Volunteering Matters

Last updated
FoundedApril 23, 1962;62 years ago (1962-04-23)
Founder Alec Dickson
PurposeVolunteering and social action
Location
Area served
England, Scotland and Wales
Websitewww.volunteeringmatters.org.uk
Formerly called
Community Service Volunteers (CSV)

Volunteering Matters is a UK charity focused on "the advancement of citizenship and community development for the public benefit through the promotion of volunteering". [1] It was founded in 1962 as Community Service Volunteers (CSV) by Mora and Alec Dickson. [2] In the 2018/2019 financial year, Volunteering Matters engaged around 20,000 volunteers through its hundreds of voluntary projects across England, Scotland and Wales.

Contents

As of 2021, the president of Volunteering Matters is Lord Freud. [3] [4] He succeeded Lord Levy, who had been President from 1999, in 2019. [5] The charity is led by a Trustee Board headed by Anne Heal. [6] [7] Its Chief Executive since 2024 is Amanda Naylor OBE. [8]

History

In 1958, Dr Alec Dickson founded Voluntary Service Overseas (VSO) which focused on international volunteering projects. After leaving VSO, in 1962, Dickson and his wife Mora Dickson formed Community Service Volunteers, which focused on UK-based volunteer projects.

Elisabeth Hoodless was appointed assistant director of CSV in 1963, becoming the only paid staff member, since the founding director Alec Dickson (1914–1994), and his wife, Maura, were volunteers. Hoodless became CSV's deputy director in 1972 and executive director in 1975, a role she held until 2011. [9]

In 1995, CSV launched Make A Difference Day, billed then as the UK's biggest day of volunteering aiming to "create a wave of kindness throughout the UK - to bring people together…and help build stronger, happier and safer communities". Make a Difference Day also exists in the USA.

In 1996, CSV began offering Employee Volunteering Programs. [10]

Oonagh Aitken, who had been with CEO since 2012, became CEO in October, 2014. [11] [12] She had led the organisation through a significant transformation which resulted in CSV becoming Volunteering Matters in April, 2015. [13] [14]

Paul Reddish became CEO in July, 2019 until 2024 moving from ProjectScotland. [15] In January, 2021, the trustees of Volunteering Matters and ProjectScotland agreed for both charities to merge. [16] The charities announced that the two brands would continue to operate under one charitable organisation. Both brands would continue their existing programmes and current volunteers and the people they support would not be directly affected by the proposed merger.

In June, 2021, Reddish rode 1000km by bicycle from Edinburgh to London via Wales with his father Paralympian Tim Reddish to say "thank you" to people across the UK who volunteered in their communities during COVID19. [17]

In January 2024, Amanda Naylor OBE became Chief Executive of Volunteering Matters. Naylor joined from Manchester Youth Zone where she was CEO for over two years. Before that, she held senior roles at Barnardo’s and Victim Support. [8]

Programs

Around 20,000 people volunteer with Volunteering Matters each year from various demographics and backgrounds. [18]

Volunteering Matters pioneered the idea of teaching citizenship in schools – it became part of the National Curriculum in England in 2002.[ citation needed ]

Projects include RSVP, Active Volunteering, Choices, Sporting Chance, Sex Matters Too, Lifelines, Grandmentors [19] for volunteers over 50 years of age, Volunteers Supporting Families as well as befriending projects to assist older, young and disabled people.

Employee volunteering

In 1995, what was then CSV began providing volunteering opportunities for the staff of UK companies. [20] The programme has continued and now involves fifty UK-based companies participating in activities that include one-off team building days through to long-term partnerships with local charities and schools. [21]

Part-time volunteering

Each year Volunteering Matters involves thousands of part-time volunteers throughout the UK.[ citation needed ]

Institute for Advanced Volunteer Management (IAVM)

The IAVM [22] was a training event held each year from 1998 to 2012 by Volunteering Matter's predecessor CSV. [23] A three-day residential training event, it was focused on raising the standard of volunteering management. The IAVM had an international faculty drawn from Australia, Canada, the UK and USA. Core faculty included Arlene Schindler, Susan J Ellis, Rick Lynch, Steve McCurley and later Linda Graff and Martin J Cowling.[ citation needed ] Guest faculty included Andy Fryar, Fraser Dyer and Jayne Cravens.

The IAVM was seen as significant by the sector for the impact it made on volunteering managers across the UK. [23] [ better source needed ] It also served as a model for other similar training intensives including IAVMs in Battle Creek, Michigan, USA in 2000 and 2001 [23] and the Australasian Retreat for Advanced Volunteer Management conducted in Australia and New Zealand from 2005 to 2013. [24]

Awards and honours

Volunteering Matters was named charity of the year in September, 2015 at the European Diversity Awards (EDAs). [25]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Voluntary Service Overseas</span> International development charity

VSO is a not-for-profit international development organization charity with a vision for "a fair world for everyone" and a mission to "create lasting change through volunteering". VSO delivers development impact through a blended volunteer model consisting of international, national, and community volunteers working together to develop the systems and conditions for positive social change. In 2022–23, VSO worked in 35 countries in Africa and Asia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Office of the Scottish Charity Regulator</span> Charity regulator in Scotland

The Scottish Charity Regulator is a non-ministerial department of the Scottish Government with responsibility for the regulation of charities in Scotland.

ACEVO is a membership body for the leaders of third sector organisations in England and Wales. ACEVO has sister organisations in Scotland (ACOSVO) and Northern Ireland.

Dame Elisabeth Anne Marian Hoodless, is a former Executive Director (1975–2011) of Community Service Volunteers (CSV, which was re-named Volunteering Matters in 2015.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lumos (charity)</span> Charity founded by J.K. Rowling

Lumos, formerly known as Children's High Level Group and briefly as The Children's Voice, is an international non-governmental charity (NGO) founded by the author of the Harry Potter book series, J. K. Rowling. Lumos promotes an end to the institutionalisation of children worldwide.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Leonard Cheshire Disability</span> British charitable organization

Leonard Cheshire is a major health and welfare charity working in the United Kingdom and running development projects around the world. It was founded in 1948 by Royal Air Force officer Group Captain Leonard Cheshire VC.

Dr Alexander Graeme Dickson CBE was the founder of Voluntary Service Overseas (VSO).

City Hindus Network (CHN) is a not-for-profit organisation created to promote networking, spirituality, education and charity amongst Hindu professionals. It was founded in 2005 by Dhruv Patel OBE, who was succeeded by entrepreneur Pratik Dattani. Its current Chair is Alpesh Patel OBE, who was appointed in December 2019. CHN is focused on building closer relationships between Hindu professionals working in the City of London.

Carole Easton OBE is chief executive of Young Women's Trust, a charity supporting and representing disadvantaged young women. She is a previous Chair of Young Minds, a charity committed to improving the emotional well-being and mental health of children and young people, and Chief Executive at Young Women’s Trust, a charity supporting and representing young women at risk of lifelong financial and emotional insecurity. Easton is also Trustee at Depaul UK, the youth homelessness charity.

Joseph David Irvin is an ex-charity leader who until 2020 was the chief executive of Living Streets, the UK charity that campaigns for pedestrians.

The Fundraising Regulator is the independent regulator of charitable fundraising in England, Wales and Northern Ireland.

Stephen Greene is the CEO of the international pro-social media company Rockcorps. As head of RockCorps, he has overseen the production of over 50 volunteer-exclusive concerts worldwide, featuring music artists such as Lady Gaga, P Diddy, Maroon 5 and Rihanna. In 2012 the British Prime Minister, David Cameron, appointed Greene as Executive Chairman of the independent management body of the National Citizen Service. The appointment was emblematic of the Prime Minister’s "Big Society" policy efforts, helping provide teens with social and technical skills through their involvement in community work. Born in Portland, Oregon, USA, Greene currently resides in London, UK.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">City Sikhs</span> UK nonprofit organisation

City Sikhs is a nonprofit organisation, and a registered charity which describes itself as "A voice for progressive Sikhs". It promotes networking, education and volunteering amongst Sikh professionals and provides a platform for engagement with the British Sikh community.

Create is a UK creative arts charity based in London and Manchester, which offers creative workshops and arts experiences led by professional artists in community settings, schools, day centres, prisons and hospitals.

Mark Ian Goldring CBE was chief executive officer of the charity Oxfam GB, Oxfam's British affiliate. He was appointed in May 2013 and resigned in 2018. Since 2020 he has been Director of Oxford-based charity Asylum Welcome.

Project Trust, based on the Scottish Inner Hebridean Isle of Coll, is an international volunteering charity for young people.

Neighbourly is a community impact and giving platform based in Bristol, UK. The platform hosts pages for upwards of 30,000 small charities and community organisations across the UK and Ireland, connecting them with businesses offering surplus food and products, volunteer time and financial donations.

HIV Scotland is a registered charitable organisation based in Edinburgh, Scotland, established in 1995 as Scottish Voluntary HIV & AIDS Forum, that works to make policy and advocacy changes for people living with HIV in Scotland, PrEP users, and people at risk of HIV.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sandpiper Trust</span> Scottish healthcare charity

Sandpiper Trust is a Scottish-based charity whose aims are related to improving pre-hospital immediate care in remote and rural Scotland. It receives no Government, NHS or Local Authority funding. They are a major supporter of BASICS Scotland.

Simon Blake OBE is a British social entrepreneur and activist. He currently serves as the CEO of the UK-based LGBTQ+ charity, Stonewall.

References

  1. ↑ "OSCR | Charity Details". www.oscr.org.uk. Retrieved 2021-06-09.
  2. ↑ "Community Service Volunteers (CSV) becomes Volunteering Matters". Volunteering Matters. Retrieved 2020-04-07.
  3. ↑ Kay, Liam. "Volunteering Matters appoints new president". www.thirdsector.co.uk. Retrieved 2021-06-09.
  4. ↑ "Register of Interests for Lord Freud - MPs and Lords - UK Parliament". members.parliament.uk. Retrieved 2021-06-09.
  5. ↑ "Volunteering Matters announces new President". Volunteering Matters. Retrieved 2021-06-09.
  6. ↑ "Ann Heal Register of interests" (PDF).
  7. ↑ "Meet Anne Heal CAF Trustee | Governance and Committees at CAF". www.cafonline.org. Retrieved 2021-06-10.
  8. 1 2 "Appointment of Amanda Naylor OBE". Civil Society.
  9. ↑ "The mother of 'big society'". the Guardian. 2010-05-26. Retrieved 2021-06-10.
  10. ↑ "Volunteering Matters Employee Volunteering Program". 9 June 2021.
  11. ↑ Kay, Liam. "Oonagh Aitken to leave Volunteering Matters at the end of June". www.thirdsector.co.uk. Retrieved 2021-06-10.
  12. ↑ "Volunteering Matters chief executive to retire". www.civilsociety.co.uk. Retrieved 2021-06-10.
  13. ↑ webvid.co.uk. "Volunteering Matters, Volunteering Matters". Third Sector Awards. Retrieved 2021-06-10.
  14. ↑ Behance. "Volunteering Matters". Behance. Retrieved 2021-06-10.
  15. ↑ Cooney, Rebecca. "Volunteering Matters appoints Paul Reddish as new chief executive". www.thirdsector.co.uk. Retrieved 2021-06-10.
  16. ↑ Perishable. "Charities Volunteering Matters and ProjectScotland to merge" . Retrieved 2021-06-09.
  17. ↑ "Charity chief executive cycles across the country to pay tribute to volunteers - TFN".
  18. ↑ "What We Do". Volunteering Matters. Retrieved 2021-06-09.
  19. ↑ "How 'grandmentors' are helping young care leavers find their feet | Jessica Murray". the Guardian. 2019-08-06. Retrieved 2021-06-10.
  20. ↑ "Volunteering Matters Employee Volunteering".
  21. ↑ "Volunteering Matters Employee Volunteering".
  22. ↑ "IAVM (CSV's Institute for Advanced Volunteer Management)". www.idealist.org. Retrieved 2021-06-09.
  23. 1 2 3 "February 2021". Rob Jackson Consulting Ltd. Retrieved 2021-06-09.
  24. ↑ jcravens (2011-02-16). "Advanced Volunteer Management Retreat in New Zealand May 25-27, 2011". Jayne Cravens Blog. Retrieved 2021-06-09.
  25. ↑ "Volunteering Matters named charity of the year". Volunteering Matters. Retrieved 2021-06-09.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.