Centre of Excellence for Volunteering

Sport relies on volunteers. So it is in sport's interest to make sure that volunteers are recognised, valued, and supported.

Sport England's Centre of Excellence for Volunteering works with a range of funded partners and programmes to give national governing bodies ( NGBs ) the help and information they need to develop volunteering strategies as part of their whole sport plans.

Our mix of skills and expertise will help  NGBs understand any potential volunteer opportunities and elements within your strategic direction and align them to your operations gaining support at the higheset levels, including the Board and CEO.

We can help NGBs identify interventions that depend on volunteers, develop and implement volunteer strategies (whether the strategy is brand new, in need of revision or already in existance). We can help NGBs and other bodies put together volunteer pathways that get young people involved in volunteering, retaining their involvement as they move into adulthood, and engaging with new adult volunteers.

We recognise that one size doesn't fit all and can offer tailored support - our services include:

Supporting you in recruiting and deploying volunteers

• Priority groups
• Recruiting volunteers with specific skills
• Recruiting volunteers from outside your sport
• Responding to lifestyle trends – time specific volunteering, rotational volunteering, project based volunteering, volunteering from home etc
• Increasing the variety of volunteering roles for young people and adults
• Making volunteering attractive to different target markets

Helping you to develop strategies to retain your volunteers

• Establishing baseline numbers
• Building retention into volunteer strategies
• Best Practice in retention
• Utilising volunteer co-ordinators in NGBs/clubs
• Engaging young adult volunteers as they move to university

Sharing best practice and supporting you in developing strategies to recognise, reward and motivate your volunteers

• Understanding peoples' motivations for volunteering
• Effective reward and recognition measures
• Volunteering accreditation schemes
• Guidance on best practice
• Celebrating your good practice in volunteering

Developing your volunteers (in partnership with SkillsActive)

• Clarifying and brokering support from the most appropriate partners
• Identifying skill sets for volunteer roles and matching them to your volunteer workforce
• Identify training needs
• Clarify sector support and roles and responsibilities - for example, National Occupations Standards for volunteering
• Identifying financial support for volunteer courses

Managing and communicating with your volunteers

• Training for new staff
• Supporting the development of a tracking system
• Improving the profile of volunteering
• Highlighting the value of volunteers
• Consulting with your volunteer workforce
• Enhancing volunteer communication

Supporting your volunteers and club development (with runningsports)

• Signposting ‘ready to adopt and adapt’ support resources
• Brokering bespoke needs from runningsports
• Sharing best practice across sports
• Club development resources

Partners and opportunities

• Capitalising on London 2012 in terms of volunteering
• 'Games Inspired' volunteering programme
• 2011 European Year of Voluntary Activities
• The Big Society – policy and legislative update and positioning
• Sports Volunteer Research Network
• 'Sport’s Strategic Partnership for Volunteering'

Children and young people, further and higher education volunteering

• Children and young people, further and higher education volunteering (Sport England has dedicated teams working in these areas)
• Recruiting young volunteers in community sport (Leadership and Volunteering/Step into Sport)
• Retaining young volunteers - leading into adult volunteering
• Developing sports volunteering pathways
• Working with higher and further education sports volunteering