"It was a very useful experience to validate the support we offer our volunteers and to consolidate our policies and procedures"
Barbara Poole
Chief Executive
“IiV is like a plumb-line to hold up against your volunteering programme & see where the bits are that need straightening out. It’s certainly improved our posture!”
Eileen Burwood
Volunteering Development Manager (East Midlands)
“Going through the Iiv process was a real team effort, has increased our confidence in the way we handle our own volunteers and we can now demonstrate to other VCS organisations that we ‘walk the talk’. We felt the assessment was thorough and that we had actually earned the award giving the whole process credibility and value.”
David Bradshaw
Manager (job-share)
Volunteer Centre Winchester
"It has boosted team morale, given us confidence and increased our credibility with other organisations."
Sian Clason-Thomas
Development Manager - Services to Volunteers
Volunteer Centre North Somerset
“We are highly delighted to have been given the Investing in Volunteers award. Our 160 volunteers have supported the entire process and we’re really proud of everyone especially those who took part on the assessment day. Nerves were a little tattered that day but all the volunteers were amazing and ended up actually enjoying the process! We highly recommend that any organisation with volunteers go through the assessment, as it is an incredibly positive experience where everyone learns a great deal.”
Rachael Chamberlain
Volunteer & Fundraising Co-ordinator
Woodlands MS Resource & Respite Care Centre
“I found the process a very positive one, and fairly straightforward. It is extremely practical as well, with very good systems and procedures in place for managing and supporting volunteers at the end of the process.”
Dan Kisumbi
Head of Services
Pursuing Independent Paths Ltd
"We are very proud to have been recently awarded the IIV Quality Standard which is a significant achievement not only for Age Concern Enfield, but the London Borough of Enfield as we are the first to achieve this in the area. We started the process in August 2006 with an introductory workshop and were assigned our assessor. After completing our self-assessment, we produced a development plan which consisted of 4 actions, in preparation for our final assessment. Sophie visited us in February and interviewed staff and volunteers to carry out the assessment."
"We have been impressed with the support and encouragement of our assessor throughout the process and the structure of the assessment procedure."
"To celebrate our achievement and to thank our 220 strong volunteer body, we held a volunteer celebration on 4th June and asked our assessor to present the plaque to the organisation. We even had a cake with the IIV logo on top!"
"We would like to take this opportunity to thank Volunteering England for their support in helping us to achieve the standard and to our volunteers, without whom, we would simply not be able to manage."
Sian Caine
Senior Manager for Development and Enabling Services
Age Concern Enfield
“The Investing in Volunteers standard was originally developed by the 4 Volunteer Bureaux in Croydon, Merton, Sutton and Wandsworth. Going through the process a second time has enabled us to review policies and procedures, and raise awareness with all staff of good practice in managing volunteers. Funders also appreciate us having gone through this process.”
Mary Benton
Volunteer Centre Manager
Volunteer Centre Croydon
"The whole process was a lot easier than I imagined and our Assessor was very helpful"
Margaret Surrey
Chair
Woodside Bereavement Service
“A useful process for making sure you are providing your volunteers with the support they need for them, and your organisation, to benefit from their volunteering”
Andy Norrell
Director
Volunteer Centre Merton
"This is an important award for us as we hold our volunteers in very high regard. It is huge tribute to the work and commitment they offer to the projects we run."
David Grimwood
Chief Executive
Church in Society
"We embarked on the process of the Investing in Volunteers award to ensure that we develop best practice in supporting our valuable volunteers, many of whom have arthritis – delivering support and service to people with arthritis across Scotland, whilst facing up to the challenge of arthritis in their own lives. As an organistion the onus is on us to ensure their contribution is recognised, valued and well supported – and the assessment process is enabling us to discover new ways of reaching these goals."
Angela Donaldson
Director
Arthritis Care in Scotland
"Sport England welcomes Investing in Volunteers as a key tool to enable sports volunteering involving organisations to benchmark the work they undertake to support their volunteers. Similar to other standards in sport, Equity, Safeguarding and Clubmark, Investing in Volunteers provides a vehicle to help drive the cultural change often required to raise the profile and recognise good practice in this vital area of sport. From the local rounders club to the national governing body of a sport like England Netball, Investing in Volunteers will help sport to recognise and value to huge contribution given by the 5.8 million sports volunteers helping across England. By encouraging the national sports organisations to work towards achieving the standard we hope that this will in turn provide a comprehensive structure to guide their volunteer development and help new sports volunteers to start in sport, current volunteers to continue in sport and all volunteers an opportunity to develop through sport."
Lisa Wainwright
Senior Development Manger
VolunteersSport England
“Achieving the standard will give us a renewed pride and confidence in our abilities to recruit, manage and retain a network of volunteers at The Children’s Trust. The staff also make sure that the volunteer is part of their “team” Each and every volunteer here adds something to the quality of life at The Children’s Trust.”
Rachel Turner
The Children’s Trust, Tadworth
“Going forward for Investing in Volunteers has reaffirmed that we are following good working practices. It has enabled our organisation to look at any gaps in practice and fill those gaps with confidence knowing we are following the correct procedures. The benefits to the organisation is validation that we are following the correct practices and procedures, proving to our volunteers that we take the volunteer project seriously.”
“The process has been straightforward and the support mechanisms from Volunteer Development Agency has been very good.
Lynn Donnelly
Rethink
Northern Ireland
"We would recommend that any volunteer-involving organisation should take part in Investing in Volunteers, to build upon their strengths and take their organisations to new heights of best practice"
Terri James
Volunteer Co-ordinator
Age Concern, Croydon
"We were delighted to receive the Investing in Volunteers award as it gives us recognition for the high standards of service that we have achieved within the NNUH. It has raised the profile of volunteering within the Trust and created the opportunity to promote the Trust's role within the local community."
Sally Knights
Voluntary Services Manager
Norwich & Norfolk University Hospital NHS Trust
"As an organisation we are aware of the importance of recognising volunteers contributions in the workplace. This is our reason for applying to achieve the Investing in Volunteers quality mark. It is important for our organisation to maintain and hopefully exceed national standards for quality volunteer involvement. It is also important that potential volunteers acknowledge that we are working to achieve this award for positive progression within the organisation.
The process of assessment was uncomplicated and easy to complete, with immediate one to one guidance and support from an Investing in Volunteers advisor and assessor. The assessment day itself was certainly less daunting than first imagined and I would recommend any organisation who has involvement with volunteers to work towards achieving this national standards award, as it increases your profile within the community as well as encouraging new growth and quality of volunteers."
Emma Lewis
Volunteer Co-ordinator
MEWN Swansea
“CHILDREN 1ST is committed to involving volunteers in all aspects of our work. Investing in Volunteers provides a valuable framework that has helped us to develop best practice and ensure that we provide well thought through volunteering opportunities benefiting volunteers and the work of our Charity. The assessment process is rigorous but there is a great deal of support to help us achieve the standards.”
Margaret McKay
Chief Executive
CHILDREN 1ST
“When we initially considered the Investing in Volunteers standard, it became apparent quite quickly that it sat very neatly alongside what we were already striving to achieve in our management of volunteering within Belfast Central Mission (BCM) - ie. good practice and increased recognition of the contribution of our volunteers both internally and externally.”
The Investing in Volunteers standard has provided a benchmark against which we can measure our performance, identify gaps, further develop our work, and promote the immense value of volunteers to any organisation.”
Cindy Scott
Belfast Central Mission
“I would advise any Voluntary Services Manager interested in developing good practice in the management of volunteers to go through the Investing in Volunteers process.”
Judy Woodman
Voluntary Services Manager
Trinity Hospice
“We feel that we have been able to develop processes, policies and procedures that fully support our volunteers in all aspects of their work with us and reflect how much we value their input into what we do.”
Michaela Jones
Head of UK Volunteering
VSO
