What is Volunteering England?
Volunteering England (VE) is the national volunteering development agency for England, committed to supporting, enabling and celebrating volunteering in all its diversity.
Our work links research, policy, innovation, good practice and grant-making in the involvement of volunteers. Our members and partners range from national charities to voluntary agencies across the length and breadth of England; from NHS Trusts to arts organisations; from local community projects to government think-tanks.
Volunteering England is at the centre – bringing ideas and people together, developing better networks and structures, and initiating projects to support volunteering in a wide range of fields, such as health and social care, sport and employer supported volunteering.
Volunteering England was formed in April 2004 following a merger between The Consortium on Opportunities for Volunteering, The National Centre for Volunteering and Volunteer Development England.
On 1 July 2007 Volunteering England formally merged with Student Volunteering England.
We are a registered UK charity (No. 1102770).
- Read the Volunteering England Annual Plan 2008-2009 (PDF)
What is volunteering?
We define volunteering as any activity that involves spending time, unpaid, doing something that aims to benefit the environment or someone (individuals or groups) other than, or in addition to, close relatives. Central to this definition is the fact that volunteering must be a choice freely made by each individual. This can include formal activity undertaken through public, private and voluntary organisations as well as informal community participation.
What does Volunteering England do?
Key activities undertaken by Volunteering England include:
- Working to secure and support an England-wide network of quality volunteer development agencies, promoting and enabling volunteering and community involvement;
- Undertaking research, policy and development activity;
- Providing grants, support and advice to sustain and develop volunteering.
- Keeping volunteering high on the policy agenda, working with government to promote opportunities for, and remove institutional barriers to, volunteering;
- Providing authoritative, up-to-date research on volunteering issues;
- Supporting volunteering development through:
- Promoting accredited quality frameworks for volunteering management and local volunteer development agencies;
- Convening national events and practitioner networks;
- Mounting awareness campaigns;
- Providing consultancy, education, training, publications, information and web-based services;
- Providing grants and strategic support to the work of volunteers;
- Identifying, disseminating and promoting good practice in the involvement of volunteers. - Read Volunteering England's latest Impact Report - July 2007 (PDF)
- Volunteering England's Strategic Plan for 2007-2010 (PDF)
- Read the full Mission, Aims and Values of Volunteering England
What does Volunteering England offer me?
We offer a range of services designed to assist anyone who works with volunteers or who has an interest in volunteering. We also actively develop policy and campaign to raise the profile of volunteering. Our services include:
- Membership packages to support grass roots practitioners
- Topical publications providing best practice advice and stretching the boundaries of volunteering
- Research and evaluation on volunteering schemes
- Development of innovation in volunteering - from new volunteering opportunities to volunteer management
- Consultancy including working with boards, setting up volunteering schemes, running award schemes and managing change in volunteering practice
- Campaigns and events to raise the profile of volunteering
- Development workers in each of the English regions working to support and improve the capacity of the local and regional volunteering infrastructure
- Education, training and accreditation for volunteer managers, from novices to seasoned professionals
- Practitioner networks which enable both individuals and organisations to develop their skills
- Grant making to support volunteering projects
- Advice and information on policy and issues surrounding volunteering
- Accredited quality frameworks for volunteering management and local volunteer development agencies
- Volunteering, our monthly magazine
- A family of comprehensive web sites.
How can I join Volunteering England?
A range of membership options are available on our membership page where you can join up online
Who is the Chief Executive?
Justin Davis Smith
Dr Justin Davis Smith is Chief Executive of Volunteering England and formerly Director of the Institute for Volunteering Research. He has over 20 years experience in the volunteering movement and has advised the UK Government, the World Bank and the United Nations over the development of volunteering policy. Justin is a trustee of the youth volunteering charity v, and former chair of the Nationwide Foundation. He was a member of the Commission on the Future of Volunteering and has been assisting the London Organising Committee of the Olympic Games (LOCOG) with the development of its 2012 volunteering strategy. He has written widely on volunteering and is a Visiting Professor at Birkbeck, University of London. In his earlier career Justin was political assistant to the Rt. Hon Sir James Callaghan MP. Justin’s hobbies include football and cricket and he is a season ticket holder of Watford Football Club.
Who are the trustees?
Volunteering England is governed by a Board of Trustees meeting quarterly. Election to the Board from three electoral colleges is open to all members and additional trustees are appointed by the Board. In addition, the organisation is supported by number of committees, advisory and working groups involving a wide diversity of people.
Office holders:
Mike Nussbaum
Chair, Volunteering England
Carol Kincaid
Vice-Chair, Volunteering England
County Co-ordinator Kent Volunteers, Kent County Council
Colin Simon
Honorary Treasurer, Volunteering England
Business Director, Comic Relief
Other members of the trustee board:
Jenny Baker
Chief Executive, Brain Tumour UK
Kristina Glenn
Director, Cripplegate Foundation
Jenny Green
Saint Catherine’s Hospice
Patrick Hamilton
North Devon Volunteering Development Agency
Nwadi Okereke
Chris Reed
Westminster Volunteer Centre
Peter Sloan
Co-ordinator, Bolton Volunteer Bureau
Tiger de Souza
Georgina Watts
Director, Youth Action Network
Who are the patrons of Volunteering England?
Sir Robert Balchin
Lord Bhatia OBE
The Rt Hon Paul Boateng QC
The Rt. Hon. Baroness Virginia Bottomley of Nettlestone
John Bowis MEP
Michael Cashman, MEP
Sir Elton John
Lord Hastings of Scarisbrick CBE
Lord Leitch
Martyn Lewis CBE
The Rt. Hon. Alun Michael JP MP
Baroness Miller of Hendon MBE
Baroness Jill Pitkeathley of Caversham OBE, President
Lord Phillips of Sudbury OBE
Chief Rabbi Professor Jonathan Sachs
Anthony Steen MP
Juliet Stevenson CBE
Jon Snow
Dr Howard Stoate MP
Stephen Twigg
Dame Gillian Wagner
Mrs. Eileen Wimbury OBE
Professor Emeritus Heinz Wolff
Where is Volunteering England based?
The London offices for Volunteering England are at:
Regent’s Wharf
8 All Saints Street
London N1 9RL
The telephone number is 0845 305 6979
How is Volunteering England funded?
We receive grants from the Home Office’s Active Community Directorate and from the Department of Health. Major corporate supporters include PriceWaterhouseCoopers. We are also supported by charitable foundations. We seek sponsorship for specific activities as well as generating income through membership and events.
Have a press or media enquiry about Volunteering England?
Contact: 0845 305 6979
Affiliations
Volunteering England is a member of the UK Volunteering Forum (www.ukvf.org.uk/) which brings together the national volunteer development agencies of the four countries in the UK.
Volunteering England is a member of the European Volunteer Centre (CEV). CEV aims to be an effective voice for volunteering in Europe, strengthen the infrastructure for volunteering, promote volunteering and make it more effective. Visit www.cev.be/ for more information.
