In 1995 the Wandsworth Volunteer Bureau in South London was concerned that they had no way of knowing whether volunteers they sent to other organisations received a good standard of management. With quality standards becoming commonplace it was felt to be timely and appropriate for the development of a Standard, Investing in Volunteers, which would relate specifically to the management of volunteers.
To take the idea forward the three neighbouring London boroughs of Croydon, Sutton and Merton joined with Wandsworth to form the Wandle Valley Partnership, and by 1998 funding was raised to run a three year pilot to develop the Standard. The idea for the Standard was based on the four areas of volunteer management: Planning for volunteer involvement; recruiting volunteers; selecting and matching volunteers; and supporting and retaining volunteers.
The pilot was a success with 60 organisations being awarded the Standard, and an independent report recommended that the Standard be rolled out across the UK.
In 2003 guardianship of the Investing in Volunteers Standard passed to the UK Volunteering Forum, and funding was raised from GUS Charitable Trust, the Home Office and the Department of Health to launch the Standard in the UK.
The four organisations which are managing this process are:
- Volunteering England
- Volunteer Development Agency in Northern Ireland
- Volunteer Development Scotland
- Wales Council for Voluntary Action.
