The heart and soul of Volunteering Herts CIC are the people who dedicate their time and energy to volunteering and the organisations that provide opportunities for people to offer their help. We believe in the power of volunteering to change people’s lives.
About Us
Volunteering Herts CIC is a partnership of Hertfordshire based Volunteer Centres and University of Hertfordshire’s Student Union.
We are committed to supporting anyone to volunteer and developing excellent volunteering experiences in a range of settings. We are situated across the districts of Broxbourne, Dacorum, East Herts, Hertsmere, St Albans and Welwyn/Hatfield ensuring easily accessible locations as well as a firm foundation to reach out into neighbourhoods and provide services across Hertfordshire. Staff and volunteers of Volunteering Herts CIC recognise the importance of place, and we invite friends, neighbours and the community to make it your place for volunteering in Hertfordshire.
Staff and volunteers work together to build capacity, increase social capital and improve lives through volunteering and active citizenship.
Volunteering Herts CIC Partnership Organisations
What do Volunteer Centres do? – Centres have 6 core functions:
Professionalism
- Working to appropriate codes of practice and procedures.
Good Practice
- Providing information, advice and training to help volunteer-involving organisations develop volunteering opportunities, recruit and retain volunteers and deliver high quality services.
Brokerage
- Matching people interested in volunteering with local volunteering opportunities.
Developing and Marketing Volunteering
- Encouraging interest in volunteering using a variety of initiatives.
Vision and Strategy
- Networking at a local, regional and national level in the strategic development of volunteering.
Proactive Response to Policy
- Identifying and responding to proposals or legislation that may impact on volunteering.
Whilst word of mouth is an excellent way of recruiting volunteers, Volunteer Centres can often introduce “new blood”, or find people to fill particular skills gaps. This is important in ensuring a thriving Voluntary and Community Sector.
Hundreds of volunteer-involving organisations seek information and guidance on volunteer management issues from Volunteer Centres each year.
The network of district-based Volunteer Centres in Hertfordshire work in partnership to offer a range of services including:
- Helping people of all abilities, skills and interests find appropriate voluntary opportunities
- Advertising voluntary opportunities and running recruitment events
- Providing information, guidance and training in volunteer management
- Developing new opportunities for volunteering e.g. for employees and in sports
- Promoting a volunteer friendly culture by campaigning and lobbying
- Working with partners in all sectors to develop volunteering
Volunteer Centres are registered charities, either integrated with district based Councils for Voluntary Service, or independent.