of the People Making Waves programme to demonstrate and share the legacy of 2012-inspired activities.

Event Volunteering Calendar

July 27th, 2009

The event volunteering calendar is a simple tool that helps people to find community and charity events and short activities taking place across London. Events that need people to help with organising, fundraising, stewarding…

Event organisers upload their details through GLV, and we promote them through the website and in partnership with our network of Volunteer Centres.

The Volunteer Centres can then offer advice and support to organisers on recruiting and retaining volunteers, developing roles for volunteers, and promoting the opportunities to over 50,000 volunteers currently registered.

Visit www.eventvolunteers.org.uk for more details, information, advice and guidance.

News: Experts in Volunteering Gears Up to Launch 1 June 2009

July 4th, 2009

Experts in Volunteering launches its campaign in June 2009 to improve volunteering experiences across the capital, whilst establishing a standard Charter of Good Practice for volunteer-involving organisations.

The project, managed by Greater London Volunteering (GLV), and funded by the Big Lottery Fund, will define volunteering and good practice by developing a Charter, and support third sector groups to access, interpret and use information, templates and resources to develop quality volunteering programmes.

A programme priority for volunteer-involving organisations (VIOs) includes enabling access for disadvantaged groups to benefit from free volunteer management training, helping groups plan for the cost of involving volunteers, collating experience and evidence on working with different groups (equality or interest) to ensure quality meaningful volunteering opportunities, and gathering feedback on the impact on volunteers’ experiences with organisations who follow best practice guidance.

Outcomes of the 3-year project include:

• A Good Practice Charter for London, with case studies demonstrating the impact of good volunteer management applied through signing up to the Charter.

• 900 frontline groups completing a volunteering health check or working to Investing in Volunteers standards, resulting in positive feedback of increased accessibility to potential volunteers, and better retention rates of placed volunteers.

• Good volunteer management forums facilitated encouraging shared resources and expertise, embedding good practice and reducing duplication of effort.

• Provision of free Introduction to Volunteer Management training, improving best practice knowledge in 540 voluntary and community sector organisations.

Press Release: Experts in Volunteering

Projects: Community Language CD-ROM

July 3rd, 2009

A CD-ROM of ‘An Introduction to Volunteering’ was produced by GLV in over 30 languages and formats, including British Sign Language, spoken English, French and Spanish and Easy Read. Translations were checked by volunteers recruited through Volunteer Centres across Greater London. The CD-ROM was distributed to all members of GLV to use in promoting volunteering. GLV also use the CD-ROM at regional events such as Forum3 and the Open University Volunteer Day.

This project was initiated in response to Network discussions about providing more equal access to information on what volunteering means and how to get involved or find further information. It recognised London’s diverse communities and enabled an increase in the number of people from these communities actively involved in volunteering.

You can request a copy of the CD by contacting GLV.

The project was funded through the Year of the Volunteer Action Fund 2005-2006.

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