Volunteer Manager Shortlist 2025

Elizabeth has made a remarkable impact at Aphasia Ireland through her leadership, organisation, and compassion. As the HR Manager, she oversees a team of eight volunteers, guiding them with professionalism, care, and a genuine commitment to the organisation’s mission of supporting people living with aphasia and their families. From the moment she joined, Elizabeth recognised the importance of understanding and supporting the people who make the organisation possible, its volunteers. She quickly took the initiative to run a full volunteer audit, ensuring that everyone’s roles, skills, and goals were clearly identified. This project brought greater structure and clarity across Aphasia Ireland, allowing teams to communicate more effectively and making it easier to match volunteers to tasks that suit their strengths. It was a significant step forward for a small organisation that relies entirely on volunteer effort, and her initiative has already improved both engagement and retention. She leads not through authority, but through example, by showing up, staying organised, and treating everyone with kindness and respect. “Volunteers feel heard, appreciated, and motivated to do their best because of the environment she has helped create,” writes her nominator.  

“At The Thomas Hayes Trust (Teac Tom), volunteers are at the heart of everything we do and Eilis Cody is the person who brings that heart to life,” writes Eilis’ nominator. Eilis manages a growing network of volunteers who support individuals and families affected by suicide and mental health challenges across Ireland. Since taking on this role, Eilis has completely transformed how we recruit, train and support volunteers. Thanks to her vision and leadership, Teac Tom’s volunteer capacity has grown by over 200% in 2025. This incredible increase means more people across the country can access vital support when they need it most. Eilis’ approach to volunteer management is warm, organised and person-centred. She understands that many volunteers come to Teac Tom because they’ve experienced loss or mental health struggles themselves. Eilis always takes time to listen, encourage and support them. Volunteers often say that her empathy and positivity keep them motivated and make them feel part of something truly meaningful. 

As the Community Volunteers Officer at DCVC, Enrique has transformed the Community Volunteers programme into a reliable, inclusive engine for Dublin’s civic life. Partners know that when Enrique’s crews arrive, queues shorten, information flows, and the whole experience feels safer and more welcoming. He broadened recruitment, welcoming migrants, students, older adults, and people returning to volunteering after breaks. He offers flexible shifts, buddying for first-timers, and quiet or seated roles so volunteers with different needs can contribute confidently. That diversity shows on site: volunteers reflect the city, and participants feel seen. Enrique collects feedback (“what helped,” “what to change”), logs incidents, and updates role cards accordingly. Volunteers see their suggestions show up at the next event and feel as important to the project as Enrique knows they are.  He also opens pathways to longer-term roles with local charities for those who want them, turning a one-off shift into sustained civic engagement. “Enrique builds community infrastructure,” writes his nominator, “He has turned a pool of goodwill into an organised, inclusive, and dependable force that Dublin can call on—at festivals, runs, vigils, parades, and sudden needs.“