A time to say thanks

Here at Community First Yorkshire, we love volunteering! So, while we like to celebrate volunteers and volunteering all year round, we look forward to Volunteers’ Week as a special chance each year to celebrate the volunteers across North Yorkshire and the difference they make to charities and community groups here in North Yorkshire.

The theme for this year is ‘Celebrate and Inspire’, and Community First Yorkshire encourages people to get involved in volunteering in whatever way works for them.

Supporting the National Council for Voluntary Organisations (NCVO’s) call to ‘be the change that we want to see’; we are encouraging people to find roles on our Volunteering in North Yorkshire (VINY) directory.

Volunteers are at the heart of most of North Yorkshire’s charities and community groups, and whether you’re a charity or community group looking for volunteers, or you’re looking to volunteer yourself, we provide a range of services to help.

Get Inspired to Volunteer:

• A-Z guide to volunteering  A quick, fun guide to all things volunteering for you to download
• Get inspired by the contribution our local volunteers have made in previous years by reading our past blogs, including A time to say thanks, Saying thank you to your volunteers – especially, but not exclusively, during Volunteers Week and Volunteering into employment
• Hear straight from the horse’s mouth why people volunteer in our volunteering stories podcast series
• If you’d like to help inspire others by sharing your volunteering story via a blog or podcast, please contact marcomms@communityfirstyorkshire.org.uk
• Looking for volunteering roles? There are volunteering roles to suit everyone. Find your ideal opportunity in our Volunteering in North Yorkshire directory.

Here are just some of our tips and resources for Volunteer Involving Organisations:

• Volunteering charter. Pledge your commitment to good volunteer management by signing up to our charter
• Volunteer management toolkit. A guide to involving, supporting and celebrating volunteers
• Finding your volunteers. A look at the different ways to find the volunteers you need
• Volunteer management training. This series of four new for 2023 volunteer management training sessions provide the best practice in volunteer management (4 July, 6 July, 12 July, 18 July)
• If you’re responsible for supporting volunteers in your organisation, you may like to join our volunteer co-ordinator network or sign up to receive our newsletter
• Read our blogs and hear how volunteers in North Yorkshire are making a difference
• Listen to our Volunteering stories podcasts to hear first-hand why people volunteer
• If you work with young volunteers, you might like to have a look at this guide to what you should consider when involving young people in volunteering
• Five suggested elements for your volunteer thank you letter
• Read our new blog – 20 ways to make running a ‘Hybrid’ Volunteer Appreciation Event easier
• Make sure you book onto our next Volunteer Coordinator Network meeting on Thursday 15 June, which is themed around neurodiversity
• If you have a volunteering opportunity that you’d like to advertise, have a look at our Volunteering in North Yorkshire directory to advertise your role for free.

Whatever you’re doing, we’d love to share your #VolunteersWeek stories and celebrations across our social media. Don’t forget to tag us into your posts on Twitter or Facebook.

Further support for Volunteer Involving Organisations

New enquiries – if you need support with any aspect of volunteer management please complete a New Enquiry Form and one of our developments officer will be in touch to support you.

General info – for general information, guidance, templates, online training, and resources please visit our dedicated website, which includes 15 factsheets that cover many aspects of volunteer management e.g. recruitment, supervisions and template policies, etc.

If you have any further questions or need support with any aspect of volunteering, please do get in touch volunteersupport@communityfirstyorkshire.org.uk.