Volunteer Managers in charities and voluntary organisations may be in a paid role or may themselves be volunteers. They do a great job recruiting and supporting volunteers, but very often they are unsupported in their own role.
So VANEL created the Volunteer Managers Network (VMN) in order to bring Volunteer Managers together to collectively support each other, get advice and support, and to be part of a small community of those in key roles supporting other volunteers.
Meetings for the past few years have been on Zoom so that we take as little time out of everyone’s busy days as necessary. The sessions are every couple of months and often are no more than an hour.
Members share their volunteer news and updates so we’re all informed and able to help each other. We share latest news and advice about volunteer management, and members ask questions, seek advice and support and generally we share best practices. Annually we collectively decide how to participate in national Volunteers Week, and often we look at projects and initiatives that can help each other.
Our network is made up of organisations large and small – everyone can network with each other and learn from others.
VMN online meetings are open to all organisations who are part of our Volunteer Development Service (VDS).
If you’re interested please speak to Liz at VANEL.
Some Volunteer Managers can gain even further support by joining the national Association of Volunteer Managers (see https://volunteermanagers.org.uk). The VANEL VMN does not seek to replace the range of training and advice that service can offer, but we are your local way in to connecting to other like-minded managers in similar roles to you.
