An overview of ‘Modernising

Volunteering’ and results from Fresh Thinking researchJamie Thomas

Chief ExecutiveRed Foundation

Improving SupportCapacitybuilders funded programme of 11 national support services targeting local Third Sector infrastructure providers; one of the support services is ...

Modernising VolunteeringPartnership between:Volunteering EnglandNationwide FoundationNNVIA

Red Foundationv

Modernising Volunteering4 strands of work:

Skills based volunteering

Overcoming barriers

Faith based volunteering

New forms of involvement

Skills based volunteeringVolunteering England and Nationwide Foundation

Research undertaken and published

3 local pilots to explore a model of local delivery have been established

Darlington, Exeter and Oxfordshire Volunteer Centres

Support for the pilots is provided by Time and Talents at Westminster Volunteer Centre

Overcoming barriersNNVIA

Research undertaken and published

6 regional and 2 national Policy Action Community Teams have been established

Focus on developing policies and strategies about best practice in making volunteering accessible

Faith based volunteeringVolunteering England and v

Research undertaken and published

6 projects have been fundedShifa Trust; Jewish Volunteering Network; UK Islamic Mission; Multi Faith Derby; The Volunteer Centre Network, Newham; and Passion

Focus on improving young people’s leadership through volunteering with faith based organisations

New forms of involvementRed Foundation

The role of social network services in supporting volunteering

Improving the support for volunteer led volunteering

Developing the role of Volunteering Champions

Fresh Thinking research report published

Social network services and volunteering

We found that the volunteering movement is not maximising the potential of social network services

There is enormous potential in these new online relationship/communication networks

Less than 25% of volunteer involving organisations and volunteering support services are using them

But, the vast majority of these have found them to be successful

Social network services and volunteering

We also found that the volunteering movement wants

To be able to use the internet to interact with and develop information; identify support; and interact with others

More information about what social networking services are and how they can be used

And there is some demand for a volunteering specific social network service

Social network services and volunteering

In order to assist volunteer managers in online interaction we funded improvements to the AVM website

Social network services and volunteering

As a result, Red Foundation is using Modernising Volunteering funding to:

Work with Impetus/Brighton and Hove Volunteer Centre to develop a ‘case for support’

Run 9 basic training courses in use of social network services in 2009 (some spaces are still available)

Social network services and volunteering

In addition, Red Foundation is funding the development of

A pilot bespoke social network service for people that love volunteering.

Sign up to be a beta tester now!

Support for volunteer led volunteeringWe found:

The majority of organisations within the voluntary and community sector have no paid staff or very limited staff time and are dependent on volunteers for all of their activity

These will frequently be unaware of third sector support services available to them, and will fly beneath the radar of the very services that are there to support them

Support for volunteer led volunteeringWe frequently heard comments like:

“I had not appreciated that there were places to find volunteers and support.”

“The people I work with do not see themselves as volunteers and do not recognise that they are being managed. As a small community group we are not a very formal organisation in structure or operations.”

Support for volunteer led volunteeringWe found:

Volunteering support services should pay special attention to the specific needs of small informal groups and how to support them

There is an identified need to support governance in small organisations and within groups that undertake volunteer led activity

Support for volunteer led volunteeringAs a result, Red Foundation is using Modernising Volunteering funding to:

Work with Volunteer Centres Devon to explore the support needs of volunteer led organisations (we have already found over 2,000 in Exeter alone!) and how these can best be met by volunteering support services

Volunteering Champions We found:That the number of different ways in which the term Volunteering Champion is used causes confusion – and there are low levels of activity

The Commission on the Future of Volunteering’s recommendation about local strategic Volunteering Champions is too new to have been adopted in many areas, though there is interest

There is potential for an online network of Volunteering Champions

Volunteering ChampionsAs a result, Red Foundation is using Modernising Volunteering funding to:

Work with Warwickshire County Council to develop and pilot a local strategic Volunteering Champions scheme and explore the potential for a virtual network of Volunteering Champions

Additional activity We were commissioned by Capacitybuilders to provide training on employer supported volunteering for Third Sector infrastructure providers not wanting to set up a brokerage scheme; this was well receivedCapacitybuilders have asked us to deliver a further 9 training sessions on this during 2009 (some spaces are still available)

Additional activity We are delivering at least 9 dissemination sessions around the country this year (and this is 1 of them)In early 2011 we will be delivering 9 regional events to disseminate our final findings and offer practical workshops on the areas we have explored

Further informationYou can find out more about the Modernising Volunteering Programme at

www.improvingsupport.org.uk/volunteering

To follow up any of the activity that Red Foundation is delivering you can contact us at

modvol@redfoundation.org