The Vision for Volunteering is a national 10 year commitment to developing strong local ecosystems for volunteering and fostering meaningful volunteer roles. 

Where it started

Led by the National Association for Voluntary And Community Action, National Council for Voluntary Organisations, Volunteering Matters, Association of Volunteer Managers and Sport England, the Vision for Volunteering was constructed with contributions from over 300 organisations across the country, representing the opinions and needs of the voluntary, community, private, and public sectors.

Workshops and other contribution opportunities asked backing organisations for their hopes for future outcomes of the vision, barriers or challenges they could foresee, and any practical actions to ensure success. 

A workshop of local Hull partners took place to this effect, hosted by Hull CVS in January 2022.

The Vision – 5 Areas

The Vision for Volunteering has 5 interlinking components: 

• Awareness and Appreciation
• Power
• Equity and Inclusion
• Collaboration
• Experimentation

Each of these areas has its own aims and objectives summarised below.

Awareness and Appreciation

It is hoped that by 2032, volunteering will be part of everyone’s life. The level of involvement will adapt to the persons needs and resources at the time, and the roles they take part in should change to suit their interests, goals, and societal need. Time2Volunteer hopes to encourage this fluidity by showing volunteers all the opportunities that they can apply to in one place, as well as giving you as the volunteer the chance to review, reflect and share your journey and achievements thus far. 

It is also hoped that volunteers will be celebrated and appreciated more by individuals, communities, organisations and policymakers, for all that they do to enrich lives, enliven communities, and support causes. Time2Volunteer enables groups or organisations leaders to leave volunteer appreciation testimonials, as well as giving volunteers the chance to create a social record detailing the contributions they have made.  

Power 

Vision for Volunteering wants a future where the power of volunteers is appreciated and supported. It recognises that to create thriving communities, power needs to be devolved from state to communities, from organisations to individuals. This will lead to volunteers being supported to channel their first-hand experience, interests, and passions to make change and be involved in decision making.

Voluntary groups and organisations with larger or better resources should look to support and enable groups with fewer resources, to create a more equitable voluntary society. Hull CVS is working to enable this collaboration by sharing training resources, best practice, and supporting organisations to create or improve their existing processes, resources, volunteer management and much more with Sector Connect.

Equity and Inclusion 

All volunteering should be accessible and welcoming to everyone. However, a lot of volunteering is not inclusive of all people and communities. Findings show that those from lower socio-economic backgrounds, younger people, people with disabilities, and ethnic minorities generally volunteer less, and have fewer positive experiences when volunteering. 

If we make these changes, more people will be able to benefit from an increased sense of wellbeing and purpose volunteering can offer, and make volunteering a driving force in making our society more equal.

Time2Volunteer aims to listen to and encourage a brilliant and diverse range of volunteers and organisations, and to work together to make the voluntary sector inclusive of volunteer identities, background and needs. 

Collaboration

Collaboration needs to be natural, fluid, flexible and spontaneous on all levels – whether that’s between different sectors, different local organisations, internal teams, or between volunteers and paid staff. When collaboration is embraced, and the old sense of ‘ownership’ removed, best practice, resources and connections can be shared, leading to a greater chance of everyone reaching their potential. 

Time2Volunteer has embraced this and has been developed through collaborations involving partners from all sectors in Hull and the East Riding. Our partners have also agreed to adopt Time2Volunteer’s Volunteering Principles and Charter, to reflect a consistent approach to volunteer management. 

Experimentation

The Covid-19 pandemic led to organisations becoming innovative and experimental in their delivery to suit the changing needs of society. The Vision for Volunteering believes this spirit should be a natural part of volunteering. A dynamic approach allows us to reflect, learn, and adapt to a changing culture continuously – welcoming change rather than fearing or avoiding it. Communities need to be supported and trusted to follow this philosophy, so that they can develop projects, processes, and solutions that suit them, whilst protecting the safety and wellbeing of their volunteers, staff, and service users. 

For more in-depth understanding of the Vision for Volunteering please click here.

What Next?

The Vision for Volunteering is asking for people, organisations and groups to get involved by making their own commitments to the vision. The commitments should take the form of specific actions which will help achieve all components of the vision by 2032. To pledge these commitments and receive updates please click here.

If you need support in achieving any of your actions, please get in touch.