Annual Report 2015—2016

Volunteer Centre Greenwich

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CHAIR’S REPORT For Volunteer Centre Greenwich each year brings its own unique set of challenges but at the same time delivers in own successes for the organisation. The increasingly difficult funding landscape in which we and so many other third sector organisations find ourselves, is a stark contrast to the political rhetoric about the fundamental importance of volunteering in communities everywhere. The misconception that volunteering simply happens at no cost sadly persists. We were fortunate enough to have anticipated that we would no longer be able to rely on traditional sources of funding , and we did so early enough to have built up an alternative source of income though the training programmes we offer. Whilst this diversity of income gives us more resilience, our longer term objective has been to reshape VCG as a wholly sustainable and resilient organisation. With that in mind we have been taking steps to broaden the way we operate by setting up a social enterprise as a vehicle for further income generation. It’s been very important for us to make sure that whatever we do remains firmly aligned with our core objectives of using volunteering as a means of improving lives and communities, and remaining a charity . The first of our new ventures under this banner is now developing rapidly; there has been really positive encouragement from the many stakeholders with whom we’re currently in discussion. In fact, we will have some exciting news to share at this year’s AGM. I’d like to take this opportunity to thank everyone who has made a contribution to helping set the future direction of VCG at this critical time in our history . At the same time we would not have been able to maintain the high reputation we have without the commitment and dedication of everyone who works and supports of VCG. As ever our Chief Executive Michelle Martin is the centre of everything we do. My personal thanks go to her.

Chair Neil Grey Greenwich Resident

Vice Chair James Lambert Vice Chair (Till Dec 15)

Treasurer Theresa Pini Vice Chair (From Feb 16)

Trustees Cheryl Chow Greenwich Resident

Christopher Grigsby Greenwich Resident

Eugenia Lee

Kate Hursthouse Greenwich Resident

Kate Askew Greenwich Resident

Helen Maunsell Greenwich Toy Library

Dekota Navarda Greenwich Resident

Board of Trustee 2015-16

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Vision, Mission, Values Vision Lives and communities positively changed through volunteering

Mission Enriching the lives of individuals and communities by enhancing the value of volunteering, through supporting and creating opportunities for all.

Values • Respect—we embrace diversity and are committed to equality

• Excellence—We maintain and enhance our reputation by being the best we can be

• Service Focused—we design everything we do around the needs of the people we sup-

port

• Teamwork—we support, respect and value each other

Staff and Volunteers 2015-2016

Core Staff

Chief Executive Michelle Martin

Volunteering Services Manager Nadine Fulker

Membership Services Officer Stephanie Pinner

Training Manager Stephanie Pinner

Finance Manager Adrian Hull

Marketing and Communications Myriam Ngwende

Project Staff

Community Learning Champions

Development Worker Lorelei Freeman

Young People’s Project

Development Worker Kay Dorogh

Volunteers: Alison Johnstone | Corinne Bardin | Darren Fletcher | Hannah Amusa | Joan Rix | Lisa Har-mon Maureen Robinson | Omar Osman | Rowan Timm | Klodian Dora | Stevie Annand | Rozgar Mammand | Jennifer Ogundimu | Marcia Francis | Jayne Dunkwu | Elham Aghaei

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Achievements and Performance

VCG has developed a dedicated Membership Team which has enabled us to provide a more tailored, bespoke service for out members including the offer of a high quality suite of training courses around best practice when involving volunteers. During this reporting period VCG has successfully achieved the following brokerage work:

• 467 group registered with Volunteer Centre Greenwich

• 92 Volunteering opportunities registered

• 4719 enquires received about volunteering

• 1932 local people were signposted on to groups with volunteering opportunities

This year also saw the planned transition from do-it.org to the newly commissioned online promotional web-based tool ‘Volunteer Connect’. This tool has provided a more streamlined mechanism for local resident and organisations to engage in the promotion an search for volunteering We have also:

• Provided advice and information for volunteer using groups in the borough and

delivered 19 workshops on good practice in involving and managing volunteers to 55 attendees

• Develop out consultancy services and training services offering a range of training both

locally and across London

• Delivered a range f promotional activities during National Volunteers Week

• Attended a range of community festivals and events during the year

Ran a pilot to an award scheme where member organisations were able to publicly recognise the importance and value of the hours volunteers contribute t their organisation and the Royal Borough of Greenwich

Consultancy and Training VCG is a NCFE and NOCN accredited training centre offering a range of accredited and non accredited training that provides academic/ professional Progression, tailored to suit all needs. NCFE external moderation confirmed that VCG has a robust and thorough assessment process and therefore continues to hold Direct Claim Status for the delivery of The Principles of Customer Service. This is an on-line process for claiming candidate’s certificates without the need for an external moderator. All VCG staff hold an accredited training qualification to deliver all the courses we offer and are qualified NCFE Assessors & Internal Quality Assurers, which qualifies them to internally assess and verify the accredited training courses that we deliver. VCG is continuing to work for Direct Claim Status on other courses

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Opportunities for All The project provides support and facilitates volunteering through engaging with local organisations seeking volunteer and local people seeking volunteering opportunities. The project also has an element that provides on to one support to BAMER groups to increase volunteering opportunities in the Black, Asian, Minority Ethnic and Refugee (BAMER) communities. Throughout 2015 the Opportunities for All Project has provided access to volunteering through 1440 accessible appointments at a satellite sites across the Royal Borough of Greenwich. The Project has continued to provide support through trained teams of Opportunity Champion Volunteers to local people accessing volunteering opportunities. The project has worked with 69 member organisations and 38 new organisation (14 of which are BAMER groups) Providing support in best practice in managing and supporting volunteers. This work has created a total of 118 volunteering opportunities for local people interested in volunteering within the borough. At the end of this delivery period the project successfully secured continuation funding to continue to provide the support and facilitate volunteering in Royal Borough of Greenwich for a further 2 years

Community Learning Champions The Community Learning Champions project has a busy year in 2015-16 with a record number of new volunteers being recruited to support adults to access learning opportunities across the Royal Borough of Greenwich. Nineteen new volunteers joined the existing Community Learning Champions over the course of the year, enabling the project to connect with potential learners in a wide range of locations and within different sectors of the community. Seven Learning Champions undertook the Level 3 Advice & Guidance accredited qualification, which gives them practical skills to help them perform their role to a high standard. The volunteers also attended lone working, adult safeguarding and social media training to boost their skills and assist them in their role. Participating in a range of events include and Adult and Community Learning ‘Choices’ workshop, City Lit Family Fun Day and Job Centre Plus Lone Parent sessions, the Learning Champions engaged with over 250 learners, as well as undertaking 30 in-depth learner referrals on a one to one basis. The Learning Champions also helped to facilitate quarterly focus groups with learners at the seven Adult & Community Learning providers in the Borough and elicited valuable feedback to inform and improve their course provision. Adult Learners’ Week in May was a busy time for the Community Learning Champions who ran a Community Quiz to raise awareness of the range of adult learning available in the Royal Borough of Greenwich and promoted a range of taster sessions ranging from Gardening to

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Enhanced Volunteer Project The Enhanced Volunteering Project is a project focused on improving employability for people who have been unemployed for 6 months or more. The project concentrates on increasing confidence and skills in a ‘real office’ environment whilst working toward achieving and NVQ Level 2 in Customer Service. This project enable participant to enter back into the employment market with a robust experience,

qualification and references to better aid them to secure employment. In 2015 Volunteer Centre Greenwich received funding through the SERCO Community Support Project to support 10 local Royal Borough residents in the 6 month programme placement.. 10 participants were successfully recruited and complete the programme.

Young Peoples Project The project aimed to support young people aged 17—19 who were not in work, education or training (NEET) into their next steps through mentoring and supported volunteering. Adult volunteers were trained to be mentors with a Level 2 qualification, offering to mentor young people for up to 6 months. Referrals were organised through the Youth Service Team at The Point, Royal Borough of Greenwich and ran for 2 years. During that time 164 young people were referred to the project with 106 accessing volunteering opportunities. 29 mentors were trained and 22 young people took up the offer of a mentor. The project became popular with young people with mental health issues, leaving care or with learning disabilities as they recognised the need for intervention and the benefit of support. The support was tailored to their needs i.e, some needed a mentor to help them get a bus or use a new route, while others needed the consistent safe adult support that they didn’t get elsewhere. From the lesson learnt on this project, funding was sought to continue the work but focusing on supporting young people aged 18-25 with a particular emphasis on statutory care leavers, those with a disability and mental health challenges. Unfortunately funding could not be secured and the project ended in December 2015.

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Volunteers Week

Volunteers are central to the work of countless charities and

organisations. They are a valuable presence in many

communities, helping out in places as diverse as sports clubs,

libraries, schools and hospitals,.

During Volunteers’ Week hundreds of events take place across

the country to say thank you to volunteers who give their time

and energy throughout the year.

Volunteer Centre Greenwich uses this national event to promote volunteering in the Royal

Borough of Greenwich and in 2015 stalls were set up across the borough to promote many

volunteering role that are available within the borough. In this years Volunteers’ Week a pilot

recognition 100 events was run to thank people who had give 100hrs of their free time to support

Royal Borough Organisations

The week was launched in General Gordon Square on the 1st June 2015 by Mayor ‘Cllr Mike

Hayes’. Volunteering information was shared with local people across the Royal Borough of

Greenwich at various different locations and a total of 500 local people expressed an interest in

volunteering.

Volunteering information stall General Gordon Square

Recognition 100

In 2015 Volunteer Centre Greenwich ran a pilot for an award scheme where member organisations were able to publicly recognise the importance and value of the hours volunteers contribute to their organisation and the Royal Borough of Greenwich. A ceremony was held on the 4th June in the Town

Hall during Volunteers Week for volunteers who have contributed 100 hour of volunteer to the borough. Certificates and badges were presented to volunteers by the Mayor of Greenwich Cllr Mike Hayes. In total 44 volunteers were nominated for contributing 100 hrs and more, providing various roles across the Royal Borough of Greenwich. The volunteers were thanked for their dedication and commitment to the organisations that provide services to borough residents. This award ceremony was sponsored by Charlton Triangle Homes New Leaf Centre and was very successful. Volunteer Centre Greenwich hopes to be able to run the award

scheme on a more permanent basis in the future.

Volunteers receive their certificates

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People can personally benefit from volunteering in a variety of ways. Please tick the

box that indicates whether the following have increased or decreased for you as a

result of volunteering

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

My volunteering has

increased my ability

to get paid work

The organisation has

helped me with

looking for paid

employment

Volunteering has

improved my

chances of being

recognised or

promoted in my paid

job

My skills base (for

example computer

skills, teamworking

skills) have

increased

Strongly Disagree

Disagree

Neither agree nor disagree

Agree

Strongly agree

Impact of Volunteering

VCG undertakes an ongoing piece of research, tracking the progress of volunteers over a 12 – 18 month period, to gather information on the experience and benefits of volunteering. This is carried out through an online questionnaire conducted through survey monkey. Phone calls were also undertaken to ensure that our minimum response rate of 21% was achieved. For this report over 1000 individuals were contacted during January to June 2014. Highlights of the results were:

• 55% of respondents who made contact with VCG went on to volunteer with the organisation

they were referred to.

• Of those who went on to volunteer, 85% are still volunteering with that same organisation.

• Following signposting from VCG, respondents report volunteering on average 29 hours per

month.

• 85% of respondents either agreed or strongly agreed that their mental health and well-being

had improved due to their volunteering.

• 73% of respondents either agreed or strongly agreed that their access to social events and

situations had increased due to their volunteering

Individuals Benefits From Volunteering

My volunteering

has increased my ability to

get paid work

The organisation

has helped me look for paid employment

Volunteering has improved my chances of being promoted

in my role

My skills base and team working skills has increased

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• 79% of respondents either agreed or strongly agreed that their physical health and

well-being had improved due to their volunteering

• 80% of respondents either agreed or strongly agreed that their sense of self-

esteem had increased due to their volunteering.

• Overall, 84% of respondents would recommend volunteering as a way to improve

employability.

• 84% of respondents either agreed or strongly agreed that their skills base (for

example computer skills, team working skills) had increased due to their volunteering.

• 72% of respondents either agreed or strongly agreed that the organisation they

volunteered with had helped them with looking for paid employment.

• 64% of respondents have used volunteering on a CV or job application.

• Respondents who took up a volunteering activity following engagement with VCG

demonstrated a 20% reduction in unemployment.

• 81% of respondents would recommend contacting Volunteer Centre Greenwich to

friends, family and colleagues looking for volunteering.

People can personally benefit from volunteering in a variety of ways. Please tick the box that

indicates whether the following have increased or decreased for you as a result of

volunteering over the last year.

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

My confid

ence in

my own abilitie

s has im

pro

ved

My sense of self esteem has in

cre

ased

My sense that I am m

aking a useful c

ontributio

n has

incre

ased

My sense of motiv

atio

n has im

pro

ved

I have an in

cre

ased sense that I have things to lo

ok

forw

ard

to in

life

My physical h

ealth

and w

ell being has im

pro

ved

My m

ental h

ealth

and w

ell being has im

pro

ved

My fitn

ess le

vels have im

pro

ved

My access to social e

vents and situ

atio

ns has

incre

ased

Strongly Disagree

Disagree

Neither agree or disagree

Agree

Strongly Agree

Personal Benefits from Volunteering

My c

onfidence in m

y ow

n

abili

ties h

as im

pro

ved

My s

ense o

f self e

ste

em

has

incre

ased

My s

ense that I’m

makin

g a

contr

ibution h

as incre

ased

My s

ense o

f m

otivation h

as

impro

ved

I have a

n incre

ased s

ense

that I

have thin

gs t

o look

forw

ard

to in life

My p

hysic

al health a

nd w

ell

bein

g h

as im

pro

ved

My m

enta

l health a

nd w

ell

bein

g h

as im

pro

ved

My f

itness levels

have im

-pro

ved

M

y a

ccess t

o s

ocia

l events

and s

ituations h

as incre

ased

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VOLUNTEER CENTRE GREENWICH SUMMERY STATEMENT OF

FINANCIAL ACTIVITIES

2016 2015 ASSETS / (LIABILITIES) £ £ Fixed assets - - Current assets 51,162 107,941 Current liabilities (34,519) (30,359) NET ASSETS £16,643 £77,582 FUNDS: General funds 27,131 39,748 Restricted funds (10,488) 37,834 TOTAL FUNDS £16,643 £77,582

VOLUNTEER CENTRE GREENWICH SUMMERY BALANCE SHEET AS AT 31 MARCH 2016

Unrestricted Unrestricted 2016 2015

INCOME FROM: £ £ £ £

Donations and grants - 48,625 48,625 48,337

Charitable activities 46,036 121,250 167,286 320,529

Investments 494 - 494 1,080

Total Income 46,530 169,875 216,405 369,946

EXPENITURE ON:

Raising funds 17,693 - 17,693 20,861

Charitable activities 41,311 218,340 259,651 380,603

Total Expenditure 59,004 218,340 277,344 401,464

NET INCOME/ (EXPENDITURE) (12,474) (48,322) (60,939) (31,518)

Transfers between funds (143) 143 - -

Net movement in funds (12,617) (48,322) (60,939) (31,518)

bund Balance brought forward 39,748 37,834 77,582 109,100

Fund Balance carred forward £27,131 £(10,488) £16,643 £77,582

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TRUSTEES’ STATEMENT ON THE SUMMARISED ACCOUNTS

FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2016

AUDITORS’ STATEMENT ON THE SUMMARISED ACCOUNTS OF

VOLUNTEER CENTRE GREENWICH

We have examined the summary accounts set out opposite. Respective responsibilities of trustees and auditors The summarised accounts are the responsibility of the trustees of the charity. It is our responsibility to report to you our opinion on their consistency with the full financial statements. Opinion In our opinion the summarised accounts have been extracted from, and are consistent with the full financial statements of the charity for the year ended 31 March 2016. Myrus Smith Chartered Accountants and Statutory Auditors Norman House, 8 Burnell Road, Sutton, Surrey, SM1 4BW

These summarised accounts are a summary of informa�on extracted from the audited

annual accounts, on which the auditors' opinion was unqualified. The full report and

accounts were approved by the trustees on 29 October 2016 and have been submi$ed to

the Charity Commission and the Registrar of Companies.

These summarised accounts may not contain sufficient informa�on to allow for a full

understanding of the financial affairs of the Charity. For further informa�on the full

accounts, the auditors' report on those accounts and the Trustees' Annual Report should be

consulted. Copies of these may be obtained from the Secretary at Volunteer Centre

Greenwich, Equitable House, 2nd Floor, 10 Woolwich New Road, London SE18 6AB

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Volunteer Centre Greenwich

Equitable House | 2nd Floor | 10 Woolwich New Road | London SE18 6AB

Telephone: 020 8317 3817

Email: info@volunteersgreenwich.co.uk Website: www.vcgreenwich.org.uk

Registered Charity No: 1081369

Registered in England No: 3832423