Leading professionals from the communications industry met last week to help secure a bright and sustainable future for the world of volunteering. This was the first meeting of a high profile group of key communication professionals from across the public and private sectors, charged with finding new ways to raise the profile of volunteering and volunteers.
Media Trust brought together media leaders from the BBC, The Sun, The Daily Mirror, Google, ITV and Beattie McGuinness Bungay, to meet with communications professionals brought together by Volunteering England, and including Orange Rockcorps, Volunteering England, CSV, TimeBank, the Council on Social Action and the Red Foundation. Volunteering England is the national development agency for volunteering.
The group discussed how best to achieve a sustained, high-level approach to raising the profile of volunteering and how to develop new mechanisms for reward and recognition of volunteers, attuned to the diversity of factors that motivate volunteers.
Caroline Diehl, Chief Executive of Media Trust and Chair of the Promotions Action Group, commented: “Today was a fantastic opportunity to hear creative and informed input on how we can promote the benefits of volunteering to everybody, encourage more people to volunteer and crucially engage the media in making a real difference to people’s lives and communities.”
Justin Davis Smith, Chief Executive of Volunteering England, commented: “The enthusiasm from such leading figures of the communications industry to promote volunteering has been amazing. They can help us get over the message of volunteering to people who feel volunteering isn’t for them. They can change the ways in which people and organisations think about volunteering. Our aim is to make volunteering part of the DNA of our society, and these communications experts will help make that a reality.”
Participants in the Promotions Group will take on responsibilities for carrying through real changes in the world of volunteering. Their progress will be reported in July 2009.
The Promotions Group is one of six action groups driving forward the implementation of the recommendations of the Manifesto for Change produced by the independent Commission on the Future of Volunteering, chaired by Baroness Julia Neuberger, which reported in January 2008. The groups are focussed on action and are tasked with influencing change through utilising their experience, networks and personal influence.
The Rt Hon Alun Michael MP, Stephen Dunmore, former Chief Executive of the Big Lottery Fund, Caroline Diehl, Chief Executive of the Media Trust, Baroness Hanham and Sue Davies, Trustee of the National Trust, are chairing the groups on key aspects of the programme. Other groups are focusing on Modernising the Infrastructure for Volunteering, Public Sector Involvement in Volunteering, Skills for Volunteers, Skills and Empowerment for Volunteer Managers and Employer Action.
Notes to editors:
- Spokespeople available on request.
A full list of participants in the Actions Groups are available at www.volunteeringengland.org. - For more information please contact: Karen Wah Day on 0207 520 8932 or email karen.wahday@volunteeringengland.org; Saskia Daggett on 020 7520 8957 or email saskia.daggett@volunteeringengland.org; or Suzi Darsa on 07887 523 522.
- Volunteering England is the leading national development agency for volunteering in England and a membership organisation. It aims to improve the quality, quantity, impact and accessibility of volunteering throughout England. More details about Volunteering England and its work can be found at www.volunteering.org.uk.
- The Commission released its report ‘Manifesto for Change’ in January 2008. Its overarching ambition is to see volunteering become part of the DNA of our society and sets out a number of key recommendations for actions to achieve this.
