Organisation Support ebulletin – January 2026
Welcome to our Monthly eBulletin for January – 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 would like us to include in the next eBulletin, please get in touch.
Review & Refresh your opportunities for 2026
January is a great time to consider any changes you may wish to make to existing opportunities – or to create new opportunities for people to volunteer.
You can start by reviewing your existing opportunities. We recommend that you keep a note of the closing dates you add to your opportunity adverts, ideally in your calendar or diary as a reminder to review them – and extend them where necessary. We often hear from organisations who are perplexed by a drop-off in uptake for their opportunities. This can often be explained by a closing date that has not been extended. If the closing date has passed, the advert will drop off the website and potential volunteers will no longer be able to see or apply for your opportunities.
When a closing date is due, you can decide if you want to extend the closing date: are you still recruiting volunteers for existing opportunities? Are there any changes or additions you would like to make to the existing adverts? Perhaps you have open days or training scheduled and want to include or update this information; perhaps the tasks or location have changed.
If your adverts are not getting the attention you think they deserve, perhaps its time for a refresh. What might you do differently to encourage people to apply for your opportunities? Our monthly Advertising Workshops are completely free and will show you how to make the most of our digital advertising service and help you design effective, inclusive and accessible volunteering opportunity adverts. They are also a great opportunity to chat with your peers from other organisations and to share experiences of recruiting volunteers. You will further details below.
Online Networking for Volunteer Managers & Coordinators
Online networking is back!
We know January can be a tricky time so why not join us online for some cosy networking via Teams!
Together we can reflect upon what went well in 2025, and start planning for a shiny new year!
The networking event will take place on:
Friday 16th January
10.30am-12.30pm on TEAMS.
You can book your space by clicking on this link.
Forget Blue Monday, make time to Renew your energy Monday
Looking for ideas to practice self-care until the sun comes back? There will be another opportunity to join COPE Scotland in a one-hour workshop, looking at ideas to feel energised in winter and preparing for spring. This uplifting workshop is the perfect antidote to the January Blues.
Monday 19th January
11.30am-12.30pm via Zoom
You can book your space by clicking on this link.
Advertising Workshop
January is a great time to think about new opportunities for people to volunteer with your organisation.
This free workshop will show you how to use and make the most of our digital advertising services, and to learn more about effective, inclusive and accessible volunteer advertising.
January’s workshop will take place on:
Thursday 22nd January
3pm-4.30pm on TEAMS.
You can book your space by clicking on this link.
Do you want to be a Smarter Volunteer Manager?
“Great course providing solutions to problems and to make recruitment and management more effective. A unique opportunity with dedicated time to spend discussing, working and sharing ideas with other Volunteer Managers across the sector…”
Recruiting and retaining volunteers can be challenging. Could your volunteering programme use a refresh? Or perhaps you’re new to your role in engaging volunteers.
Volunteer Glasgow’s Smarter Volunteer Manager programme gives you the tools, based on our Dynamic Model of Volunteering, to create a volunteer experience that benefits your organisation, the people giving their time, and the communities or individuals they support. That’s the key to successful recruitment and retention.
We have new dates scheduled for 2026/27:
- February – March 2026: Wednesdays, 10:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. (Session dates: 11th, 18th and 25th Feb; 4th, 11th and 25th March)
- April – May 2026: Wednesdays, 10:00 a.m. – 1:00pm (Session Dates: 15th, 22nd, 29th April & 6th, 13th, 27th May)
- July – August 2026: Wednesdays, 10:00 a.m. – 1:00pm (Session Dates: 15th, 22nd, 29th July & 5th, 12th, 26th August)
- October – November 2026: Wednesdays, 10:00 a.m. – 1:00pm (Session Dates: 14th, 21st, 28th October & 4th, 11th, 25th November)
NB: Further dates to be announced for 2026 once confirmed.
2027 Dates:
- February-March 2027: Wednesdays, 10:00 a.m. -1:00 p.m. (Session dates: 10th, 17th and 24th Feb; 3rd, 10th and 24th March)
You can view upcoming programmes and book your space by clicking on this link to our dedicated webpage.
Mental Health & Wellbeing Support at the Nook
The Nook from SAMH offers support to individuals on a drop-in basis at its space in Brunswick House in Glasgow’s Merchant City, as well as a range of activities that promote physical and mental wellbeing – including arts & crafts and Conversation Cafes. All events are free and individuals can sign up to attend to via Eventbrite here.
SAMH is continuing to look to partner with organisations to bring more activities to the Nook as well as develop their outreach offer. Please don’t hesitate to get in touch if you’d like to discuss this. You can contact the team via this email: glasgownook@samh.org.uk
Click on the links below to access:
The Nook from SAMH supporters toolkit
Calling all Southwest Providers!
Volunteer Glasgow is exploring ways to improve volunteering access, engagement, and confidence for residents in the South West of Glasgow, particularly Greater Pollok.
Many individuals contribute informally without recognising their actions as volunteering, meaning they may not identify the skills and benefits gained. Volunteer Glasgow aims to:
- Increase visibility and accessibility of volunteering locally
- Support pathways into volunteering opportunities
- Collaborate closely with referral agencies and volunteer-involving organisations
- Provide training and tailored support to volunteers and organisations
We are proposing to bring together organisations for a SW Networking Event in mid-March. You may here from us via a separate dedicated email to SW organisations in the next week or so, with further details. In the meantime, please complete the online contact form below if you are especially keen to find out about this event and other services we are proposing.
Interested in involving New Scots?
Scottish Refugee Council hosts a Volunteering Information Afternoon at their offices in Portland House, 17 Renfield Street on the last Friday of each month (bar December) from 2-4 pm. This meeting is for refugees and people in the asylum process, who are looking for volunteering opportunities.
If you are a volunteer-involving organisation interested in engaging refugees in your volunteering programme, please email Gün, Catrina and Daniel at the SRC and they can book you a space for their February session – the next session on 30th January is now fully booked. The Volunteering Information Afternoons are a great opportunity for presenting your opportunities to refugees and people seeking asylum, in a sociable, informal setting.
Have a look also at the resources for involving New Scots on the Refugee Council website: https://www.scottishrefugeecouncil.org.uk/get-involved/volunteer/involving-refugee-volunteers/.
If you provide services to refugees, please use this form to register service users interested in attending, and do spread the word! Please note that attendance is by registration only.
Click to download the event poster
Attending our events
We would like to gently remind you to check your calendar before you book a space for one of our events to make sure that you are available to attend. If you find that you can no longer attend nearer the time, please do let us know or, even better, cancel your space on Eventbrite. This frees up spaces for other people.
Thank you for reading and if you have any questions about the Organisation Support offered at Volunteer Glasgow, please don’t hesitate to get in touch with us at findvolunteers@volunteerglasgow.org
