Hello and welcome to the latest edition of Volunteering Matters!

The days are longer, the plants are getting taller...that can only mean one thing: it's almost National Volunteering Week! 

Celebrate volunteers 19-25th May!

Each year across Ireland, National Volunteering Week includes a range of events, stories and videos that showcase all that is great about volunteering. The theme for National Volunteering Week 2025 is Building Community Together!

 

This theme gives us a chance to feature the social opportunity that volunteering offers. Outside of home and work, volunteering is the ‘third space’ for many people where they connect, empathise, laugh and nurture.

 

We all know the impact of volunteering in our communities as volunteers provide care, comfort and joy for people. However, for so many volunteers, the service to others is merely an added bonus! Volunteering is a way of socialising, making friends, and learning about new people. Volunteering keeps people connected to their communities and gives them an outlet for the deep care they have for others.  

 

Stay tuned for social media templates, ways to connect with your local Volunteer Centre during the week and more!

Share your volunteering story

We feel strongly that personal stories are the best way to communicate the value and impact of volunteering, as well as inspiring more people to volunteer. That's why they are the anchor of our National Volunteering Week campaign. We pitch them to the media and share them on our social media channels. Do you know of a volunteer or two that might be interested in sharing their story?

 

We're looking for volunteers from all walks of life doing all sorts of roles, although we're particularly interested in the following:

• Someone with an interesting personal story of why they volunteer
• Someone doing a unique or different volunteer role
• Someone who can speak about volunteering as a way to connect with people, meet people and make friends.
• A pair of volunteers - romantic couples, friends, etc. Either people who met volunteering and formed a strong bond or who were already linked and volunteer together.

And lastly,

Does your organisation engage volunteers, or do you work as a Volunteer Manager? Then don't miss our upcoming training opportunities!

 

Join us at our National Volunteer Management Conference on 30 April

The National Volunteer Management Conference enables and enhances volunteering through the promotion of best practice in volunteer management.

The conference provides the opportunity for volunteer managers to spend some quality time on personal development, networking with colleagues and participating in a host of motivating focused on volunteer recruitment, retention, training, support and management.

Successful delegation to volunteers

Tues 8 April

 

Delegation is basically the accomplishment of the organisation’s mission and goals through the efforts of others. It is the volunteer manager’s most important and basic tool. Learn about the value of and best practice in delegation.

The Volunteer Charter discovery sessions

9 & 21 April; 16 May

The charter is your blueprint for building strong, successful partnerships between volunteer involving organisations and volunteers! It is a two-way guide, designed to clarify what both sides can expect when a volunteer steps into a volunteer involving organisation.

The fundamentals of microvolunteering

 

Mon 14 April

 

 

In this e-learning we will explore all aspects of microvolunteering and help you explore how you might introduce roles to engage a broader and more diverse pool of volunteers.

www.volunteer.ie