Welcome to our special Volunteer’s Week issue of LINX.
We’re excited to share with you some fantastic examples of how NAVCA members are celebrating volunteers throughout England and crucially, supporting their members to do the same.
Local social infrastructure organisations sit at the heart of volunteering networks, helping local charities and community groups to attract, train, celebrate and retain volunteers, who in turn make a massive difference to the individuals and communities that use these services. Our members nurture strong and sustainable volunteering networks and in this issue of LINX you’ll read about the many ways they do this; from Twitter parties & high street takeovers, to training & recruitment fairs, they’ve got it covered.
Our usual jobs, events and funding sections are included in the second half of this newsletter.
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News, views and opportunities
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Bolton CVS
This year
Bolton CVS
has been proactive in supporting local charities and voluntary organisations to celebrate and thank their volunteers. They hosted four Volunteers’ Week Project Planning sessions for organisations to attend and learn some tips on how to plan their own events and activities. Bolton CVS also ventured into Volunteers’ Week in style with a Kick Off Brunch on Saturday 1 June, which included live music and a quiz, and was for Bolton CVS’s very own volunteers.
Lauren McKechnie, Volunteering and Development Services Co-ordinator, commented: “We are delighted to be celebrating the remarkable passion and dedication of the VCSE sector across Bolton with a Kick Off Brunch!”
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Voluntary Action North Somerset
Voluntary Action North Somerset (VANS)
is taking volunteering to the big screen, holding one of a series of drop-in events at Clevedon’s Curzon Cinema, where over 100 volunteers support the running of one of the country’s oldest continually running cinemas. VANS will have some volunteers from the North Somerset Community Partnership explaining what they get out of their roles, and all visitors can enjoy a cuppa and a piece of cake at the event. VANS has already hosted events at Weston-Super-Mare Town Hall across Tuesday and Wednesday of this week. Visitors have been able to discuss what they want from a voluntary role, register with VANS and browse its
Volunteer Broker Website
, which has more than 300 current roles with local VCSE organisations.
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Voluntary Impact Northamptonshire
On Wednesday
Voluntary Impact Northamptonshire
made their annual Northamptonshire Community Volunteer Fair even bigger and better than ever, taking it to Northampton Market Square. More than 30 VCSE organisations were there to promote volunteering and social action to members of the public. They were given information, support and guidance on how to get involved in volunteering, as well as the chance to participate in interactive activities. All participants were keen to spread the message that volunteering offers the opportunity to try something new, gain experience, develop skills, improve career prospects, build confidence, meet new people and give something back to your community. The fair celebrated the work of the local community and showed what a valuable positive affect that volunteering has on people, communities and society.
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Manchester Community Central
Manchester Community Central hosted a Twitter party on Wednesday to highlight the very diverse nature of volunteer opportunities and how they shape peoples' lives. Using the hashtag #5VolunteerRoles to curate related tweets, they hosted a discussion where Tweeters shared five volunteer roles that they’ve had. Just
click here
to read the discussion. Manchester Community Central organised a full programme of training for Manchester based VCSE organisations to help them prepare to make the most of Volunteers’ Week.
This included event and project planning, storytelling and social media for beginners. They have also
shared volunteer stories
throughout the week to demonstrate the diversity of volunteers in Manchester, bringing different perspectives and life experiences to the services they support.
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BVSC
BVSC invited all volunteer-involving social action organisations in Birmingham to
Volunteering in Birmingham: Building a Shared Way Forward,
for a morning of discussion and co-production around the future of volunteering in the city
.
The event, which took place on Monday 3 June, focussed on working together to articulate a collective Birmingham voice around this issue into 2020 and beyond. A voice which champions the role of volunteering in tackling the city's biggest challenges, strengthens the argument for strong volunteering support, influences the direction of future volunteering policy, and advocates for how collective voluntary action can help deliver the best possible social outcomes for Birmingham's citizens. Delegates included leaders in the voluntary sector, volunteer coordinators, volunteers and active citizens, representatives from the public sector, and private sector bodies which actively support employee volunteering. Take a look at
BVSC’s Twitter feed
for comment, discussion and photos from the day.
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Community Action MK
Community Action MK has had an extremely busy week so far, with activities ranging from blogging and social media, to volunteering drop-in sessions and radio shows. As well as their own organised activity, Community Action MK have been promoting the events hosted by other VCSE organisations, building them into a master Volunteers’ Week programme. They have also teamed up with a number of local groups and organisations to
publish blogs
sharing their volunteering stories and roles. The best way to find out more information on all of this is to check out Community MK’s dedicated
Volunteers’ Week webpage.
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Chelmsford CVS
Chelmsford CVS is taking over the city’s high street today with more than 50 volunteer involving organisations including the police and fire services, and local museums joining in in
VolFest 2019!
Now in its second year, the festival will include feel good activities, food, live music and most importantly, a huge amount of help and support relating to 100s of local volunteering opportunities. Last year’s VolFest generated a massive 2174 enquiries and it is hoped that today’s event will do the same by showcasing the variety of opportunities that exist in Chelmsford and the multitude of benefits that volunteering brings to people and communities.
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North Tyneside VODA
North Tyneside VODA
has delivered a calendar of events, training opportunities and social media campaigns throughout Volunteers' Week. This includes a workshop on ‘Volunteers and the Law’ and a joint event with Helix Arts for anyone interested in volunteering in the arts and cultural sector, plus a social media campaign focused on Trustees and Trustee recruitment. The week culminates in VODA’s Volunteer Recruitment Fair on Saturday 8 June at The Beacon Shopping Centre in North Shields, between 10am and 3pm. The event is open to anyone who is interested in volunteering and wishes to find out more about volunteering in North Tyneside. VODA has also launched a new online database of volunteering opportunities and volunteers, which can be accessed via the
VODA website.
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Salford CVS
This year
Salford CVS
has expanded its Volunteer Recognition scheme, which awards volunteers for the hours they have given to volunteering. A new certificate of thanks is now available from Salford CVS to mark the
difference
that volunteers make, rather than just the
time
they dedicate. The collection of Recognition Certificates are available to VCSE organisations in Salford as an easy but effective way to thank volunteers, you can
order them here.
Salford CVS has also hosted a number of celebration and recruitment events throughout Volunteers’ Week, teaming up with local organisations and venues to give a platform for VCSE groups to promote volunteering opportunities, and to thank their volunteers.
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Cambridge CVS
asks whether we have to change the way we ask people to volunteer, and what we offer to them, in this blog which explores why many organisations struggles to recruit volunteers.
Community Action MK
has published a collection of case study blogs showcasing the wide range of volunteering opportunities available with local charities and organisations; from the National Trust and a community orchard, to a sight loss support charity and a safety education centre.
Macc
summarises the varied schedule of activities it has planned to celebrate volunteers across Manchester.
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Visit our
jobs page
for more details on current vacancies in the voluntary and community sector, or click on the links below:
Also here's a
quick guide
to selling yourself when applying for a job in the voluntary sector.
Advertise jobs and contracts here, on our website and through our Twitter page!
Just send details including a weblink to
webedit@navca.org.uk
. This service is free to members.
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Funding, contracts & awards
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The Ulverscroft Foundation supports projects which will have a positive effect on the quality of life of visually impaired people (blind and partially sighted). Deadline 15 June.
The Hedley Foundation assists and encourages development and change. Most grants are capital or one-off, but the Trustees sometimes agree to help fund the introduction of new and innovative projects with a series of up to 3 annual grants. Deadline 17 June.
Patagonia funds only environmental work. They are most interested in making grants to organisations that identify and work on the root causes of problems and that approach issues with a commitment to long-term change. Because they believe that true change will occur only through a strong grassroots movement, their funding focuses on organisations that build a strong base of
community support.
Deadline 30 June.
Warburtons supports charities and the community in three ways: with financial support, product donations and the personal involvement of individual people - both Warburton family members and employees. Our main focus is on grass roots activities that have a positive effect on the aspirations, education, skills and employability of young people, as well as projects that are centred on family life, promoting healthier lifestyles and contributing to improvements in the local community.
The Art Fund exists to secure great art for museums and galleries all across the UK for everyone to enjoy. They do this by helping to buy, save and show works of art of all ages and all kinds by giving grants, placing gifts of art, fundraising and campaigning.
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Are you a social enterprise, charity or community organisation who are trading and making an income from that activity? And are you currently exploring ways to scale up that activity or finance new plans? If so, Good Finance Live is where you need to be...
Good Finance Live is a one-day event for charities, social enterprises, community businesses and local groups in the North West of England who are actively looking for repayable finance and want to meet social investors. This is an opportunity to:
- Meet social investors in our marketplace
- Hear from organisations who have used social investment
- Learn about the latest market developments and trends
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This two-day collaborative conference will provide an exciting opportunity to hear the latest research and thinking on the implementation and practice of social prescribing around the world. You will hear how social prescribing is being implemented in Canada, the Netherlands, Singapore, and Finland as well as understanding progress in the home countries of the UK.
Keynote talks and breakouts include the latest strategic information and discussion from NHS England by James Sanderson, Director of Personalised Care and a comprehensive review of the evidence for lifestyle medicine by Dr Dean Ornish, Clinical Professor of Medicine, University College San Francisco.
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The Building Health Partnerships
is hosting a free event for commissioners, clinicians, service designers, delivery organisations and system leaders from across health and care, including VCSE and Patient and Public Voice partners. The session will focus on working with the VCSE sector to prevent strokes, but the principles will be of interest across any ‘condition’. Find out more about this event, and how to register
here.
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@NAVCA
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