Volunteer Ireland’s Post

PLEASE CASCADE TO VCSE ORGANISATIONS IN NORFOLK.... If yours is an organisation that engages volunteers (from 1 to 1000+) please share your experience of recruiting and supporting volunteers in the current climate by completing a short survey. Last year recent research into the volunteering landscape in Norfolk fed into the Norfolk Vision for Volunteering. It highlighted how volunteering has changed over the last few years and how organisations are adapting, or need to, in order to attract and keep new volunteers. The survey results will help to update that picture so that new initiatives and relevant support can be developed that will benefit all organisations. If we have the data we can make the case to draw down resources that will enable volunteering in Norfolk and Waveney to grow and flourish. Please take a few minutes to complete this questionnaire before the closing date of midnight on Monday 21st October. It needs to be completed by someone who knows about your volunteers and their training even though we do not require precise figures – https://lnkd.in/eC-P2f2J or complete in a Word document or by hand onto a printed pdf version. Word and PDF copies of the questionnaire can be downloaded using this link: https://lnkd.in/eVkJnieC

What will the future of volunteering be in London? It's up to you! London's Lifelines is gathering views from Londoners around volunteering in London and how to sustain and improve it for the future. Please do take a moment to complete their survey and make sure you have a say... #volunteering #londonvisionforvolunteering #visionforvolunteering

Volunteers move mountains. But it’s difficult to measure our impact. There are many kinds of volunteers and we don’t track volunteer activity consistently. Sometimes we don’t even call it volunteering! “Every seventh person in the world is a volunteer,” the United Nations Volunteers programme said in its last State of the World’s Volunteerism Report (swvr2022.unv.org). It highlights 5 kinds of volunteering: • Mutual aid—informal, person-to-person help • Service—responding to the perceived needs of another community • Campaigning—amplifying marginalized voices • Participation—in governance • Leisure—volunteering around personal interests How do you volunteer?

Did you know, 70.7% of all people under the age of 25 volunteer? This makes them the largest cohort of volunteers in NSW, according to the 2023 State of Volunteering Report. With the intention to volunteer more in 3 years high across all age groups, it’s probable this number will grow. Read more key findings from the State of Volunteering Report today: https://buff.ly/4d4eU1w #NSVW24

We've been tracking the Cost of Living Crisis's impact on Scottish adults & Third Sector Organisations to better understand its effects on volunteering. So, has the #CostofLiving impacts lessoned for volunteers and volunteering? Find out more in our Quarterly Bulletin No.4 here: https://ow.ly/Gemo50R3ky9

We've been tracking the Cost of Living Crisis's impact on Scottish adults & Third Sector Organisations to understand its effects on volunteering. Has the #CostofLiving impact lessened for volunteers? Find out in our Quarterly Bulletin No.4: https://ow.ly/1w1g50R6z4R

Big-hearted and feel too busy to volunteer in your community? No worries! The first step is to not wait for the perfect moment to start volunteering—begin with what you have, no matter how small. Check out this week's blog to see how you can do just that! Check out the full article here: https://lnkd.in/g_C4hRaF

What is the driving power behind volunteering? Why do volunteers spend their time, effort and often money on things that may never directly benefit them? Here is one perspective on the essence of volunteering, published in the February issue of HRRA Magazine. Check it out! You can read the full article in the link below (p. 15-16) https://lnkd.in/gAPYGcjU

THE BIG HELP PACK! If you volunteer or your employer/clients does  and you/they want to recruit & retain more volunteers, this free Big Help Pack is for you and your colleagues! It has been produced by the National Council for Voluntary Organisations (NCVO) and by the way, they are worth joining! Their Big Help Pack is full of essential assets, including videos and slides, designed to help voluntary organisations get involved in The Big Help Out 2024. The Big Help Out is a campaign to showcase how volunteering benefits both communities and the people who take part. It’s all about providing opportunities for people to experience volunteering and make a difference in their communities. It really  is a great opportunity to reach a new audience of potential volunteers in a tough climate for volunteer recruitment and retention. You might already have ambitions to increase diversity amongst your volunteers or make your programme more inclusive. The Big Help Out also provides a great opportunity to tackle these objectives with the support and assets of a national campaign behind you. The Big Help Out pack contains sections on:- The Big Help Out itself Answers to key questions about The Big Help Out and links to helpful resources, designed to help your organisation get involved. Focusing on under-represented communities A key focus of the campaign is targeting communities traditionally under-represented in volunteering. Gain key insights to help your organisation contribute to this objective. Using the digital platform The Big Help Out’s digital platform is a handy tool you can use to promote volunteering activities throughout the campaign. Learn how to do this efficiently and effectively, using step-by-step guides. Using the media campaign Information on how the media campaign is bringing new audiences to volunteering, and guidance to help you spotlight your own events and activities. Partners and contact information Find out about the organisations partnering to deliver the campaign and learn who can you contact for further support.   #volunteerrecruitment #attractingvolunteers #retainingvolunteers #bighelpoutcampaign   https://lnkd.in/eQqVVk6e        

"...𝗶𝘀 𝘀𝗲𝗹𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝘃𝗼𝗹𝘂𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮 𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗺 𝗼𝗳 𝗵𝘆𝗽𝗼𝗰𝗿𝗶𝘀𝘆?" I had an interesting conversation with friends recently, and the topic of volunteering came up. We discussed how volunteering provides exposure and experience, and how it’s often seen as an act of selflessness without any expectation of return. Then, one friend asked, "𝐼𝑓 𝑤𝑒'𝑟𝑒 𝑡𝑟𝑢𝑙𝑦 𝑣𝑜𝑙𝑢𝑛𝑡𝑒𝑒𝑟𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑤𝑖𝑡ℎ 𝑛𝑜 𝑒𝑥𝑝𝑒𝑐𝑡𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛𝑠, 𝑠ℎ𝑜𝑢𝑙𝑑 𝑤𝑒 𝑓𝑜𝑐𝑢𝑠 𝑜𝑛 𝑏𝑖𝑔 𝑜𝑟𝑔𝑎𝑛𝑖𝑧𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛𝑠 𝑜𝑟 𝑔𝑜 𝑤ℎ𝑒𝑟𝑒 𝑝𝑒𝑜𝑝𝑙𝑒 𝑔𝑒𝑛𝑢𝑖𝑛𝑒𝑙𝑦 𝑛𝑒𝑒𝑑 ℎ𝑒𝑙𝑝?" That question really made me think. Could it be that we sometimes volunteer because, deep down, we want to be remembered? Because we expect recognition from the organizations we volunteer for? Maybe we tell ourselves it’s for the love of helping others, but in reality, we love ourselves more, hoping karma will eventually reward us. If our goal is to genuinely help, why don’t we prioritize places where our assistance is most needed—hospitals, rural areas, and social centers where we can truly make an impact? So, I wonder, is selective volunteering a form of hypocrisy?