News Articles
Tapping into a wealth of experience
Volunteering Development Officer Dave Thomas has recently had a birthday, which has prompted him to think about whether organisations make the best use of older volunteers’ skills and experience. A browse through the volunteering opportunities on the NCVS website will find more than a few roles offering to develop a potential volunteer’s skills and experience for the future. While this is an…
Volunteering and mental health
Our Volunteering Development Officer, Dave Thomas, has had a few worried leaders of volunteers contact him following recent publicity about mental health. As a result, his planned blog has been shelved, and he offers a few thoughts on mental health and volunteering.Mental health has been back in the news over the past couple of weeks following the BBC Panorama programme about the tragic events in…
Volunteer leadership: Key skills and attributes
In this edition of his blog series, NCVS Volunteering Development Officer Dave Thomas turns the spotlight on leaders of volunteers.Volunteering is a cornerstone of community building and social impact. At the heart of successful volunteer initiatives are effective leaders of volunteers who guide, motivate, and support their teams. Being a leader of volunteers is not merely about managing tasks;…
NCVS achieves the national Volunteer Centre Quality Accreditation standard
The Volunteer Centre Quality Accreditation (VCQA) is designed for volunteer centres and is open to both NAVCA members and non-members providing volunteer centre services in their local communities. It assesses organisations across the five functions of volunteer centres. NCVS is pleased to announce that it has obtained the VCQA. Dave Thomas, Volunteering Development Officer at NCVS, shares his…
Volunteering: A path to embracing and delivering diversity
In his latest blog, Dave Thomas, NCVS Volunteering Development Officer, challenges Leaders of Volunteers to consider the benefits of a diverse volunteer team.In an increasingly interconnected world, we cannot overstate the importance of diversity. As we embrace diversity, we foster creativity, enhance community engagement, and promote a deeper understanding of different perspectives. Volunteering…
NCVS world tour of St Ann's
After a weekend at a music festival, NCVS Volunteering Development Officer Dave Thomas went to meet a lively and enthusiastic group of women at St Ann’s Valley Centre on Monday morning. They are part of a learning group organised by the Muslim Women’s Network. Here's his summary from the event.I spoke to them about volunteering, only to realise that the group members already had over a century of…
Volunteer application forms
NCVS Volunteering Development Officer Dave Thomas muses about a topic that has been around for a long time: are volunteer application forms an essential part of our recruitment process, or are they too much like job application forms? From conversations with leaders of volunteers, I found very mixed views about using application forms as part of the volunteer recruitment and on-boarding…
Volunteers' Week reviewed
Dave Thomas, NCVS Volunteering Development Officer looks back on a busy Volunteers' Week last week.2024 marked the 40th annual Volunteers' Week, and NCVS has proudly celebrated each one. This year was no exception. Alongside our social media festivities and events hosted by volunteer-involving organisations, I took some time last week to step away from my computer and join in the celebrations.…
The Triple Dividend of Workplace Volunteering?
Dave Thomas, NCVS Volunteering Development Officer, has been musing about a recent report that looked into employee volunteering.The question mark at the end of the title is very deliberate.Pro Bono Economics is a national organisation that uses economic analysis and insight gained from its connections within the social sector to help charities, funders, businesses, and policymakers address the…
Speed dating at Jobcentre Plus
Dave Thomas, NCVS Volunteering Development Officer, was asked into the Jobcentre this week to spread the word about the benefits of volunteering. When I received an email telling me about a speed dating event, I was intrigued but not very interested. Then I discovered that Jobcentre Plus had proactively reached out to a few organisations in the VCSE sector to meet with job coaches and…
