There are some things that sit on your ‘to-do’ list for weeks, maybe even months. Things that you really want to do but just never get around to actually doing. It might be starting a new hobby, signing yourself up to that dreaded half marathon or volunteering for a good cause (this may or may not reflect my own to do list!). We often come up with reasons to put things off: ‘I don’t have enough time’, ‘there’s nothing that interests me’, ‘that opportunity clashes with another commitment’ – there’s always a ‘good’ reason.
This Volunteers’ Week the Scottish Volunteering Forum are hoping to encourage all those with ‘volunteering’ on their to-do list, to take action and sign up to volunteer (and those who haven't quite got around to adding it to their to-do list). This year’s theme is Volunteering for All and throughout the week (1st – 7th June) a range of volunteer case studies will be featured showing that volunteering is for everyone and there is no ‘good’ reason to not get involved!
There are thousands of volunteer opportunities available across Scotland, from opportunities in the local community to online. There are opportunities that require different time commitments from weekly volunteering to activities that can be done on an ad-hoc basis, like at an event. We want to showcase these opportunities and the people that are doing them during Volunteers’ Week, to show that volunteering is for everyone.
With the theme launched, now is the time to get involved and start planning your organisations involvement – what case studies do you have to highlight the theme? What opportunities can you promote to showcase the diverse range your organisation has to offer? How will you thank your existing volunteers? Will you be holding a celebration event (if so,
make sure you add your event to the Volunteer Scotland website)?
If you have a case study that encapsulates the theme ‘Volunteering for all’, we’d love to hear from you. We’re putting together some case studies to pitch to the media and would like to collect a broad range of case studies that covers rural, online, trustee, ad-hoc, micro-volunteering and accessible opportunities – to name a few. Although we won't be able to feature all stories, we will be encouraging those who aren't featured to
share their stories on Good HQ so that their stories can be shared across social media to help raise awareness of the theme and your organisation during Volunteers’ Week. Get in touch by e-mailing
lauren.pluss@scvo.scot .
Don’t let planning your organisations involvement in Volunteers’ Week sit on your to-do list for too long. Make the most of the week by starting to plan today! There are
lots of great resources available to give you inspiration. So get planning,
sign up to be a Volunteers’ Week partner, join the Thunderclap and start using
#VolunteersWeekScot to promote your involvement. The Scottish Volunteering Forum are looking forward to hearing how you’re going to get involved!
PS – you’ll be pleased to know that volunteering is no longer on my to-do list – I’m now a proud Mealmakers volunteer! The half marathon however, is still firmly on there…
Last modified on 24 January 2020
