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VCI Structure

STRUCTURE AND MEMBERSHIP OF VCI

VCI is a company limited by guarantee and a registered charity (CHY: 16507). We will soon offer full and associate membership although, at present, our membership is restricted to volunteer centres. All volunteer centres meeting recognised criteria can apply for full membership with voting rights. Non-volunteer centres whose main objective is the development of volunteering infrastructure in Ireland will soon be invited to apply for associate membership (though they will not be eligible to vote). Prior to full membership, functioning volunteer centres may be invited to attend VCI meetings in a non-voting capacity.

There are currently eight members on the VCI Board of Directors. These eight members represent the eight volunteer centres in existence in March 2005 when the government made its announcement to fund VCI  and to extend its funding of volunteer centres to all of the centres then in existence and members of VCI . In the interests of stability, the Board will remain as is until December 2006, the end of the current pilot term of core funding. VCI already has a policy in place to change its Board in 2007. The Board elected in early 2007 will be representative of the regional spread of volunteer centres and include non-volunteer centre representation, according to the needs of VCI .

Full VCI Membership Criteria

To be eligible for VCI membership, a volunteer centre must:

  • Agree with the aims and objectives of VCI
  • Have a commitment to recruiting and placing volunteers as their primary service
  • Have funding in place to move their project forward
  • Have at least one named individual dedicated to the centre’s aims and objectives (paid or unpaid)
  • Be incorporated as a limited company
  • Have a sustainable work plan in place
  • Not represent a duplication of existing services

Membership is also dependent upon a centre’s commitment to VCI in the following respects:

  • Adoption of the volunteer centre logo and branding
  • Acknowledgment of membership of VCI
  • Adoption of common database system
  • Implementation of quality practice standards

Benefits Of VCI Membership

Membership of VCI provides individual volunteer centres with the mutual support of other members and access to the sharing of their experiences, expertise and knowledge. Pooling resources has enabled those resources to last longer and be used more effectively. Best practice is better decided upon and easier to roll out when centres are working together. A collective approach gives volunteer centres a louder national voice whether that be in lobbying statutory agents or promoting, developing and supporting volunteering.