Developing volunteering

Volunteering helps to build strong and cohesive communities as well as providing support to vulnerable people; opportunities for leisure; a better environment; skills, learning and confidence; a chance to improve physical and mental health; and many more.

Voluntary Action Centres and Volunteer Centres help to increase the number and diversity of people volunteering and to improve the quality of their volunteering experience through work with volunteer-involving groups in the voluntary and community, public and private sectors and with individuals.

Volunteering development organisations in Leicestershire provide six core functions as set out nationally by Volunteering England
http://www.volunteering.org.uk/WhatWeDo/Local+and+Regional/whatdovolunte... six core functions are1:

• Brokerage - matching individuals and groups with volunteering opportunities
• Marketing volunteering - encouraging interest in volunteering
• Good practice development - promoting good practice to groups that involve volunteers, including training and accreditation
• Developing volunteering opportunities - meeting needs identified by local communities and removing barriers facing volunteers
• Policy response and campaigning - on issues that affect volunteers or volunteering
• Strategic development of volunteering - informing thinking and planning

Further information is available from the LeicesterShire Volunteer Centre Network website and support is available from the relevant Voluntary Action or Volunteer Centre [link to Consortium members].