Volunteering in the news
“Volunteers are fantastic – but it’s wrong for Martyn Lewis to suggest they are always the cheaper choice. Awarding public sector contracts to volunteering groups is all well and good, but it needs to be properly thought through – and costed.”
Great article from Oonagh Aitken, Chief Executive of Volunteering Matters.
Government proposals for employees to receive three days of volunteering leave are to go ahead, the Minister for Civil Society confirmed in a recent speech.
Community Action: MK Volunteer Managers Forum – July 8th
Our next FREE Volunteer Managers Forum event is fully booked but we do have a waiting list if you would like to sign up and be the first to hear if a ticket becomes available. To keep up to date with our next forum, sign up to our Learning & Events newsletter here.
NEW Factsheets from Community Action: MK
Digital Volunteering: How to attract time poor, skilled and motivated volunteers by changing the way you create opportunities. Read some interesting case studies from The Woodland Trust, MK Smart and our Employee Volunteering programme here.
Best practice in recruiting and retaining volunteers, with some excellent local case studies.
Latest news from Community Action: MK’s Employee Volunteering programme:
Small team make a big impact at St Mungo’s.
Home Retail Group bridge the gap at Stowe Gardens.
Best practice: useful links & resources
Some really fantastic resources from the Wales Council for Voluntary Action.
A Charter for Strengthening Relations between paid staff and Volunteers (2011) – WCVA produced jointly with Wales TUC a Charter to strengthen relationships between paid and unpaid staff. This sets out principles for involving volunteers so as to promote a healthy and harmonious workplace.
Best practice guide on establishing joint working arrangements with third parties for involving volunteers:
Guidance from Barnardo’s as a tool for organisations who place volunteers in settings where Third Parties have responsibility for their day to day activity. It is a way of ensuring good practice in the management of volunteers, and is closely based on the Investing in Volunteers Standard.
Have you explored the LinkedIn Volunteer marketplace to recruit volunteers?
VolunteerMatch, part of LinkedIn’s LinkedIn4Good programme, is designed to help charities with two volunteering challenges:
– Finding volunteers with particular professional skills
– Finding volunteers who want to serve as a board member or trustee.
Charities can encourage their LinkedIn users to volunteer their skills and experience by completing the volunteer section of their LinkedIn profile.
Charities can post volunteer opportunities on LinkedIn for Nonprofits. There is a modest fee – 10% of the standard cost to post a job on LinkedIn – which LinkedIn explained was to ensure the facility was not misused. LinkedIn says it will reinvest this income in the service.
Charities can post at no charge if they post their advert via the two lead partners REACH Volunteering and Do-it.org. Adverts posted there will also access LinkedIn members.
Talk to us at Community Action: MK about listing your volunteer opportunities on Do-it.org.
Email volunteering@communityactionmk.org or call 01908 661623.