Organisation Support Ebulletin – July 2023
Welcome to our E-bulletin for July – keeping you informed with the latest news, updates and information from Volunteer Glasgow’s Organisation Support team! If you have something relevant to Volunteer Managers that you want us to include in the next e-bulletin please let us know.
Making Opportunities Inclusive
In June, we held an Inclusive Volunteering Event to better understand and articulate the benefits of taking an inclusive approach to volunteer recruitment and management, and to gain insights from specialist agencies as to how best to remove barriers to participation.
We’d like to give a huge thank you to our partners at Glasgow Disability Alliance, Scottish Refugee Council, Community Justice Glasgow and YoMo Young Movers for sharing their expertise and offering such helpful workshops. We’d also like to thank our hosts, Byres Community Hub at the University of Glasgow’s School of Health and Wellbeing.
We’re encouraging all providers to consider accessibility and inclusivity in their opportunities. This can come from small changes, like using inclusive and clear language in adverts, or changes in internal processes – for example, reconsidering the need for references for certain roles.
All these changes, big or small, are possible and most importantly, will make it easier for people who typically face barriers to volunteering to get involved. If you’re looking for any guidance around making your volunteer adverts more accessible, please don’t hesitate to get in touch at findvolunteers@volunteerglasow.org.
You can find more tips for inclusion and volunteer support at Volunteer Scotland’s Top Tips and Templates by clicking this link.
Having trouble recruiting volunteers?
From discussions with many representatives from providers over the past few months, we wanted to acknowledge that many have expressed that they are having trouble recruiting for volunteers at the moment. This is something we are finding across the sector – there is a dip in volunteers applying to opportunities. While this isn’t good news, it may be reassuring to know that you’re not alone and even if you are doing everything right, you may experience some difficulty at the moment.
For further support, you can reach out to Volunteer Glasgow and we can offer help and advice. We will be hosting events to advertise and encourage volunteering across the city in the next few months, so keep an eye out for these!
Corporate Team Volunteering Offers
As you may know, many corporate workplaces offer their employees days which they can use for volunteering and community support. Volunteer Glasgow receives requests from many of these corporate teams seeking opportunities – if you’re looking for a large team for an event or task (or training opportunities from industry experts!), this is a great way to engage with volunteers.
We are starting to see more Corporate Teams coming forward to volunteer again which is a fantastic. Click here to see current offers
Would a team of people be able to make an impact in your organisation? This doesn’t have to be painting a hall or digging a garden, you can consider the professional skills that they might have. For instance, it could be a marketing team that could be challenged to help design some visuals for a new project or provide advice. Be creative!
Contact findvolunteers@volunteerglasgow.org to let us know if you have a team volunteering request and we can create a blogpost outlining the task and opportunity, which we will then share with any corporate teams who get in touch.
Volunteering & UK Welfare Benefits – Information Session
Some volunteers may have concerns about how volunteering will affect their UK welfare benefits. Volunteer organisers can also be unsure about the rules around volunteering and benefits, and may worry about impacting a person’s ability to claim benefits.
In many respects, the rules around volunteering and claiming benefits are clear and straightforward. However, evidence and experience suggest that one significant area remains less than clear.
Make Your Mark are hosting a free Zoom event alongside Volunteer Glasgow, covering everything volunteer organisers need to know to support volunteers who claim benefits, including:
- The definition of voluntary work
- The difference between being paid and claiming expenses
- Best practices to support volunteers who are receiving UK State benefits
To book your free place on Eventbrite, click this link.
New research by GCVS on Fair Work
Funding instability creates fair work and retention challenges for charities
New research commissioned by GCVS highlights the challenges charities, voluntary organisations, and social enterprises face with funding insecurity and staff retention.
While the study demonstrates strong evidence of good practice, charities, voluntary organisations, and social enterprises face significant barriers to ensuring the best possible working conditions. The research, conducted by Strathclyde University, captures the increasing complexity of work undertaken by the third sector while funding remains insufficient, insecure and short-term. It also features comments from participants who feel devalued and describe what they see as a lack of respect for their significant contribution to the economy, communities, and the wellbeing of people and families across Scotland.
GCVS has produced actions alongside the report, to take forward and embed Fair Work in the sector.
Read more on their website by clicking this link.
