In this webinar, we will take you through the fundamentals of Garda Vetting, who needs to be vetted and who doesn’t? At the end of this session, you will have oversight of the legislation and the practical steps of Garda Vetting volunteers (and employees) correctly and legally within your organisation.
Topics covered will include:
- Legal requirements for Vetting – who needs to be vetted, who doesn’t?
- How to register for Garda Vetting
- How to complete forms correctly and use the online system
- How to assess which roles get vetted in your organisation
- Avoiding common mistakes
This course is delivered on multiple dates, please check the training calendar for other dates.
International Volunteer Managers Day
(IVM Day) is celebrated globally on November 5 each year. The day is put aside to allow volunteer managers a chance to reflect on and celebrate the critical work they do, and more importantly, it allows an opportunity for them to educate others about the significant role they play in mobilising the often complex resources volunteers bring with them.
Mission / Statement of Values
We celebrate the profession of volunteer leadership because:
- Volunteer Managers have the skills and knowledge to help people be part of the solution in meeting community needs. Even in cynical times, they practice the art of the possible.
- Volunteer Managers change lives – both the lives of volunteers themselves and of those served by well-led volunteers. It is a life-changing profession. Volunteer managers provide the leadership and direction that allows people to build a good and just society and to mend the social fabric. Without professional leadership, people’s time, talents and efforts could be wasted.
- A well-run volunteer program shows the community, including potential donors, that the organisation is not afraid of public scrutiny and involvement and endeavours to make the most efficient use of monetary assets.
- Well-led volunteers become an advocacy and public relations force for an agency or program — a force no amount of money could buy.
Ways to take part
- Have the CEO head of your organisation write to each volunteer telling them how important the work of the Volunteer Programme Manager working in their organisation is.
- Remember to send a thank you message to the extended group of staff in your agency who support the work of volunteers (but who may not be recognised as a Volunteer Programme Manager). It’s a great way to gain support and educate.
- Send an e-card to your peers and colleagues.
- Encourage your local Volunteer Centre to host an event or mention the day in their newsletter.
- Find ways to educate your agency about your role through the promotion of the day.
- Use IVMDay as an excuse to write an article about your role for your agency newsletter or local paper.
- Place a link to the IVMDay website from your volunteer web page.
If you are a member of a professional Association, create an annual award to celebrate the work of Volunteer Programme Manager in your area. - Throw a party to honour Volunteer Programme Managers in your area.
- Hold a press conference and invite local dignitaries to talk about the community impact of the work of Volunteer Programme Manager
- Nominate your Volunteer Manager for a Volunteer Ireland Award
- Send a press release to the editor of your local newspaper that highlights the special work that Volunteer Programme Managers do in the community.
- Put a reminder to celebrate IVMDay on November 5 in the signature line of your emails.
- Prepare celebratory gift bags for the Volunteer Programme Manager so that they can have a treat on this special day.
- Encourage your local VolunteerCentre to host an event and then encourage as many Volunteer Programme Managers as you can to attend. Take lots of photos and remember to use them to publicise IVMDay the following year.
IVMD Day 2021
Recent times have allowed us the space to consider (and re-consider) many aspects of the important work we undertake as Volunteer Managers.
To that end, the Global IVMDay Coordinating Committee are proud to announce that the theme of IVMDay 2021 will be:
“What Is Excellence? – Pushing us beyond the ordinary”
We believe it is time to reflect upon what ‘excellence’ really means for our profession and work towards creating some common language around this important topic.
Over the coming months, we will look to provide some stimulating debate on many different aspects of just what does constitute ‘excellence in volunteer engagement’.
For example, what does excellence look like in:
- Volunteer leadership?
- Volunteer management certifications and learning?
- Diversity and equity?
- Managing up?
- Meaningful engagement?
- Embracing technology and systems?
Now is the time to start planning how you might celebrate IVMDay 2021 in your organisation or region – and how you might use this theme to create some meaningful outcomes from the day. You can find the artwork and logos for the 2021 events on the IVMD web site resources page.
Resources
Please feel free to post your pledge by email your photos to andy@ozvpm.com
Get Resources for International Volunteer Managers Day from the IVMD web site.
Make sure you tag #IVMDay21 for 2021 events and join in the conversation.
“What Is Excellence? – Pushing us beyond the ordinary”
As leaders of volunteers, we can feel under-resourced whilst being under multiple pressure. Martin believes it’s time we celebrated our excellence and learn how to understand it , capture it and share it. He will lead us in a time of stimulating discussion bringing in insight from organisations from across the globe and Ireland.
Join us on International Volunteer Managers Day 2021, Friday 5 November and hear from Volunteer Management speaker and leader Martin J Cowling.
Tickets are free, but limited and first preference will be given to those who manage volunteers, (paid or volunteer based) in Ireland.
Biography: Martin J Cowling
Over his career, Martin has been a volunteer, hands-on manager, leader, researcher and consultant. He has worked from small grassroots organisations through to senior management roles with large social purpose organisations. He has provided consulting services across the globe.
Martin led the Office of the Not for Profit Sector for the Australian government and helped establish the Australian Charities and Not for Profit Commission (ACNC) in 2013. He was responsible for the Federal volunteer strategy at the time. He then oversaw national indigenous employment strategies for the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet.
Martin is a skilled presenter who has spoken at conferences across Australia and in sixteen countries. Philanthropy 101 ranked him as one of the top 100 speakers on philanthropy.
He has lectured at Universities in Australia, the US and Middle East. Martin has worked with LaTrobe University on research into volunteerism and has written over 30 articles, papers and book chapters on the subject.
He believes that people are the key to an organisation’s success and he is passionate about ensuring that staff (both paid and unpaid) have mutually beneficial relationships and contribute to making lasting positive change.
Martin volunteers to support cancer research, MS and homelessness and poverty alleviation in Australia, Scotland, Thailand and Uganda.
J
oin our monthly coffee break for CSR professionals and other corporate sector employees interested in discussing and exploring the area of Employee Volunteering.
The session is an opportunity to network with others who are responsible for employee engagement programmes, hear about the latest news and trends in Employee Volunteering, share what’s happening in your company and to gather ideas on how you might go about finding volunteering opportunities for your employees or starting an employee engagement programme within your company.
This session is open to those in the business sector only interested in discussing and exploring the area of employee volunteering.
Grab a cuppa and join your fellow Volunteer Managers for our digital “give and get”.
Join the team at Volunteer Ireland when we take a coffee break and informally chat about all things volunteering. Please note that these are small group discussions that are participant-led, so please come prepared to share and ask questions about volunteer engagement and management, and of course to make suggestions and feedback.
Who is this Coffee Break for?
This online event is aimed at all Volunteer Managers / Coordinators (paid and unpaid, from Ireland and overseas) who engage volunteers in their organisations.
Our Coffee Break takes place online using the Zoom platform. These online sessions take place every second Friday at 11.00 (local time) and lasts for one hour.
Register now (limited numbers per session to ensure everyone gets to interact!). You can register for multiple events now, you will get reminders before the event.
In this webinar, we will take you through the fundamentals of Garda Vetting, who needs to be vetted and who doesn’t? At the end of this session, you will have oversight of the legislation and the practical steps of Garda Vetting volunteers (and employees) correctly and legally within your organisation.
Topics covered will include:
- Legal requirements for Vetting – who needs to be vetted, who doesn’t?
- How to register for Garda Vetting
- How to complete forms correctly and use the online system
- How to assess which roles get vetted in your organisation
- Avoiding common mistakes
This course is delivered on multiple dates, please check the training calendar for other dates.
Grab a cuppa and join your fellow Volunteer Managers for our digital “give and get”.
Join the team at Volunteer Ireland when we take a coffee break and informally chat about all things volunteering. Please note that these are small group discussions that are participant-led, so please come prepared to share and ask questions about volunteer engagement and management, and of course to make suggestions and feedback.
Who is this Coffee Break for?
This online event is aimed at all Volunteer Managers / Coordinators (paid and unpaid, from Ireland and overseas) who engage volunteers in their organisations.
Our Coffee Break takes place online using the Zoom platform. These online sessions take place every second Friday at 11.00 (local time) and lasts for one hour.
Register now (limited numbers per session to ensure everyone gets to interact!). You can register for multiple events now, you will get reminders before the event.
International Volunteer Day (IVD) December 5th is an international observance designated by the United Nations since 1985. It offers an opportunity for volunteer organisations and individual volunteers to make their contributions visible – at local, national and international levels – to the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
Apart from mobilising thousands of volunteers every year, the United Nations Volunteers (UNV) programme works closely with partners and governments to establish national volunteer programmes to create structures that foster and sustain local volunteerism in countries. Through the Online Volunteering service, volunteers can take action for sustainable human development by supporting the activities of development organisations over the Internet.
The International Volunteer Day (IVD) mandated by the UN General Assembly, is held each year on 5 December. It is viewed as a unique chance for volunteers and organisations to celebrate their efforts, to share their values, and to promote their work among their communities, non-governmental organisations (NGOs), United Nations agencies, government authorities and the private sector.
Apart from mobilising thousands of volunteers every year, the United Nations Volunteers (UNV) programme contributes to peace and development by advocating for the recognition of volunteers and working with partners to integrate volunteerism into development programming.
Through the Online Volunteering service, volunteers can take action for sustainable human development by supporting the activities of development organisations over the Internet. Every day thousands of people are volunteering, online or on-site, contributing to peace and development, working to achieve the MDGs and engaging people to shape the sustainable development agenda.
International Volunteer Day 2020
Let’s make IVD this year a worldwide moment to thank volunteers and celebrate their efforts despite all the challenges at hand.
Over the last months, as the COVID-19 pandemic has ravaged across the world, volunteers have been at the forefront of medical, community and societal responses.
The COVID-19 Strategic Preparedness and Response Plan by the WHO identifies community volunteers as key stakeholders for risk communication and community engagement. This indicates the value and the great effort the WHO believes volunteers is doing during COVID-19. Yet, recognition is still not enough, especially when it comes to volunteers’ own well-being and access to health care.
This year’s IVD campaign, that starts today and culminates on IVD 2020, December 5th, will thank volunteers worldwide and also shed light on the difficulties and needs of volunteers during the pandemic. Showing the impact of volunteers in their communities during this crisis, we will reach to all corners of the globe with the message of Together We Can Through Volunteering.
As UN Deputy Secretary General Amina J. Mohammed reminded us in opening the GTM2020 in July, “the efforts of 1 billion volunteers is an important foundation at a pivotal moment for development to enable us to recover from the COVID-19 pandemic”.
Follow the social media channels @UNVolunteers and use the hashtags #TogetherWeCan and #IVD2020 to be part of the conversation. The blue heart emoji will be associated with the IVD2020 and contribute to building the campaign image that conveys a positive feeling, solidarity, and compassion toward volunteers.
Downloads and resources 202o
- Partners Toolkit IVD 2020 Toolkit (Adobe PDF)
- Volunteer Recognition Ideas (Adobe PDF)
- Together we can – IVD 2020 theme logo (PNG file)
- Animated Together we can logo 2020 (MP4 file)
- 2020 resources (Trello Board)
The theme for the 2021 event will announced in November 2021 when resources can also be downloaded for the programme.
Grab a cuppa and join your fellow Volunteer Managers for our digital “give and get”.
Join the team at Volunteer Ireland when we take a coffee break and informally chat about all things volunteering. Please note that these are small group discussions that are participant-led, so please come prepared to share and ask questions about volunteer engagement and management, and of course to make suggestions and feedback.
Who is this Coffee Break for?
This online event is aimed at all Volunteer Managers / Coordinators (paid and unpaid, from Ireland and overseas) who engage volunteers in their organisations.
Our Coffee Break takes place online using the Zoom platform. These online sessions take place every second Friday at 11.00 (local time) and lasts for one hour.
Register now (limited numbers per session to ensure everyone gets to interact!). You can register for multiple events now, you will get reminders before the event.
Grab a cuppa and join your fellow Volunteer Managers for our digital “give and get”.
Join the team at Volunteer Ireland when we take a coffee break and informally chat about all things volunteering. Please note that these are small group discussions that are participant-led, so please come prepared to share and ask questions about volunteer engagement and management, and of course to make suggestions and feedback.
Who is this Coffee Break for?
This online event is aimed at all Volunteer Managers / Coordinators (paid and unpaid, from Ireland and overseas) who engage volunteers in their organisations.
Our Coffee Break takes place online using the Zoom platform. These online sessions take place every second Friday at 11.00 (local time) and lasts for one hour.
Register now (limited numbers per session to ensure everyone gets to interact!). You can register for multiple events now, you will get reminders before the event.
