Volunteer Centre Sefton & The Year of the Volunteer 2018

Every Child Matters Forum Sefton Professional Development Centre,Formby

Mike Howlett

Volunteer & Citizenship Lead, Sefton CVS

Sefton Council for Voluntary Service. Registered Charity No. 1024546. Registered in England, Company Limited by Guarantee No. 2832920.

Email: communications@seftoncvs.org.uk Tel: (0151) 920 0726

Volunteer Centre Sefton provide support to both volunteer-involving organisations and those looking to volunteer. The support we provide includes: • Groups can promote their volunteering roles via our

website and online database • Bespoke support around volunteering policy,

procedure and best practice • Volunteer Coordinator Forums • Training through the Sefton CVS Masterclass

programme • Free Volunteer Recognition Certificate Scheme

volunteeringsefton.org.uk

Volunteer Centre Sefton

Last year, Volunteer Centre Sefton provided direct support to 1,127 prospective volunteers. Volunteer Centre Sefton supported 1,014 local groups and organisations with management, recruitment and training of volunteers 116,952 hours of formal volunteering was recognised in 2017 through the Volunteer Centre’s volunteer certificate scheme. This equates to £1.541 million contribution to the local community. Volunteer Centre Sefton are currently advertising 506 live volunteer opportunities on behalf of 335 separate organisations

volunteeringsefton.org.uk

Volunteer Centre Sefton

Year of the Volunteer 2018

Sefton Council, in partnership with Volunteer Centre Sefton and Sefton CVS, is dedicating 2018 as the Year of the Volunteer. Following on from 2017 Year of the Coast, Sefton’s thousands of volunteers are currently being celebrated in a year long joint campaign to raise awareness of how much volunteers do for the borough. The Year of the Volunteer launch event was held on Tuesday 6th February at The Atkinson in Southport. As part of the campaign, a dedicated grants initiative called Volunteering 4 Good was announced specifically to support volunteer-involving projects across the borough.

Year of the Volunteer 2018

As part of the Year of the Volunteer, each calendar month will have a focus on a particular theme highlighting volunteers in action. February Families March Anti-Poverty April Environment May Children & Young People June Older People July Sport & Recreation August Animals September Arts, Culture & Heritage October Health & Wellbeing November Armed Forces & Veterans December Social Isolation

Year of the Volunteer 2018

Some of the ongoing volunteer opportunities and activities across Sefton include:

Why do people volunteer?

People choose to volunteer for a variety of reasons. For some it offers the chance to give something back to the community or make a difference to the people around them. For others it provides an opportunity to develop new skills or build on existing experience and knowledge.

For some, volunteering provides an opportunity to: • Give something back to an organisation that has

impacted on a person's life, either directly or indirectly • Make a difference to the lives of others • Help the environment • Help others less fortunate or without a voice • Feel valued and part of a team • Spend quality time away from work or a busy lifestyle • Gain confidence and self-esteem

Source: NCVO Almanac 2017 (Volunteering Overview) https://data.ncvo.org.uk/a/almanac17/volunteering-overview/

Why do people volunteer?

For some, volunteering can be a route to employment, or a chance to try something new which may lead to a career change. From this perspective, volunteering can be a way of: • Gaining new skills, knowledge and experience • Developing existing skills and knowledge and enhancing a CV • Improving one's employment prospects • Gaining an accreditation • Using one's professional skills and knowledge to benefit others

For others, volunteering appeals because of its social benefits. These include: • Meeting new people and making new friends • A chance to socialise and get to know the local community

There is lots of evidence that volunteering has a positive impact on health and wellbeing – including mental health

“I volunteer in Sefton because…”

It is estimated that there are 32,600 ‘formal’ volunteers operating in Sefton contributing approximately 98,000 hours of voluntary work per week * Figures taken (or extrapolated using the report’s methodology) from Measuring the size and scope of the voluntary and community sector in the Liverpool City Region, Gerwyn Jones and Richard Meegan, Liverpool John Moores University (2015):. This was a study undertaken to scope the size of the VCF sector across the Liverpool City Region. https://seftoncvs.files.wordpress.com/2018/01/sizeandshapeofvcsfinal-1_0.pdf

The estimated 98,000 hours per week equates to £1,291,640 per week; assuming this level of volunteering all year round which gives an annual socio-economic value of £67,165,280 back to Sefton’s communities. Using the average wage paid by Sefton businesses as quoted on Pg8 of the Sefton Economic Strategy – Ninth Performance Monitoring Report, September 2016–March 2017 [accessed 22/1/18] https://www.sefton.gov.uk/media/1284947/Sefton_Economic_Performance_Report_March_2017.pdf The average wage = £23,984 per annum, this equates to £461.23 per week and (assuming a 35 hour week) an hourly rate of £13.18

Liverpool City Region and Sefton Volunteering Trends

Volunteering 4 Good Grants Initiative

+ £5,000 Sefton MBC + £7,000

£15,000 £12,000 £9,000 £6,000 £3,000 £0,000

As part of the Year of the Volunteer 2018, Sefton 4 Good launched a crowdfunding appeal on Tuesday 6th February at The Atkinson to help grow the Volunteering 4 Good Grants pot – kick-started with £5,000 from Sefton Council’s Transition Fund and £7,000 from Sefton 4 Good fundraising activities.

Individuals, businesses and local organisations can donate online and support the Year of the Volunteer campaign. To find out more information or to donate to the Volunteering 4 Good Crowdfunding Appeal, please visit sefton4good.org.uk

Sefton Council for Voluntary Service. Registered Charity No. 1024546. Registered in England, Company Limited by Guarantee No. 2832920.

Email: communications@seftoncvs.org.uk Tel: (0151) 920 0726

More Information

For more information on Volunteering including the Year of the Volunteer 2018 campaign, please visit

volunteeringsefton.org.uk Alternatively, you can contact the Volunteer Centre Sefton

0151 920 0726 or email info@volunteeringsefton.org.uk

To donate to the Volunteering 4 Good crowdfunding appeal, please visit

sefton4good.org.uk/donate

Sefton Council for Voluntary Service. Registered Charity No. 1024546. Registered in England, Company Limited by Guarantee No. 2832920.

Email: communications@seftoncvs.org.uk Tel: (0151) 920 0726

Consultation

We want to know what support you are looking for.

Each table will be assigned a question. Discuss in your groups. Write down your thoughts. Feedback to larger group.

Questions:

What support or information do you need from Volunteer Centre Sefton? -Including how you would like that support delivered

Or

What challenges do you currently face when involving volunteers in your organisation?