Volunteer Co-Ordinators Newsletter & Updates

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The Volunteer Co-Ordinators group is a peer network of volunteer co-ordinators and managers from around Southampton.

100 Hours Certificate Scheme!

Still time to nominate your wonderful volunteers for the Certificate Scheme. Let them know that the City appreciates the work that they have done. You can find all the documents on our website or on the last newsletter. You have until Close of play on the 25th September to get your nominations in!

Tweet for Trustees!

November 2nd is National Trustees week, to promote the role of trustee and how vital it is for an organisation we're running a Tweet for Trustees campaign throughout the week. This will be a mixture of comments from trustees, promotion of trustee positions available and benefits of being a trustee. Please let us know if you are looking for a trustee and also don't forget to include your twitter handle if you're on twitter so we can link you to the campaign. To be included we will need to know by close of play on the 23rd November.

Marketing?

A big thank you to Pilar and Zahida who came in from the Solent University Business & Marketing departments to talk to us about how the students at Solent can help us understand the markets that we're in and also create effective marketing campaigns and strategy - especially in social media. Which is something that many people have said they would like assistance in using and becoming more effective with. If you didn't get a chance to speak to them and would like to get in contact you can email Zahida: zahida.shah@solent.ac.uk.

Healthwatch Southampton are running a quick survey on images used for quitting smoking, please help by taking this quick survey!

Hello!

Big thank you to everyone who came to the Volunteer Coordinators Meeting on Tuesday! Great to see so many of you coming along, and thank you also to those who have completed the online feedback forms so quickly! For those who haven't had a chance to yet, you still have time! Click Here!

For those who didn't get a chance to come along, you can see the presentation & updates. If you have any questions about it at all please contact me.

Stepping Forward – Promoting Quality with Voluntary Action – SVS Conference

30th September from 10am SVS are holding our conference. Guest speakers & workshops till 4:30. The conference and workshop info is here and don't forget to book using our booking form. You can email this to information@southamptonvs.org.uk to book your place, or send back via post to Kingsland Square, St Marys Street, Southampton, SO14 1NW.

Christmas Volunteering

Yes... I know it's only September, but the requests for Christmas Volunteering have started to come in to us here at the Voluntary Action Centre. Blink and the festive season will be on us! If you are looking for volunteers to help with a special event over December / New Year please complete this form and email to volunteer@southamptonvs.org.uk by close of play on the 2nd November.

Do-It

As you can see from the PowerPoint information from the VCG on Tuesday. We had an important announcement, following the changes to the Do-It website last October, we have been monitoring and reviewing the situation throughout the year, and although we do understand the benefits of a National Website to promote volunteering we feel that from feedback we have received from charities and organisations within Southampton that this may not be the solution moving forward on a local level.

With this in mind we have been researching the alternatives and have found an alternative web platform to promote the opportunities for Southampton - which will be hosted through the Southampton Voluntary Services website. By the end of the year our plan is to have all volunteering opportunities on this platform as well as re-viewed and redesigned our volunteering section of the website to make this a One-Stop-Shop for volunteering in Southampton - both for the public and for organisations.

We will not completely remove ourselves from the Do-It website, but instead will promote a self-serve approach for Southampton Groups. With this in mind we will be arranging training sessions over the next few months to go over the self-serve function and how to best promote your organisation using the Do-It website should you wish to continue to promote opportunities in this way. I will send out the notification of the training dates shortly along with a link to book your place.

So that additional training and support is directed to the right areas you can also take our survey here about voluntary organisations and digital media and technology.

SO18 Big Local is a programme run by local people to make their area an even better place to live and work. The SO18 Big Local area broadly covers: Harefield Estate, Townhill Park, Hood Road and Macarthur Crescent. Local people choose to run a small grant programme as part of this effort.

They wish to support local groups within the SO18 Big Local area, and groups who serve people from their area. Funding can be from a £250- £3000. Although if you only need £100 or more than £3000 please talk to us. For an idea of what has been funded before look at SVS website www.southamptonvs.org.uk on the SO18 Big Local page.

Guidance Notes
Application Form

For more information please email Louise Evans l.evans@southamptonvs.org.uk

Best wishes

Louise

Volunteers with specialist skills!

Photographer!
If you need a photographer to help with one off events to get some lovely pictures to help promote your organisation please let SVS know, we have a volunteer who is a professional photographer and would like to help local organisations. we can send you a link to his website when help with the introductions.

Hairdresser!
We have a volunteer come forward who is a NVQ level 1 and VRQ level 2 hairdresser, she is looking for some experience and to get involved, she can do blow dries, platting, styling, some simple cuts. If you are in need please get in contact.

Get in the news!

A gentleman came into the drop-in recently who is a journalism student at the University, he writes for local publications - print and online and is looking to help promote charity organisations within Southampton. If you have an event or a story coming up please let me know and I can put you in contact!

Safeguarding

We did a small session on Safeguarding as part of the VCG this quarter, on the presentation I've attached at the top of the newsletter includes all the things that we should consider when looking at safeguarding - and a reminder that we should review and update our policies to reflect things like social media and new technologies - almost everyone has a phone with a camera and filming abilities these days for example. Here is an updated version of the DBS guidance.

However, if you ever need help & support around policy, procedure and implementation please don't hesitate to contact SVS and we'll be able to provide guidance around the area, from template polices (always make sure you edit these to reflect your organisation) to advice or even just a second pair of eyes to look over and sense check.

What's going on online?

Are your volunteers equipped with the knowledge to be ambassadors for your organization? Beth Steinhorn reflects on an experience she had that shows why this is so important.
http://jffixler.com/peach-morning-transforming-volunteers-strategic-messengers

Don't forget the why! More a marketing idea for organisations but they sold me at "You prevented a pelican from making bad choices..."
http://www.networkforgood.com/nonprofitblog/dont-forget-the-why/

Introducing new volunteers to existing groups, 6 points in the middle of the article are really useful!
http://volunteerplaintalk.com/2015/09/09/click-click-clique/

Ten Tips for Trustees - With National Trustee week just around the corner this looks at ten things to consider when thinking about being a trustee.
http://blogs.ncvo.org.uk/2015/08/19/being-a-trustee-a-view-from-the-ground/

The NCVO are running a Survey about advertising your volunteering opportunities online and the platforms that you use as a volunteer involving organisation. If you have the time please contribute:
https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/NRGHFGD?_cldee=ZW1pbHkuZ3JhaGFtQG5jdm8ub3JnLnVr&urlid=2