Red Foundation Applauds Commission's Report and Welcomes the Challenges Ahead

Red Foundation congratulates the Commission on the Future of Volunteering on the publication of its Manifesto for Change at a time when the profile of volunteering has never been so high. We welcome the focus of the Commission?s vision being on people and the role volunteering plays in each of our lives and we look forward to the time when volunteering is part of our national DNA.

We agree that we are on the road to achieving the stated vision due to the dedication of the millions of volunteers, the organisations and settings within which they volunteer and the infrastructure that supports them. However, we think that there is still some way to go before the Commission?s vision is fully realised.

  • We believe that it is essential that volunteering is promoted and celebrated in high profile, creative and inspiring ways. Volunteering still suffers from a low public profile which is often outdated and stereotypical of a limited range of roles and demographics. Developing new promotional initiatives and maximising existing opportunities will we believe have a significant impact to the level and image of volunteering.
  • We know that the most powerful way of recruiting volunteers is through word of mouth. We need to find new ways of making this happen on a large scale and welcome the Commission?s suggested development of volunteer champions as a first step in this process. We want to see this go further with champions supported by trained groups of local volunteers who could form a powerful recruitment network and in turn spread aspirational messages about their volunteering experiences.
  • We know that people need a choice of stimulating opportunities to encourage them to volunteer in ways that fulfill their motivations and expectations. We need to put volunteers at the heart of their volunteering experience, enabling them to use their passions and skills to do things that they want to do as well as what organisations ask them to do. We want to see a movement of people-led action, enabling groups and individuals to find new ways of responding to issues that they care about and want to change.
  • Effective volunteering needs effective support and development to make it happen. We want to explore new models of volunteer management and infrastructure, particularly harnessing the huge potential that online social networking can bring to engaging more volunteers and supporting those that work with them.

We are pleased that our involvement in the Volunteering England partnership to deliver the Capacity Builders national support service for volunteering will enable us to look at new ways for volunteering to happen. Whether through this, our consultancy service or other projects that we develop, Red Foundation is committed to building a society where it is easy for people to come together and do things that create a better place for us all to live and work.



NOTES:

Red Foundation is a new social action development agency. Founded in 2006 as a community interest company, our aim is to help all forms of volunteering, community action and social entrepreneurship to thrive throughout the UK. To do this we provide cost effective support and development services for organisations working in these areas, and to pioneer new initiatives and projects. For more information about our work explore this website or use the form here.

The Commission on the Future of Volunteering's Manifesto for Change can be found at www.volcomm.org.uk or www.volunteering.org.uk

The Modernising Volunteering National Support Service is being delivered through a partnership led by Volunteering England along with Red Foundation, v, CSV and the Nationwide Foundation. More information about the partnership can be found here


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