Description of organisation

Volunteer Now’s vision is ‘Building strong communities through volunteering’ and its mission is ‘Enabling people to offer their skills and time to build stronger, more active communities’. In order to achieve this, we have a number of outcomes namely:
1. Improved community well-being and personal development through volunteering
2. Improved volunteering practice in organisations
3. Improved safeguarding practice in organisations
These are underpinned by Volunteer Now being a strong and sustainable organisation that is able to provide a local and regional service throughout Northern Ireland.
1: Improved community well-being and personal development through volunteering:

Promote volunteering in order to increase the number and diversity of volunteers
• Enable volunteering to be inclusive of groups, families and individuals.
• Provide a comprehensive digital recruitment resource.
• Increase the number and diversity of opportunities for people to volunteer.
• Develop youth volunteering and social action.
• Extend volunteering opportunities for under 16s.
• Support older people to volunteer
• Carry out a range of volunteering promotional events
Increase the understanding of and recognition for volunteering
• Provide and communicate a strategic understanding of volunteering in Northern Ireland and its links to the public policy context.
• Work with partners to recognise volunteering in both formal and informal settings.
• Provide evidence of the impact of volunteering for individuals and communities.
• Increase recognition for young peoples’ volunteering
Offer high quality volunteering opportunities
• Effective recruitment and support of volunteers for Volunteer Now projects.
• Support event volunteering
• Support employer supported volunteering opportunities.


2: Improved volunteering practice in organisations:

Develop and promote best practice in volunteer management to all volunteer involving organisations
• Develop and deliver high quality training and information based on recognised standards including the use of digital technology.
• Build recognition for the profession of Volunteer Management
• Support the measurement of the impact of volunteering for individuals and communities.
• Develop partnerships and collaborative working with relevant organisations
Develop and promote best practice in Governance
• Provide good practice and support on governance
• Support the recruitment and development of trustees
Develop and promote best practice in Befriending
• Support the development of good practice in befriending.

3: Improved safeguarding practice in organisations

Provide support and information on standards of practice for safeguarding vulnerable groups:
• Develop and provide training on good practice, policies and procedures for safeguarding vulnerable groups.
• Provision of Access NI Umbrella Service.
• Develop partnerships and collaborative working with relevant organisations

Inclusion topics

This organisation is willing to involve volunteers who face situations which make their participation in activities more difficult, from the following categories for different types of project:

• Cultural differences
• Disability
• Social obstacles