SPECIALISMS PROJECT
SUMMARY
In Gloucestershire there is a partnership of Volunteer Centres known as the 'Gloucestershire Association of Accredited Volunteer Centres (GAAVC)'. This partnership enables volunteer centres from across the county to work closer together and improve the quality and range of services offered.
The Specialisms Project, funded by the Volunteering England Volunteer Action Fund (VAF) was designed to increase the numbers of people involved in volunteering by providing a county-wide volunteer placement service. Cheltenham Volunteer Centre was the lead partner for developing the Project.
Each Volunteer Centre is developing itself as a centre of expertise in different areas of volunteering, whilst continuing to develop and deliver its own core services.
Here in Cheltenham we are the county experts on ‘Supported Volunteering’ for clients referred from a wide range of agencies covering mental, physical and learning difficulties as well as ex-offenders and those in recovery from drug and alcohol problems.
Background (warning: this is a bit turgid - plain english version is still under development)
Until recently each Centre had worked independently, their only link being a county forum promoting mutual support and the exchange of ideas. Owing to limited resources there has been little or no opportunity for ‘cross-district’ boundary recruitment or placement, or for rural/urban exchange. The Specialisms Project offers an opportunity for collective working and sharing of resources, costs and expertise in relation to county-wide volunteer recruitment and placement potential.
Objectives
- To work in partnership to enhance the capacity of each organisation to deliver its core functions.
- To initiate and establish a dynamic approach to cross-county common practice, information and provide added value.
- To focus and enhance the cross-county knowledge-base of Centres by developing within each Centre a specialist area of expertise.
- To achieve a marked increase in the quantity of volunteering locally and an improvement also in quality of volunteer management.
- To encourage a more effective use of finite resources and achieve a sustainable pattern of co-operative working.
- To increase the numbers of Voluntary and Community Organisations (VCOs) using the services of Volunteer Centres.
- To develop and propagate a common message and cross-county publicity and marketing materials and recruitment campaigns.
- To increase the awareness of VCOs to the services provided by Volunteer Centres by a targeted marketing campaign.
Anticipated outcomes
- Increase/improvement in the quantity, quality and diversity of volunteers (especially from BME communities), placement opportunities and placement hosts.
- Improvement in retention rates of volunteers within organisations
- Development of a county Employee Supported Volunteer Scheme
- Improvement in the quality of volunteer management
- Enhanced ability to deliver core functions
- Increased rural/urban exchange
- Provision of a model of good practice for national replication
- Higher profile, status and recognition of the benefits of volunteering afforded by the pooling of collective promotional activity, budgets and campaign material.
|
