Services to groups

The Volunteer Centre Western Isles can offer assistance to any volunteer involving organisation - whether you are a small local group, a branch of a large national or a statutory organisation.

The Volunteer Centre does not have a 'membership' as such. Any volunteer involving organisation can be registered with us, just give us a call and answer a few simple questions. Except for training our services are free. Training is provided at the lowest possible cost (typically £5-15 a head) to allow as many groups as possible to access it.

Once registered you will receive an entry on VBay the National database of volunteering used in every Volunteer Centre across Scotland. If you wish we can also make your volunteering opportunities accessible to potential volunteers through the website www.volunteerscotland.org.uk.

You will also receive our quarterly newsletter and notification of any managers network meetings, events or training that we plan to hold.

Our office in Stornoway runs on a drop- in basis. You can call into the office at anytime and if we cannot help you there and
then, we will offer an appointment or refer you to the appropriate agency.

Training for Volunteer Managers

The Volunteer Centre Western Isles can offer the Volunteer Development Scotland Training Programme for volunteer managers plus information on other national training programmes and accreditation programmes for your volunteers. All learning opportunities are led by experienced facilitators and are aligned to quality standards in the management of volunteers, IIV and National Occupational Standards. Training events can be tailored to meet the needs of your organisation should you require places for a number of staff. Please contact Kirsty at the Stornoway office. Training is provided at the lowest possible cost (typically £5-15 a head) to allow as many groups as possible to access it. Concessions are available.

Publicity and recruitment

One of the most effective tools we can offer for the recruitment of Volunteers is VBay.

VBay is the database of volunteering opportunities used in our offices to match prospective volunteers to an appropriate organisation and opportunity. It is also linked to the national volunteering website www.volunteerscotland.org.uk  through which volunteers can find out about volunteering for your organisation without visiting the Volunteer Centre.

We are also happy to offer assistance with the writing of press releases, designing of posters and dealing with the media.
Organisations can also utilise the window display in our Stornoway office for publicity and we are always happy to include items in our quarterly newsletter.

We are very grateful to the Island Eye for their support and in particular the publishing of a regular volunteer promotion section. If you would like your orgaisation to be considered for inclusion in this feature please get in touch.

Advice, support and information

One of our main areas of work is the promotion of good practice in volunteer management. We have a wide range of information and expertise and will be pleased to advise you, provide you with policy templates and, if you wish, work with you to adapt them to suit your needs.

Volunteer Centre staff are available in offices throughout the island chain and are always willing to offer advice. Our resource library is open to all and if we can't lay our hands on the information you need we will help you find it. If you need an impartial ear or an outside point of view we would be happy to discuss any of your volunteering issues. Check out our quarterly newsletter for up to date information on volunteering policy, funding and much more.
 
Whether you need help with a recruitment campaign, advice on legal matters such as disclosure checks, someone to present an award to a volunteer, or just a point in the right direction give us a call. We also run a network meeting for volunteer managers, an opportunity to get together and discuss your achievements and problems with like-minded individuals.

Our new "Keep your Volunteers" Guide has proved popular with local organisations. Filled with hints and tips on how to achieve good practice it is filled with pictures of local volunteers. Contact us for a copy or visit our download page to download a pdf copy now.

Don’t forget to check our news pages for important updates on national policies and legislation.

WAVE award for Organisations

We now offer a new quality standard award for organisations who involve volunteers. The WAVE (Western Isles Award for Volunteering Excellence) is based on simple self assessment form which looks at an organisations policies and procedures for involving volunteers. Staff at the Volunteer Centre are on hand to help with the self assessment and provide support in meeting the ten standards. For the bigger organisations the WAVE can be used as a stepping stone to the more comprehensive Investors in Volunteers. The award is completely free and there are no charges for the support given by the Volunteer Centre.

For more information and a copy of the self assessment form visit our download page.

Recognition and reward

Keeping your volunteers is largely a matter of making them feel valued and important. When a person feels good about their job, paid or unpaid, they look forward to doing it.   Volunteers must get a sense of appreciation and reward for the work they do. This doesn't always need to be a grand gesture but we are here to help you with celebration events.

Data Protection

The Volunteer Centre Western Isles is registered with the Data Protection Agency. We operate a policy of strict confidentiality and only record and store information about you, with your permission.

We will not give out your contact details to organisations without your specific permission to do so.

References and Disclosures (Police Checks) for Volunteers

The Volunteer Centre does not request references or disclosures on potential volunteers that we may refer to an organisation. The Volunteer Centre will try it's best to match a potential volunteer to the requirements and skills needed by an organisation, to the benefit of both the organisation and the volunteer.

It is the responsibility of the organisation taking up the volunteer to ensure that they perform whatever checks are appropriate to the position of responsibility the volunteer is placed in. Disclosures are required for volunteers working regularly with children and vulnerable adults. We have extensive information on good practice in this area and are more than happy to help you if you are unsure. We can help you decide what is appropriate for volunteers in your organisation and if necessary, how to go about arranging disclosures through the Central Registered Body Scotland (CRBS).

We will take up two references for people who are on our 'One-Off' events register, as we realise that organisations sometimes need extra people at short notice for specific events, such as flag weeks.