Bursary Congratulations!

The Volunteer Development Agency was very pleased this year to be able to offer six bursaries to support volunteer-involving organisations towards the achievement of Investing in Volunteers.  The Lloyds TSB Foundation for Northern Ireland kindly provided this funding to widen the accessibility of the award.

We are deighted to announce that the following organisations have been successful in their bursary application and will be moving towards achievement of the Investing in Volunteers Standard.  They are:

• Whitecity Community Development Association;
• Off the Street Community Youth Initiative;
• Armagh & Dungannon Volunteer Centre;
• Lisburn Citizens Advice Bureau;
• Home-Start Antrim;
• The Educational Shakespeare Company Ltd.

By engaging with the Investing in Volunteers Standard, these organisations have taken their committment to quality a step further.  By being assessed against the standard, they will be able to publicly demonstrate the value they place in their volunteers and staff.  Achieving the standard will help to raise the organisation's profile in the local and wider community, which in turn will help the organisation be more attractive to potential volunteers and reassures funders that its money will be well spent.  We congratulate them on achieving their bursaries and look forward to working with them through the award process.

Investing in Volunteers is the UK quality standard for all organisations that involve volunteers in their work.  it is designed to help volunteer-involving organisations review and improve their volunteer management.  It is a nationally recognised award that allows organisations to publicly demonstrate and promote their commitment to volunteering.  The Volunteer Development Agency, the lead organisation for the promotion and development of volunteering in Northern Ireland, has responsibility for the local management and rollout of Investing in Volunteers.

If you are interested in achieving Investing in Volunteers for your organisation, we would be happy to answer any questions you may have.  Please contact Lizanne Frawley on lizanne@volunteering-ni.org or 028 9081 8308.