Investing in Volunteers (IiV) is the UK quality standard for excellence in volunteer management. Relevant for any volunteer-involving organisation, the IiV journey will help you feel confident that volunteering with your organisation is 'Time Well Spent'*.
*NCVO’s Time Well Spent: A National Survey on the Volunteer Experience (January 2019).
Here's how an IiV journey can help your organisation:
- Ensuring quality, meaningful experiences for volunteers from enquiry to exit
- Ensuring that volunteers feel valued and understand the impact of their involvement
- Publicly demonstrating your organisation's commitment to volunteering
- Ensuring that your volunteer programme is legal and safe
- Increasing credibility and confidence in your volunteer programme, enhancing your reputation with volunteers, the local community and potential funders
Whatever your reasons for considering the Investing in Volunteers quality standard, all organisations can benefit from the opportunites that come from embarking on a supportive IiV journey with our expert assessors.
Hear first-hand about the benefits from current IiV Achievers:
"We want to continue to actively explore ways of being more inclusive. IiV has proven to be a driver for this work and further on-going change. We are looking to create new opportunities and ways of promoting roles to appeal to a diverse community including younger volunteers and people from BAME groups." IiV Achiever Healthwatch Cambridgeshire & Peterborough
"Investing in Volunteers was a fantastic experience that helped us refine our volunteering process and ensured we had consistency throughout the organisation. Our assessor was very friendly and helpful and put us at ease throughout. Very much recommended!" IiV Achiever The Refugee and Migrant Centre
"Take the journey, it will help to develop and show you new ways of developing your volunteer offer, to attract and retain your volunteers". IiV Achiever One Housing
"Our volunteers gained public acknowledgement and a greater sense of the impact that their hard work and skill has on community safety and improving the lives of young people." IiV Achiever Leicestershire Youth Offending Service
Read more IiV achiever testimony
New and established volunteer programmes
Every organisation can benefit from IiV, whether you have a new, developing volunteer programme, or a more established, stable volunteer programme.
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For new, developing volunteer programmes, IiV can: |
For established, stable volunteer programmes, IiV can: |
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Create a more structured environment for volunteers and volunteer managers |
Review and strengthen processes and procedures that help you find the balance of formal and informal |
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Develop clear boundaries and expectations of volunteering |
Identify areas for development and innovation |
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Increase the variety and flexibility of your volunteer roles |
Develop a deeper connectivity with a greater understanding of the importance of volunteers in your organisation |
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Ensure correct documentation is in place for safe and legal volunteer management, threading a safeguarding culture throughout your service |
Identify weak spots in your volunteer programme, building confidence and ensuring safe, effective practice in line with the UK standard |
Achieving Investing in Volunteers
Achieving IiV embeds knowledge of volunteer management at organisational level, ensuring that information is retained when a volunteer manager moves on. Crucially, IiV shows your volunteers - and potential volunteers - how much they are valued. It champions your volunteering programme, giving your volunteers confidence in your ability to provide an outstanding volunteer experience.
To start your Investing in Volunteers journey, please register for a quote. You will be contacted directly within five working days.
More IiV achiever testimony
"By following the IiV standard you are ensuring that you are doing the essential things which will keep your volunteer programme healthy. It also sends a clear message to potential volunteers, existing volunteers, funders and other stakeholders that we are serious about volunteering." Dorothy House Hospice Care
"Completing the IiV process has been a real learning curve. From updating old policies and developing new ones, to introducing a brand new recognition scheme, this award has helped us enhance our volunteer programme.
Our assessor was fantastic throughout the entire process. She was very approachable and supported us through every aspect of the IiV journey. 10/10" Everton in the Community
"Funders and supports know they are helping an organisation that believes in quality and excellence, IiV demonstrates that your organisation is open to being assessed and checked and against industry best practice" Greenhouse Mentoring
"This year we will also be celebrating our re-accreditation of Investing in Volunteers, and we can't wait." St Mungo's
"We can demonstrate to others that we operate our volunteer project to a high standard. This is particularly important when doing fundraising applications. The involvement of volunteers in our organisation contributes greatly to our social value. When we apply for funds we can demonstrate social value on any investment that a funder may contribute." Riverside Community Health Project
"Investing in Volunteers has given us a really good structure and framework to ensure our volunteers have a positive experience during their time with us" Home-Start Wirral