MAGPAS

Name of Organisation

Magpas

Why did you decide to go for Investing in Volunteers?

We are very proud of our volunteers, and strive to support them as much as possible.The Investing In Volunteers programme gave us the opportunity to ensure we were achieving best practice to national standards, and obtain recognition for the organisation and our volunteers.

What benefits have you found from working towards Investing in Volunteers?

We are all (both staff and volunteers) very proud to have been awarded the Investing In Volunteers Award. We have developed skills in project management and teamwork.We have been able to closely re-examine all areas of our practice and incorporate ideas noted elsewhere as best practice, to further improve the service that we provide for our volunteers. We were also reassured that many areas of our practice were already meeting or exceeding national standards.

How did the assessment work in your organisation?

The assessment took a whole day, and quite a bit of planning beforehand.The appointed Assessor interviewed a selection of volunteers, staff and Trustees, both in groups and on a one-to-one basis. We had also prepared evidence for all the Indicators for the Assessor to examine.

5 Practical tips you would give another organisation working towards Investing in Volunteers

·Organise a group to take on the project. Involve all groups in this.

·Meet regularly

·Discuss with other charities in your area who have been through the process

·Use the resources on the website

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