South Thames Crossroads

Name of Organisation

Why did you decide to go for Investing in Volunteers?

Not only were we setting up a new mentoring scheme but also recruiting volunteers into our organisation for the very first time. We were in the unenviable position of having no previous experience in either of these fields. It was therefore decided that the Investing in Volunteers framework would provide a sound structure with which to initialise and develop the project.

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

We were able to format and develop the project along the guidelines provided by the Investing in Volunteers Quality standards. The benefits from utilising these guidelines were enormous as it meant that we felt assured that we were setting up the project on ‘ firm foundations’.

It also ensured that gaining the Investing in Volunteers quality mark was a much simpler process as we had used their expertise and knowledge from the very outset of the Mentoring project.

Tell us about your experience of the assessment process in your organisation.

We feel that it really helped to integrate our volunteers into the organisation. It promoted and highlighted the potential benefits of having volunteers and also resulted in new projects, which utilised their skills and experience.

There was a wonderful sense of ‘ teamwork’ on the assessment day and we are looking forward to celebrating our success.

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

·Set up a Steering group as early as possible – it greatly helps the process

·Our local volunteer bureau was a tremendous source of information and support throughout the process.

·Involve as many people as possible - both volunteers and staff within the organisation.

·Be aware of the fact that it involves a great deal of work – but ultimately it is worth it.

·Celebrate your success – we intend to!