Volunteering

Volunteering is the giving of one’s time and energy freely and by choice without concern for financial gain.

The word volunteering is used for a range of activities such as community service, self-help, charity, neighbourliness, citizenship, public service, community action, community involvement, trustee, member and helper.
The benefits of volunteering can be a two-way exchange of time, knowledge, skills and experience.
In 2009, in a bid to instil the volunteering ethos in young people, Prime Minister Gordon Brown announced that all young people had to complete 50 hours of community service by the age of 19.

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News

Tax relief for company volunteering would boost giving by £1bn a year, says think tank 8

Fundraising | Vibeka Mair | 3 Jan 2012

Tags: Volunteering | Tax effective giving | Taxation | Corporate fundraising

The Centre for Social Justice has said a scheme which gives companies tax relief for subsidising voluntary work carried out by their employees would boost donations to charities by around £1bn a year.

News

World Giving Index shows UK is fifth most charitable nation 3

Fundraising | Tania Mason | 20 Dec 2011

Tags: Philanthropy | Individual giving | Volunteering | International

The UK has moved up three places in the World Giving Index to become the world’s fifth most charitable nation, according to new research published today.

Blogs

Food for thought - the real meaning of Charity

Governance | David Philpott | 6 Dec 2011

Tags: Volunteering

David Philpott is reminded of the real meaning of Charity, with a capital 'C'.

News

Long-standing environmental charity will close unless volunteers step in

Finance | Niki May Young | 29 Nov 2011

Tags: Volunteering | Funding

One of the UK’s oldest environmental charities has made a last desperate plea for volunteers to take over its services as it succumbs to the crippling financial climate and admits it can no longer pay staff.

News

Volunteering medal reintroduced by government 5

Governance | Niki May Young | 3 Nov 2011

Tags: Volunteering | Big Society

The British Empire Medal, which was awarded as part of the Queen's Honours system to British citizens making a difference in their communities until 1992, will be reintroduced in the Diamond Jubilee Honours list in June next year.

News

Retailer support for sector 'hinges on better conditions from government'

Fundraising | Niki May Young | 2 Nov 2011

Tags: Volunteering | Corporate fundraising

Retailers will increase their support to voluntary and community organisations as long as the government helps them to do so, according to the new chairman of the British Retail Consortium.

News

Companies must be strategic to make philanthropy go further

Fundraising | Celina Ribeiro | 1 Nov 2011

Tags: Corporate fundraising | Volunteering

Companies have been told to be strategic in their charity relationships and careful not to end up burdening charities with ineffective or costly non-financial gifts, in a new guide released today.

News

Say thank-you to volunteers, says policy expert 1

Governance | Vibeka Mair | 24 Oct 2011

Tags: Volunteering | Individual giving | Big Society

Charities have to remember to say “thank-you” to volunteers so they feel valued and continue; and government should be cautious about telling people to volunteer, an NCVO policy officer has advised.

News

Fundraisers challenged to be donors at IFC 2

Fundraising | Celina Ribeiro | 20 Oct 2011

Tags: Individual giving | Volunteering

Fundraisers have been told that they need to be generous with their time and money in order to ask others to give too.

News

Scouts new bob-a-job week will see 40,000 volunteers in action 1

Fundraising | Niki May Young | 19 Oct 2011

Tags: Volunteering | Community fundraising

The Scout Association is asking the public for their suggestions on where up to 40,000 Scouts should volunteer during their first volunteering week for almost 20 years.

Blogs

A Swan song for volunteers? Not on my watch

Governance | David Philpott | 10 Oct 2011

Tags: Volunteering

The value of a charity is demonstrated at the very frontline with its volunteers, says David Philpott, as he marks the efforts of a stalwart member of the team.

News

EU Council concludes volunteering cannot replace state responsibilities

Governance | Niki May Young | 5 Oct 2011

Tags: International | Volunteering

The Council of the European Union has released a report into the role of voluntary activities in social policy, concluding that “volunteering activities can not replace the overall responsibility of the state to ensure and provide economic, social and cultural rights”.

News

European e-school for volunteers established

Governance | Celina Ribeiro | 21 Sep 2011

Tags: Volunteering | Websites

An online school for volunteers and organisations for volunteers has been set up by a group of European voluntary organisations.

News

'Darker side to participation' revealed in Pathways Through Participation report 1

Governance | Niki May Young | 19 Sep 2011

Tags: Volunteering

Participation can lead to stress, anxiety and burnout, and ultimately lead to non-participation in the long-term, warns NCVO’s recently released Pathways Through Participation report.

News

Blunkett calls for national nine-month youth volunteering programme

Governance | Niki May Young | 31 Aug 2011

Tags: Volunteering

Labour MP and former Home Secretary David Blunkett has proposed a national nine-month volunteering programme for at least 20,000 young people in a bid to “change values and attitudes fundamentally” and prevent future riots.

News

BIG awards £1.9m to Volunteering England for volunteering project in deprived areas

Fundraising | Vibeka Mair | 12 Aug 2011

Tags: Funding | Volunteering

Volunteering England, in partnership with 15 local volunteer centres, has been awarded a £1.9m Big Lottery Fund grant over three years to help communities most affected by the recession through stimulating volunteering.

News

NCVYS and National Citizen Service groups start e-campaigns for young people

Fundraising | Vibeka Mair | 11 Aug 2011

Tags: Umbrella bodies | Volunteering | Campaigns | Social networking

The National Council For Voluntary Youth Services has launched an e-campaign through Twitter and Facebook calling for young people to send images showing those who were not involved in this week’s violence.

Blogs

Sweeping change: riots and the Big Society 9

Governance | Robert Ashton | 10 Aug 2011

Tags: Big Society | Volunteering

The recent riots have done more to illustrate the concept of Big Society than the government has achieved since the last election, says Robert Ashton.

News

Natwest launches £2.8m grant fund to help local charities attract volunteers 5

Finance | Vibeka Mair | 1 Aug 2011

Tags: Volunteering | Grants & Grantmaking

Natwest has launched CommunityForce, a £2.8m grant fund to help local charities raise the publicity of their work and attract volunteers.

News

Youth volunteering falls sharply

Finance | Gareth Jones | 28 Jul 2011

Tags: Volunteering

Volunteering among young people has fallen back to 2008 levels, a situation that could get worse as funding is diverted to the National Citizen Service, according to research consultancy nfpSynergy.

Case studies

The power of one - making the most of existing supporters

Fundraising | 14 Jun 2011

Tags: Community fundraising | Charity shops | Volunteering | Leadership and strategy

With an ambitious plan to increase its committed giving base nearly ten-fold and significantly expand its shop network, Sue Ryder Care decided to start taking a 'single supporter view' of its donors, shoppers and volunteers. Ian Campbell says the charity is already seeing dividends.

Expert advice

Volunteers can bring dangers and liabilities for charities

Fundraising | Martyn Turner | 6 Apr 2011

Tags: Volunteering | Trustee liability

While attractive at first, using volunteers can bring with it dangers and liabilites for charities. Martyn Turner explains the rules and some of the pitfalls.

News

Orange launches Do Some Good volunteering app

IT | Kirsty Weakley | 5 Apr 2011

Tags: Mobile technology | Volunteering

Mobile phone provider Orange has teamed up with 12 UK charities to create an app which enables people to volunteer through their mobile phone for the first time.

Case studies

Exploring the opportunities of corporate partnerships

Fundraising | 5 Apr 2011

Tags: Corporate fundraising | Volunteering

True Volunteer Foundation sees massive opportunity in the corporate sector. Michael Pandathaman, founder of the charity which is funded nearly entirely through corporate donors and operates using only volunteers and pro bono help, discusses the charity’s approach to corporate partners.

News

More men volunteering for BHF charity shops

Fundraising | Celina Ribeiro | 4 Apr 2011

Tags: Volunteering | Charity shops

The familiar face of charity shops may be changing as more and more men are signing up to volunteer in charity retail, according to the experience of the British Heart Foundation.

News

Civil society groups have their say in Big Society film and report

Finance | Niki May Young | 28 Mar 2011

Tags: Big Society | Statutory funding | Volunteering | Films

A diverse group of civil society organisations have outlined what they want from the Big Society in a film and report launched in Westminster today, and put to Big Society adviser Lord Wei and minister for civil society Nick Hurd.

Blogs

Frontline: A world away from the internet

Fundraising | Beth Yorath | 10 Mar 2011

Tags: Volunteering | Communications technology | Communications | International

Volunteering in Romania, Beth Yorath has discovered that frontline staff bring many unexpected benefits to the charity they work for.

News

Mayor Johnson and mayor Bloomberg partner for £4m volunteering scheme 1

Fundraising | Vibeka Mair | 4 Mar 2011

Tags: Volunteering | Funding

London mayor Boris Johnson and New York mayor Michael Bloomberg have teamed up to launch a new £4m scheme to encourage volunteering in London.

News

Maude announces civil service volunteering drive

Fundraising | Niki May Young | 18 Feb 2011

Tags: Volunteering

Civil servants have pledged 30,000 volunteering days a year as part of a new initiative which will provide charities with the opportunity to ask for volunteering help when necessary.