Risk management should be integrated into every aspect of a volunteer programme. Although much of the analysis and policy development takes place at the board level of the organisation, the overall effectiveness is only as good as the staff and volunteers who carry it out. Upon completion of this workshop, participants will be able to: explain risk management and appreciate its importance regarding volunteers, discuss policies and procedures related to risk management, identify and evaluate potential risks in volunteer involvement, address and diminish risk with preventive strategies and techniques such as volunteer role design, screening and training.
Trainer: Stuart Garland
Volunteers play a key role in making events a success. They can fulfill a range of roles such as managing your social media, welcoming your attendees, finding sponsors or capturing video footage of your event allowing you to promote the work you do. This course has been designed to support you to develop the skills and knowledge to effectively recruit, manage and make the most of event volunteering. We will share our own experience of managing event volunteers – from small conferences to national festivals with over 800 volunteers.
About us
Volunteer Ireland provides a National Volunteer Management Training Programme which targets the needs of all those working with volunteers.
Our training courses have been developed to help you deliver the best possible volunteer support, resources and supervision, assisting you on your journey to become an outstanding Volunteer Manager and an inspiring volunteer leader
Trainer: Stuart Garland
Measuring the impact of volunteering activities is increasingly important as the demand for organisations to evidence impact and outcomes becomes greater.
The Volunteer Impact Assessment Toolkit (VIAT) provides information and customisable tools, which organisations of all sizes can use to measure the impact of volunteering and therefore evidence what is being achieved. This course will guide people through the Toolkit handbook. Exercises and group discussion will be used to guide participants through the different stages of conducting an impact assessment and to start planning their own assessment.
The price of this course includes a hard copy of the toolkit and access to the VIAT web portal. Course price includes a hard copy of the toolkit and access to online tools.
Trainer: Stuart Garland
Save the date in your diary now. The tenth annual National Volunteer Management Conference will take place on Wednesday 22nd April 2020 in the Institute for Lifecourse and Society at the National University of Ireland, Galway.
Read about the 2019 speakers or view the full conference programme here.
The National Volunteer Management Conference enables and enhances volunteering through the promotion of best practice in volunteer management.
The conference provides the opportunity for volunteer managers to spend some quality time on personal development, networking with colleagues and participating in a host of motivating masterclasses and discussions focused on volunteer recruitment, retention, training, support and management.
This event is essential to anyone who manages volunteers as part of their role (paid or unpaid) or anyone interested in volunteer management in the Community & Voluntary Sector or the Corporate Sector.
Further details will be online soon.
We are delighted to announce that Galway City who will host the European Volunteer Centre (CEV) Capacity Building Conference LEVEL: Large Events: Volunteering, Empowerment and Learning on Thursday 23 and Friday 24 April 2020 in the Institute for Lifecourse and Society at the National University of Ireland, Galway.
The event is organised by the European Volunteer Centre in conjunction with Volunteer Ireland, Galway 2020 European Capital of Culture, NUI Galway and Galway Volunteer Centre. Tickets will be available from Winter 2019. Be the first to get updates when you join our mailing list.
On Wednesday 22 April 2020 the Volunteer Ireland National Volunteer Management Conference takes place in the same venue (Further details).
The Capacity Building conference will explore how volunteers in large events can be best recruited & managed and provide the biggest added value for the success of the event, the wider community and the volunteers themselves.
The conference will seek to identify what are the specificities of volunteering in large events and will consider how such experiences can best lead to longer term volunteering for those who are interested to further contribute as a volunteer in other contexts.
Participants will learn how the well-being of volunteers in large events can be protected and how the question of their skills development can be best approached. The motivation of volunteers in large events will also be discussed and greater understanding reached.
Conference workshops themes
- Recruitment
- Legacy and sustainability
- Funding and expense coverage policy and procedures
- Volunteer / staff relationships
- Orientation including online pre-event training
- Good practice volunteering in for-profit events
- Volunteer culture development, branding and communication
- Validation and / or certification of learning.
Further information on the programme full be published here during the year as we get closer to the event. You will also be able to register for the event here.
Travelling to Ireland
Flying to Ireland
Dublin Airport is Ireland’s largest Airport with the most direct flights. You can check out the destinations in their winter schedule 2019. Flying to Dublin Airport gives you the most options in terms of flights and bus and train transfer to Galway. To book the best flights at a time that suit your schedule use Skyscanner or Kayak. You may also find the Access to Galway document from the Galway Convention Bureau a useful read.
Travelling to Galway City from Dublin
Bus transfer to Galway
Transfer by bus is the most direct and convenient way to get to Galway City from Dublin Airport. Buses depart every 30 / 45 minutes from outside the terminal building at Dublin Airport direct to Galway. This bus journey takes 2 hours and 30 minutes. Two companies operate a bus service: CityLink (timetable) and GoBus.ie (timetable). Both companies offer modern, air-conditioned buses with free wifi, toilets and reclining seats. The journey is on the motorway between the two cities and buses make only one stop to pick up or drop off in Dublin City Centre. A limited number of services go direct non-stop from Dublin Airport to Galway with no stops which are listed in the timetables. Galway Coach Station is in the centre of Galway and close to all accommodation and attractions.
You can also get a full clock face timetable of all bus transfers with CityLink and GoBus.ie from Dublin Airport to Galway City and Galway City to Dublin Airport.
Train transfer to Galway
If you’d prefer to take the train to / from Galway you can take the Airlink Express Bus 747 (Timetable) which operates from Dublin Airport through Dublin City Centre to Heuston Train Station (Bus Route) and costs €6 single or €11 return when booked online. The journey time from the Airport to Heuston Train Station is approximately 50 minutes. You can then take a train from Heuston Train Station to Galway (Ceannt) Train Station. Trains can be busy so please book trains and seats in advance online. You can download a train timetable here. Trains take approximately 2 hours and 30 minutes. Tickets online start at €35, if travelling by train it is best to book online in advance and book a seat. Galway (Ceannt) Train Station is located in the centre of Galway City.
Travelling within Galway City
Transferring to the conference venue
The conference venue is the Institute of Lifecourse and Society, National University of Ireland Galway, Upper Newcastle. If you want to walk it is a 35-minute walk from the train station. A taxi from the Galway (Ceannt) Train Station to the Institute for Lifecourse and Society (map) will take 10 – 15 minutes depending on traffic and cost about €10 depending on the number of passengers.
Flying into other Airports in Ireland
You can also fly into Shannon Airport, Cork Airport and Ireland West Airport. Please note there are not as many direct bus connections to Galway from these Airports.
Accommodation in Galway
As Galway is a popular destination and is celebrating its role as European Capital of Culture in 2020 we advise that you book your accommodation in advance to ensure the lowest costs. We will be advising of suitable venues presently. We suggest you use Booking.com, Airbnb, and Trivago. If you’d like to stay in a hostel we’d suggest you try Hostelworld.
We will address the purpose and benefits of developing a strategy specifically for volunteering within your organisation. You’ll learn what works well and consider the best approach to take. We’ll talk about how you can influence others and develop a successful volunteering strategy for your organisation. We will give you support and direction to help you develop a strategy that is relevant for your organisation.
Trainer: Stuart Garland
Developing an effective and positive volunteer culture can have real benefits for your organisation and this course helps will help you plot out the practical steps you need to take to create one. At the end of the training session you’ll be able to engage, empower and influence others to get support throughout your volunteer involving organisation.
Trainer: Stuart Garland
One of the recurrent nightmares of any volunteer manager is encountering a situation in which they may have to consider ‘firing’ a volunteer. For many this prospect creates severe stress, both over the appropriateness of the action and over fear of possible legal and political consequences. In this sessions we will provide a series of toll and resources to help you with this situation when it arises.
Trainer: Stuart Garland
The International Association for Volunteer Effort is pleased to announce the United Arab Emirates as the host country of the 26th IAVE World Volunteer Conference. After a rigorous selection process, the Emirates Foundation in Abu Dhabi has been chosen as the host organisation for this premier global event, to take place in 2020.
The conference will take place from the 11th to the 14th of October 2020. Please visit the International Association of Voluntary Effort (IAVE) web site or the 26th World Volunteer Conference web site IAVE2020.ae for full details
Interviewing candidates for volunteer roles is imperative to ensure you are selecting the most qualified person. A key outcome of conducting an interview is the acceptance and agreement of the volunteer applicant and the prospective volunteer manager. Without this significant screening step, many misplaced or inappropriate volunteers begin to volunteer with the organisation. In this session we’ll look at how to manage the interview process and give you the skills required for effective interviewing.
Trainer: Stuart Garland
