Volunteers' Week 2009

Rewarding, recognising and recruiting volunteers

Volunteers' Week Newsletter

Volunteers' Week is celebrating its 25th anniversary in 2009. This annual awareness week celebrates volunteers and volunteering. With more than 22 million people throughout the UK donating their time and effort in one way or another every year, this week is used to recognise their valued contribution to society as well as encouraging others to consider getting involved.

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It's just around the corner

Volunteers’ Week is now less than a week away, with organisations around the country finalising their plans to reward, recognise and recruit volunteers from the 1-7 June.

As you continue to prepare for your activities and celebrations please remember to register your events on the Volunteers’ Week event finder, so that everyone can see the wonderful ways in which you are marking this special week.

A big thank you for your help

Over the past few weeks many organisations and volunteers have provided us with case studies to use for the media campaign to help raise the profile of Volunteers’ Week and volunteering in the wider public. We’d like to thank everyone who sent case studies to us. We discovered some great stories to share as part of our promotion of the week. We expect a number of these stories to be used around the country during Volunteers’ Week.

You can still share your story by visiting the Volunteers’ Week website’s share your story page. Here you can leave a line or two about your volunteering experiences or even share a bit about how a volunteer has helped you in some way.

Alternatively if you have a volunteer or organisation you would like to thank, you can leave a message on our thank you page.

This is an easy way to recognise the role of volunteers within your community and reward those who have helped you in some way.

Promoting your events

Some wonderful and wacky events take place throughout the country during Volunteers’ Week to reward, recognise and recruit volunteers. Each year we see some great examples of how people promote volunteering and the work of their volunteers.

This year to recognise the events that take place as part of Volunteers’ Week we have a Wii, including a WiiFit, and five copies of The Rough Guide to Happiness to give away.

To be in the running for these great prizes simply send in some pictures, an overview of your event and some press cuttings, and you could be lucky enough to win the Wii or one of the five copies of The Rough Guide to Happiness. Entries should be emailed to volunteersweek@volunteeringengland.org.uk by 12 June 2009, with winners contacted by telephone and announced the following week in the enewsletter.

The Rough Guide to Happiness is the ultimate 'how to be happy' handbook. Discover how to effectively improve your work/life balance, increase self-esteem, and nourish your mind and body while nurturing relationships with the ones you love.

Rough Guides are offering 20% OFF to all our users. To buy the book visit Rough Guides and enter ROUGH as the coupon code.

Our anniversary partners

We have had a great number of organisations join forces with us this year to help celebrate the 25th anniversary of Volunteers’ Week.

Our corporate sponsor National Grid, along with 34 national organisations have come on board to support the week and the role of volunteers throughout the country.

We are pleased to have the support of these organisations and to be able to showcase the diversity of opportunities available for people wanting to become involved in volunteering.

Our thanks to: National Grid, Abbeyfield, Beatbullying, BHF (Heart week), BITC (Give and Gain Day), Campaign to Protect Rural England, Christian Aid, Citizens Advice Bureau, Clinks, England and Wales Cricket Board, Envision, Getting on Board, Growing Ambitions, Mencap, Mentoring and Befriending Foundation, MuckIn4Life, National Trust, OXFAM, Project You, Red Cross, Rugby Football Union, SCOPE, Sue Ryder Care, Royal Horticultural Society, RSPB, St John Ambulance, Samaritans, Scout Association, Sustrans, The Blue Cross, Timebank, v, Victim Support, Voluntary Arts England and Youthnet.

To learn more about these organisations or the volunteering opportunities available visit the Volunteers’ Week website.

The many faces of volunteering

Colin Smith is just one of the many volunteers throughout the UK who ‘gives back’ in one way or another.

“I make deliveries and collect goods and collection tins from events all over Wiltshire. I also help by manning the stall at various events around the county. I have been a volunteer for Wiltshire Air Ambulance Appeal for 12 years.

“I enjoy meeting people and helping to keep this vital service in Wiltshire going. It would be really difficult to raise the necessary funds to keep the helicopter flying if there were no volunteers. Volunteers help to free up the time of the full-time staff members for organising fundraising activities”. 

An initiative of Volunteering England, Wales Council for Voluntary Action, Volunteer Development Agency (Northern Ireland) and Volunteer Development Scotland, the week will focus on rewarding, recognising and recruiting volunteers.