Our next Volunteer Co-ordinators Network on 8 December (10am – 12pm on Zoom) will explore involving and supporting volunteers from outside the UK.

Community Christmas provides a free online directory of local festive events and activities taking place across the UK, which are open to local older people who would otherwise be spending Christmas Day alone.  

We have been receiving enquiries from people interested in helping out over the Christmas holidays and on Christmas Day. If you have, or are aware of, any opportunities please get in touch and we will pass on the details. Email us at: volunteersupport@communityfirstyorkshire.org.uk.

A new report from Pilotlight highlights the potential of adopting a workout culture for businesses where employee’s professional skills can be used to support charities and good causes.

Charity Digital recently published an interesting article exploring digital volunteer management systems. The article explores the types and benefits of volunteer management systems, explains how to use them efficiently for service delivery and looks at some of the best systems currently on the market. If you use a particular system and would be willing to share your experiences with others, we would love to hear from you.

We have been contacted by The ONE Campaign, an organisation fighting extreme poverty and preventable diseases, who are looking for young people (18-35 year olds) to join their Youth Ambassadors programme in the UK. They have a partner pack, which provides further details. If you or any young people are looking for an opportunity to gain or improve skills in campaigning and advocating for a number of international development issues, such as climate justice, food security and global health this may be of interest. 

The Institute for Community Studies has recently published a new report. Through research with 650 11-30 year olds around the UK, it examines how young people perceive and experience the UK’s current volunteering ‘offer’, and how it could be reshaped to strengthen and sustain their participation. The report found that work, social and family commitments, coupled with their own mental health and fewer opportunities in some areas due to limited funding are key factors blocking many young people from volunteering. 

North Yorkshire Safeguarding Children Partnership (NYSCP) would love to know about people who have stood out, gone beyond expectations or worked creatively to improve the lives of children and young people in the county. To recognise the contribution and impact they have established a NYSCP Partnership Achievement Award. Individuals or teams working or volunteering with children and young people are eligible to receive an award, all they need is your nomination!

The COVID-19 pandemic gave rise to an unprecedented level of interest in volunteering. In its wake, we have a unique opportunity to understand more about the impact and processes used to mobilise communities and groups to volunteer, and for policymakers and practitioners to ask how to build upon this outpouring of goodwill and better prepare for any new wave of voluntary action.

The number of volunteers at charity shops in the UK has fallen by 24% since 2019, new data has revealed. Charity Finance magazine’s Charity Shops Survey 2022 shows that charities have lost tens of thousands of volunteers over the past few years, an issue exacerbated by the Covid-19 pandemic.

The next National Volunteering Forum on 7 December will explore the impact of the cost of living crisis on volunteers and the actions that can be taken. Using the latest Time Well Spent report the Forum will share how volunteers experienced the pandemic and discuss findings from the Mobilising Voluntary Action UK research, which you can read here. Unfortunately the event is sold out but you can ask to be added to the waiting list by contacting ncvoevents@ncvo.org.uk.

The next round of our popular volunteer management training sessions is now open for bookings. We’ll cover everything from good practice when involving volunteers, legal requirements, recruitment, inductions, and fixing those common problems to, most importantly, supporting and celebrating your volunteers. You can dip your toe into a single session, or secure a spot on all four to become an exemplary volunteer manager. 

If you are considering supporting or setting up a warm bank a number of organisations have been sharing template resources. If you would like to see these please get in touch at volunteersupport@communityfirstyorkshire.org.uk

You may have seen that NCVO published the UK Civil Society Almanac 2022 in October – the latest available data on the voluntary sector's finances and people. The Almanac is a particularly useful resource for anyone involved in planning or strategy work, helping identify opportunities and challenges likely to impact your organisation in the future. It's well worth sharing with your trustee board, for instance. 

I attended the Association of Volunteer Managers Conference in September. It was a great two mornings with lots of really thought provoking and interesting conversations. I particularly loved the session about creating a culture of kindness delivered by entrepreneur, author, speaker and podcaster, Graham Allcott. If you would like an upbeat weekly email sign up to his inspirational and thought provoking newsletter.