Volunteering
The Communities and Voluntary Sector Support unit works closely with a number of partner organisations to encourage, support and develop volunteering in the county. There are countless ways in which people help out in their local communities and plenty of opportunities for others to get involved and benefit from the many rewards that volunteering brings.
The South West is big on volunteering. The latest citizenship survey shows that almost half (49%) of adults volunteer at least once a year with 31% volunteering at least once a month. Both figures are the highest of all the English regions.
What is volunteering?
"any activity which involves spending time, unpaid, doing something which aims to benefit someone (individuals or groups) other than or in addition to close relatives, or to benefit the environment"
There are a number of similar definitions of volunteering in common use, but there is no single agreed definition in the UK. However, one aspect that underpins all of the common definitions is that volunteering is an activity that is freely undertaken.
What activities do people get involved with?
The number and range of volunteering activities taking place in Wiltshire alone, is enormous. It includes: coaching for small, local sports clubs; helping out at luncheon clubs for vulnerable adults; running play sessions for toddlers; mentoring young people; canal clearing and other environmental projects; fundraising for a local charity; being a committee member and helping to manage an organisation; counselling victims of domestic violence; helping with admin tasks in an office- the list is endless!
Why volunteer?
People have different reasons for volunteering.
For some, it can help them find employment, or it may be a chance to develop new skills and experience which may lead to a career change.
For others, volunteering might appeal because of the social aspect, since it can be a way of getting to know new people and taking part in community activities.
It’s also a great to take an active role in local life, improving the environment or local facilities for example, or supporting a cause that is dear to your heart. It can be simply a way to make a contribution that’s different from the day job.
Volunteering is open to everyone, can be a regular activity, or only occasional and has been proven to be good for your sense of well-being.
How can I find out more?
To find out more about Wiltshire Council’s work to support volunteering, please contact the Communities and Voluntary Support unit VCS@wiltshire.gov.uk.
If you are interested in finding out more about the enormous range of inspiring volunteering activities going on in the county, or considering doing some voluntary work yourself, please look at the Volunteer Centre Website
What if my service needs a volunteer?
Wiltshire Council funds the Volunteer Centre Wiltshire to support groups, organisations and services that involve volunteers in their work. For help and advice in recruitment, management and support of volunteers please contact the centre
Tel: 0845 034 5250, Email: volunteercentre@growwiltshire.org.uk
Volunteering strategy and action plan
Wiltshire Volunteering Strategy and Action Plan 2011 - 2014 The Wiltshire Volunteering Strategy and Action Plan 2011 – 2014 aims to provide a framework for developing volunteering across voluntary, public and private partnerships in the county. The strategy‘s development was led by Wiltshire Council in close collaboration with Volunteer Centre Wiltshire and steered by a cross-sector task and finish group.
The strategy has recognised the benefits and positive impact of volunteering for individuals, communities, and organisations. These include a sense of pride, the ability to provide services not otherwise possible and building more harmonious communities. The importance of word of mouth as a route into volunteering was also identified. Consequently a focus on working with a range of organisations that have face-to-face contact with people was highlighted as a more effective way to directly communicate the volunteering message to particular target groups.
The volunteering vision for Wiltshire is: “Local people helping their communities through volunteering”. The vision will be achieved by applying recommendations and an action plan to the following five objectives:
- Develop a joined up approach to volunteering.
- Promote volunteering by improving the profile, quality and range of volunteering opportunities.
- Provide flexible volunteering opportunities that consider individuals’ diverse needs and overcome barriers to getting involved.
- Ensure volunteering leads to outcomes valued by communities
- Identify and prioritise community needs, appropriately.
The action plan is based on key findings from initial research and consultation. These actions have been considered by the steering group and others, to determine priority tasks and the organisations that can play a role in delivering them. An attempt has been made to identify any additional resources that will be required to deliver the strategy. In addition to the considerations of the steering group, feedback from the public consultation highlighted the three most important actions for year one as;
- Volunteering opportunities in each community area, so that people can find volunteering roles close to home.
- Encourage businesses to develop volunteering schemes for their employees.
- Enable young people to get good voluntary experience and skills that can help them into work.
The strategy will inform decision-making around the development of volunteering in Wiltshire over the next three years. In order to monitor and evaluate the action plan the steering group will continue to meet as a volunteering reference group on a quarterly basis to ensure progression towards achieving the key objectives.
Once robust baseline data on local volunteering has been gathered it will be possible to set more defined and measurable SMART targets in the action plan. These targets will be under review by the reference group as data becomes available. In the meantime, the strategy’s success will be measured largely by the increase in the number and diversity of participants actively engaged in volunteering in the county, and improvement in support for volunteering and community participation.
Contact details
Communities and Voluntary Sector Support Unit
Wiltshire Council
Library HQ (Chapman's)
Bythesea Road
Trowbridge, Wiltshire
BA14
8BS
0300 456 0100
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Last updated: 27 April 2012
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