Volunteer Centre News Update – week beginning 22 August 2022
Welcome to the second edition of our new Volunteer Centre Update. We had some great feedback from the first one we sent out a couple of weeks ago, and we really appreciate the time that you take to look at our content and let us know what you think of it. Keep it coming and contact us!
Mayor’s Afternoon Tea – nominate your local heroes
The Mayor of Lancaster is asking people to nominate local unsung heroes to join her at a special celebratory event.
Councillor Joyce Pritchard will be hosting an afternoon tea to thank volunteers who have gone the extra mile.
She wants to hear about outstanding individuals who have given up their time to make a difference to their community or to help those in need.
Councillor Pritchard said: “Volunteers are the lifeblood of many local organisations and without them many services would simply not be able to function.
“This event is a small way of acknowledging the efforts of all of those people who give up their time to help others and give them a treat to say thank you for their efforts.”
The event will take place on Friday October 21 at 2pm at Lancaster Town Hall.
To nominate someone you think deserves to attend, send a short explanation of why they merit an invitation to [email protected] by Friday September 30.
Alternatively, post your nomination to: Mayor’s Office, Lancaster Town Hall, LA1 1PJ.
Volunteers and Insurance
In our last update we mentioned volunteering opportunities for people under the age of 18, and one of the things that is often cited as a reason why volunteers must be 18 or over is insurance.
While specific insurance for volunteers is not legally required, volunteers are covered by Employer Liability Insurance, which is necessary for all organisations who engage volunteers who are not family members. Employer Liability Insurance covers claims against your organisation by volunteers who may have suffered an injury, or become ill, as a result of their volunteering.
Public liability insurance on the other hand covers claims that may be made by service users, or members of the public, who have been injured or had their property damaged, possibly as a result of actions by volunteers. Specific cover for under 18s may not be automatic and it’s here where changes might be required if you are to engage younger volunteers. Public liability insurance is not legally required, it isn’t a compulsory insurance, but it pays to be safe.
If you have questions about insurance and volunteering, contact us.
New Opportunities
The Morecambe Bay Pulmonary Fibrosis Support Group needs a new trustee, and volunteers to help out at the monthly support groups, in person and online, in the Morecambe Bay, Barrow, and Lancaster areas. It could be just helping with teas and coffees or helping with admin during zoom meetings.
To find out more visit our website HERE.
Time Well Spent
“Time Well Spent” is an NCVO research programme which focuses on the volunteer experience. It aims to provide rich, practical insight that will inform debate within the sector and strengthen the impact of volunteering. The latest report from NCVO looks at the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the volunteer experience, exploring the wider impact of the pandemic and looking specifically at the motivations for, and barriers to, volunteering.
You can see the full report HERE.
How does this report relate to YOUR experiences and the experiences of your volunteers?
Vision for Volunteering
Vision for Volunteering is a national conversation looking at how volunteering needs to adapt over the next decade. Informed in part by the challenges, and opportunities, brought by the pandemic, it is a collaboration between more than 300 organisations across the country, with many more contributing through workshops, as well as making individual commitments via the website.
You can see the Vision as it currently stands HERE.
If you would like to make a specific commitment, and stay informed about the Vision and future developments, you can do so HERE.
#iwill Fund Extension and Youth Volunteering Research
On Thursday 7 July, DCMS and the National Lottery Community Fund (NLCF) jointly announced a £12 million extension to the #iwill Fund, creating further social action opportunities for young people throughout England.
Initially launched in 2016, the Fund has a goal of making social action a part of life for all young people, focusing on those who would not normally have the opportunity to participate.
Minister for Sport, Tourism, Heritage and Civil Society, Nigel Huddleston, highlighted the transformative impact that participation in social action, such as volunteering and campaigning, can have on young people, and the #iwill Fund’s role in facilitating this activity.
“Life’s most persistent and urgent question is, ‘What are you doing for others?’” – Dr Martin Luther King, Jr
Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service
We are now less than a month away from the deadline for nominations – 15th September 2022 – but there is still time for you to nominate a local organisation or to get your own organisation nominated. Start by checking that you are eligible to make a nomination (or find out who is eligible to be a nominator if it’s for your own group), and whether the organisation you have in mind is eligible, HERE.
If you would like to talk through a nomination, have any questions, or want some advice and support, you can contact Mark at CVS by email at [email protected].
13,000 volunteers play pivotal role at Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games
During the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games, over 1.4 million tickets were sold and 1875 medals awarded – but none of this could have been achieved without the volunteers who brought the Commonwealth Games to life!
Commonwealth Collective – over 13,000 volunteers – gave over 1 million volunteering hours, from preparing venues and carrying kit, to courtside assistants and meet and greeters; volunteers fulfilled a whole host of different roles to help make the Games a success and to secure the legacy of Birmingham 2022.
The Commonwealth Games Delivery Unit would like to thank all the volunteers for the pivotal role they played to be part of the Birmingham 2022 Games, and hope memories will have been made to last a lifetime.
Recruit and Manage Volunteers Online
How Does it Work?
Simply register as an opportunity provider HERE, then LOG-IN to access the dashboard. Once logged in you will be able to add new roles, manage existing ones, see volunteer profiles, send messages to volunteers, issue instructions, assign shifts and hours, and a lot more.
You may just want to use it as a simple promotional tool for your volunteer roles, and that’s just fine. We currently see a lot of visits to this site from people looking for new volunteering opportunities, and of course once it is on the site our Volunteer Centre team will be able to promote your roles in person when meeting potential volunteers, at events, on our social media, and in this bulletin!
For Volunteers
Using our platform, volunteers can: apply for or join opportunities; create a profile; track achievements; add CPD and qualifications; track opportunities attended; log hours. They can search for opportunities by keyword; categories; activities; distance and dates, and more.
For Organisations
Organisations can: create an organisation profile; create opportunities; manage unlimited volunteers; group volunteers; request references; access automated emails; upload documents; restrict opportunities; share the opportunity onto social media; link externally to your own website, and more.
Contact Us
If you need support with any aspect of volunteering or volunteer recruitment, from developing a policy to creating an impactful role description, or if you want to have something featured in this newsletter, please contact Mark Waddington either by telephone on 01524 555900 or by email at [email protected].
You can visit out website at www.lancastercvs.org.uk. Follow us on social media at www.twitter.com/LancasterCVS or www.facebook.com/LancasterCVS
