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Nina Arwitz
Chief Executive Officer
Nina joined Volunteer Ireland in November 2014. Her background is in the environmental non-profit sector where she focused on social inclusion, engaging new audiences and volunteering; as well as fundraising, campaigning and strategic development. Nina is responsible for the overall strategic direction of Volunteer Ireland, and ensuring that we deliver our mission to promote the value of volunteering and increase the range and quality of volunteering in Ireland. She works to secure diverse funding, implement good governance practices and ensure that Volunteer Ireland is an effective and efficient organisation. Nina also represents Volunteer Ireland externally to raise the profile of volunteering, works with the public sector to emphasise the importance of volunteering in delivering the government’s strategic priorities, develops partnerships and explores new opportunities for growth and innovation in order to maximise our impact.
Amy joined Volunteer Ireland in August 2015 as Communications and Advocacy Officer and was promoted to the role of Manager in December 2018. Amy’s role involves managing Volunteer Ireland’s internal and external communications and supporting the organisation’s policy initiatives and events through awareness campaigns. Amy promotes Volunteer Ireland and volunteering through media relations, marketing, social media and online communications including coordinating Volunteer Ireland’s public awareness campaign for volunteering, ‘National Volunteering Week’ – overseeing all PR and marketing activity for the event. Amy also coordinates Volunteer Ireland’s policy and advocacy projects.
Emma began working with Volunteer Ireland in September 2014 and was promoted to Operations and Development Manager in April 2015. As an experienced Account Administrator and Sales Coordinator, Emma gained experience and knowledge of the corporate world in Ireland, Canada and the United States. Emma first became involved in volunteering through Gaisce – The President’s Award, and has spent time volunteering for charities in Ireland and at a community level. Emma’s role as Operations and Development Manager involves supporting and assisting the CEO in delivering the strategic direction of Volunteer Ireland and supporting the team in Finance, HR and IT. Emma is also involved in administering I-VOL; the national database of Irish volunteering opportunities and listings.
Terri is the longest serving member of staff in the organisation and has worked in a variety of roles throughout her time here. She currently manages our Corporate Volunteering Programme where she provides networking opportunities and supports to companies in relation to Employee Volunteering. She also manages our corporate service programmes including Team Impact Days, our Business Advice professional skills share programme and our Corporate Volunteering Calendar. She oversees a number of other programme areas including our National Volunteer Management Conference, the Volunteer Ireland Awards and the Quality Standards programme for affiliate Volunteer Centres.
Stuart joined Volunteer Ireland in July 2014 and manages the National Volunteer Management & Leadership Training Programme. Stuart works to build the capacity of volunteer involving organisations to run quality volunteer programmes. His experience spans over 26 years working in the NFP sector. He has direct extensive volunteer management experience with managing volunteer teams and worked as a Volunteer Manager for a national homeless charity. Stuart leads our Erasmus+ EU programmes focusing on a variety of volunteer engagement topics. He is a lead trainer in the use of Volunteer Impact Assessment. He holds qualifications in Volunteer Management & Leadership, Teaching & Learning, Event Management, Human Resource Management, First Line Management and Health, Safety & Welfare.
Paul joined Volunteer Ireland (VI) in March 2015 as Outcome & Impacts manager. Paul’s background includes, working in the food industry, sport and quality management/assurance across a number of sectors. His role involves supporting Volunteer Centres (VCs) on all aspects of the Quality Standards Framework to embed a culture of continuous quality improvement across the national network VCs. He has a lead role in developing and maintaining VIs internal quality management system, research projects and VC support, including acting as chairperson for the Volunteering Infrastructure Quality Committee. He has been involved in volunteering for over 30 years in a variety of roles, with the highlight being a volunteer role at the Special Olympics world summer games in 2003.
Zsé joined Volunteer Ireland in November 2019 as Volunteer Centre Development Manager and took up the role of Volunteering Development Programme Manager in 2023. Her role involves the programme development and delivery of actions 1, 13, 25, 27 and 53 of the National Volunteering Strategy. Most of these actions focus on developing a fresh ground where flexible and diverse volunteering can grow; where everyone can find a way to get involved in volunteering and feel safe and rewarded doing so.
Zsé brings extensive experience in facilitating diverse networks and in managing volunteers. She has a background in volunteer management training and consultancy, which she practised in Ireland, her native Hungary, and many other European countries. She also has practical skills in governance which she developed through working with Volunteer Centres and internally in Volunteer Ireland.
Zsé is passionate about volunteering and sustainable volunteer management. She is a Blood Bikes East volunteer and also volunteers with motorcycle trial clubs at their Dublin and Wicklow events.
Darren joined Volunteer Ireland as a Corporate Accounts Officer in September 2016. His role involves supporting and engaging corporate employees through organising Team Impact Days; where corporate employees are matched with a non-profit organisation project to deliver one-off practical volunteering. Darren has a background in IT but made the transition into the not-for-profit sector in 2013 by volunteering with his Local Employment Service. He has since worked with other not-for-profit organisations as a volunteer and project manager.
Niamh joined Volunteer Ireland in November 2022 as the Volunteer Network Support Officer (Maternity Cover) where she provides support and coordination to the national volunteer infrastructure network. Niamh’s professional background is mainly in the non-profit sector, working as a Volunteer Manager in Our Lady’s Hospice and Care Services for many years, in addition to other non-profits (Down Syndrome Ireland, Special Olympics Ireland). She has recently spent time with her family which enabled her to volunteer and be an active member of her local community organisation and schools’parents’ association. In recent years, she has been volunteering with Saint Josephs, Shankill which is solely dedicated to those living with Dementia. She established, and continues to present with other Schools Ambassador Volunteers,aDementia Programme for Transition Year Students both online and in person in South Dublin and County Wicklow over the last three years. The aim of this initiative is to bring a better understanding of Dementia to young people to make local communitiesmore welcoming and inclusive places for everyone.
Lucie joined Volunteer Ireland in January 2021 as the Programmes and Events Officer. Her role is to develop, plan, and manage both the National Volunteer Management Conference and the Volunteer Ireland Awards. She also supports the planning and delivery of corporate programmes including Team Impact Days and Business Advice sessions.
Before joining Volunteer Ireland, Lucie worked within the film industry in her native France and became involved with the not-for-profit sector while working for festivals in Australia and the UK where she coordinated events, oversaw festivals’ logistics and managed volunteers as part of her different roles.
Vicki is the Community Volunteers Programme Manager with Volunteer Ireland. She previously held the position of Learning and Capacity Building Officer where she supported volunteer involving organisations in all aspects of volunteer engagement through training and capacity building. She has also worked in a local Volunteer Centre and supported volunteers for a number of years in both ALONE and the Irish Wheelchair Association. Vicki has extensive experience in all aspects of training including the design, development and execution of training courses.
She has enjoyed many different volunteer roles over the years and is currently a support line volunteer with Aware and enjoys a bit of beach cleaning when she can.
Vicki’s education includes an HDip in Applied Social Studies, a Diploma in Psychology and Criminology, and Certificates in both Addiction Studies and most recently, Building Capacity and Enhancing Leadership in Intercultural Understanding and Diversity.
Amy joined Volunteer Ireland in February 2022 as Corporate Partnership Officer. Her role involves supporting and engaging corporate employees through organising large scale volunteering projects; where corporate employees are matched with a non-profit organisation project to deliver one-off practical volunteering. Amy has worked in the non-profit sector since 2011, leading a small team in a busy Community Centre and she continues to volunteer with her local youth club. Amy is passionate about the importance of volunteering and the part it plays in in local grass roots community organisations.
Ana joined Volunteer Ireland in March 2022 as a Finance Officer. Her main role is to look after the finances of the organization, following all procedures in place and keeping the stakeholders informed in a timely manner. She has a background in accounting and auditing in her native Barcelona. In Ireland she is enrolled with different NGO’s and loves volunteering with refugees’ organizations.
Zita joined Volunteer Ireland in April 2022 as Communications Officer.
She has a professional background in non-profit public relations and digital communications. Zita is passionate about creatively communicating the values, goals, and stories of charities and non-profits. She has experience volunteering with community groups, arts organisations, and social justice campaigns.
Zita leads on Volunteer Ireland’s digital output, promoting and supporting Volunteer Ireland’s work, and celebrating volunteering through social media. She also supports Volunteer Ireland’s other communications outputs including flagship campaigns National Volunteering Week and the Volunteer Ireland Awards.