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Top Tech Tips for Leaders of Volunteers

Dave Thomas, NCVS Volunteering Development Officer, continues to monitor ways that technology can make life easier for Leaders of Volunteers. Last month, I wrote a review of volunteer management software and have received some feedback. I would appreciate hearing more of your thoughts.Recently, I met with a small group of Leaders of Volunteers to discuss free tech tools that can simplify…

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Embrace The Big Help Out as part of Volunteers' Week

Dave Thomas, Volunteering Development Officer at NCVS, continues his series of articles in support of Leaders of Volunteers. This time, Dave shares his thoughts about Volunteers' Week, which starts on Monday 3 June, and the arrival of The Big Help Out. Celebrate, thank and recruitThis year, Volunteers' Week will celebrate its 40th anniversary. I remember the very first one!For the second…

Dave Thomas Volunteering Development Officer at NCVS
Volunteer Management software review

Dave Thomas, Volunteering Development Officer at NCVS, continues his series of articles in support of Leaders of Volunteers. This time, Dave looks into different Customer Relationship Management (CRM) systems that could be used by organisations to manage their volunteer programme.While many of us are still using old-school solutions such as Excel and Google Sheets to manage our volunteer…

Dave Thomas Volunteering Development Officer at NCVS
How do you know that volunteers really make a difference?

Dave Thomas, Volunteering Development Officer at NCVS, continues his series of articles in support of Leaders of Volunteers. This time, Dave looks into how you can measure the difference volunteers make to your organisation. Measuring the impact of involving volunteers can be crucial for understanding the effectiveness of their contributions and ensuring that their efforts align with…

Photo of Dave Thomas, Nottingham CVS Volunteering Development Officer
Volunteers' Week 2024 - Now's the time to plan

Dave Thomas, Volunteering Development Officer at NCVS, continues his series of articles in support of Leaders of Volunteers. This time, Dave looks into what local groups can do to celebrate their volunteers during Volunteers' Week.   Volunteers' Week serves as a platform to celebrate, promote, and support volunteering, recognising it as a fundamental pillar of social cohesion, community…

Photo of Dave Thomas, Nottingham CVS Volunteering Development Officer
The Big Help Out

Last year, a number of national charities jointly promoted a volunteer event to mark the coronation of King Charles III. This was the Big Help Out, and it is being run again this year at the end of Volunteers’ Week (Monday 3 to Sunday 9 June 2024). Here at Nottingham CVS, we will always prioritise local voluntary groups, so we acknowledged the Big Help Out but didn’t promote it. Now, in its…

Using inclusive language in volunteering

Dave Thomas, Volunteering Development Officer at NCVS, continues his series of articles in support of Leaders of Volunteers. This time, Dave looks into the use and significance of inclusive language in volunteering.   At the last Leaders of Volunteers Network meeting, we had an interesting discussion about the use of inclusive language in volunteering.  Since then, I have done…

Photo of Dave Thomas, Nottingham CVS Volunteering Development Officer
Imposter Syndrome in Leaders of Volunteers

Dave Thomas, Volunteering Development Officer at NCVS, continues his series of articles in support of Leaders of Volunteers. This time he has some tips to help identify and resolve "imposter syndrome".   In the past few weeks, I have had a number of conversations with Leaders of Volunteers facing a similar crisis of confidence in their own ability. So, I did some digging about this and re-…

Photo of Dave Thomas, NCVS Volunteering Development Officer
Who looks after Leaders of Volunteers?

NCVS Volunteering Development Officer, Dave Thomas, writes: Volunteers really can do anything! Every day, in organisations and groups across Nottingham, volunteers are stepping up to tackle a myriad of different challenges. The most effective volunteers also have good leadership. That’s where Leaders of Volunteers come in. We might call them Volunteer Managers, Volunteer Coordinators or Volunteer…

International Volunteer Managers Day 2023 theme graphic - Helping Others Help
Unveiling volunteer motivation: insights from the latest data

Dave Thomas, Volunteering Development Officer at NCVS, has been reviewing some of the latest reports on VCSE sector trends, helping to draw out the facts and figures which relate to volunteering. Leaders of Volunteers already know that volunteers are the unsung heroes of our society, dedicating their time, energy, and skills to support various causes and organisations.…

Photo of Dave Thomas, NCVS Volunteering Development Officer