Volunteering

Lincolnshire Community and Voluntary Partnership is keen to support you on your volunteering journey.

As a partnership, we deliver a nationally accredited Volunteer Centre Service, where you can receive support and advice on all aspects of volunteering, whether you are an individual, group or organisation.

Both Voluntary Centre Services and Lincolnshire Community and Voluntary Service hold the Volunteer Centre Quality Accreditation (VCQA).

This is the national quality mark for organisations that are registered as Volunteer Centres.

This means you can be assured that whether you are an individual wishing to volunteer, an organisation wanting support for your volunteers, an employer who supports employer supported volunteering or a funder or commissioner who can fund what we do, that we will provide a high quality and effective local service.

We champion volunteering as a force for positive action and as the only accredited Volunteer Centre in Lincolnshire, focusing on excellence and good practice.

We provide a brokerage service matching potential volunteers and volunteer involving organisations.

Depending on the area you live in Lincolnshire, you will either contact Voluntary Centre Services or Lincolnshire Voluntary and Community Service.

For West Lindsey, City of Lincoln and North Kesteven, contact Voluntary Centre Services. There are three offices located in Lincoln, Gainsborough and Sleaford.

For East Lindsey, Boston Borough, South Holland and South Kesteven, contact Lincolnshire Community and Voluntary Service. There are two offices located in Boston and Spalding.

Volunteering is choosing to do something for the benefit of others, or for your community or the environment, without being paid to do it. 

Volunteering is open to anyone, and can bring great personal rewards. We believe that everyone has a valuable contribution to make to society.

Volunteering is a great way to:

• Meet people
• Improve your health and wellbeing
• Gain experience
• Make a difference
• Do something you’re passionate about
• Fill some spare time
• Help people
• Get involved in your local community
• Try something new
• Enjoy yourself

If you are looking for something to do then there are lots of organisations that would appreciate your time.

Whatever your interest, we can find a volunteering role tailored to you. We are in regular contact with community groups and charities who are looking for people to support them in hundreds of ways.

If you are interested in volunteering, follow this link to our volunteering platform where you can browse, register and apply for the opportunities suitable to you.

Voluntary Centre Services also offer individual one-to-one volunteering appointments that can be booked with our team of Volunteer Advisers in Lincoln, North Kesteven and West Lindsey District areas.

To speak with an adviser in person, or by phone, you can use our online booking system.

There are lots of new and exciting opportunities being added to our database every day. You could befriend someone, be a treasurer, coach, first responder, wildlife or conservation volunteer.  There are so many possibilities.

Our volunteer advisers are here to help and can support you to identify suitable roles within your local community and get started with volunteering activities that you will find enjoyable and interesting.

Finding the right volunteering opportunity is easy, follow this link to our volunteering platform where you can browse, register and apply for the opportunities suitable to you.

If you would like support to navigate the volunteering platform or are unable to find a suitable opportunity or you would simply prefer to speak to one of our experienced team members about volunteering, please contact us.

You can either follow this link to book an appointment online to speak to our volunteer advisers, or select an office from the map below to view its contact information.

We would love to hear from young people aged from 16 to 25 who would like to become volunteers.

Through the highly successful 'vinvolved national youth volunteering scheme', there has been a strong focus on youth volunteering across the county in recent years.

The legacy of this work is a bespoke website, where you can find volunteering opportunities just for you.   Simply follow this link to the Vinspired website  or get in touch with your local office.

We would also like to hear from organisations that would be able to offer young people a volunteering opportunity.

Did you know that you can volunteer for just a few minutes, any time of the day or night & even do it in your pyjamas!

Take a look below at some of the microvolunteering opportunities you can do right now.

We can support your community group or voluntary organisation to recruit volunteers. Our volunteer brokerage service will help you to find suitable volunteers for your specific voluntary roles.

Our trained team can assist you with writing effective role descriptions and offer training on all aspects of volunteer management.

We work with organisations from all sectors to link potential volunteers with opportunities that match their interests and needs.

Your organisation can make use of our free service to advertise opportunities, and we can help you in recruiting new volunteers.

We offer a volunteering platform which is visible to the public and enables prospective volunteers to view and apply for volunteering opportunities. If you would like your opportunities to be advertised you must first register on the 'Volunteering Opportunities Platform', by clicking on the button below.  Then you will able to start uploading and advertising your own volunteering opportunities.

If you need help registering then please email our volunteer coordinator Abbi Taylor at abbi@voluntarycentreservices.org.uk

Our quick start guides will help you register your organisation and opportunities on our volunteering platform and show you how to manage your volunteering applications.

What is Employer Supported Volunteering?

ESV gives employees the opportunity to take part in volunteering activities during their working hours.

Organisations often have an ESV policy that will support employees to volunteer for a particular cause that is important to the individual themselves, that can be completed as a team-building activity or that particularly aligns with the values of the business.

Organisations have an impact on the communities within which they operate and ESV often fits in with an organisation’s corporate responsibility (CSR) or Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) strategy. ESV programmes can help to form a connection between companies, their employees and the wider community.

What are the benefits of ESV?

To the employer:

• ESV helps to build positive relationships with other voluntary, public or private sector organisations and the local community
• An opportunity for the organisation to demonstrate that they recognise their corporate social responsibility
• Employees learn new skills that they bring back to the workplace
• Staff attraction and retention – employers that offer ESV are attractive to potential employees
• Increased staff satisfaction, wellbeing and reduced sickness leave
• Professional development opportunities for staff
• Team building and stronger workplace relationships
• Supports to produce employee pride in where they work and increased employer brand awareness

To the employee:

• For many employees, an ESV programme enables them to get involved in volunteering activities when they wouldn’t otherwise have been able to
• The opportunity to learn and share new skills
• Enjoyment and increased wellbeing in the workplace
• The feeling that they are making a difference to their local community
• The opportunity to meet new people from different backgrounds
• A chance to increase their confidence and skills outside of the workplace
• An increased sense of pride and satisfaction within their role

To the communities that are being supported:

• Increased community cohesion and promotion of charitable activities
• Employees and businesses share their skills and time with the community
• Access to skilled workforce
• Helps to reduce costs of required activities

Examples of ESV Activities

Some ESV activities that you could get involved in could include:

• Litter picking at Boultham Park, Lincoln
• Events support and fundraising for Jerry Green Dog Rescue
• Whisby Nature Reserve – Numerous specific projects or more general help needed e.g. pathway weeding; tidy outdoor sink area; clear the compass and build a pizza oven; bench repairs; relocate sticks for den building
• Gardening projects e.g. Hykeham in Bloom, Old Wood Organic CIC

How can my organisation get involved with ESV?

For Employers:

If you are an employer and would like support in setting up a volunteering team challenge for your employees, simply fill out this Employer Supported Volunteering Enquiry form below

For local community groups, charities or CICs:

If you are a local VCSE organisation interested in hosting Employer Supported Volunteering activities, please contact a member of the Volunteering and Communities Team to discuss this further.

Guide for businesses:

You may also view and download our ESV guide for local businesses, which explains how a business can allow their employees to take time out for volunteering.  Volunteering can involve a whole range of activities suited to your employees. who will learn new skills and strengthen their confidence

What the Vision for Volunteering is

• The Vision is a ten-year collaborative project designed to create a better future for volunteering.
• A view of what volunteering could look like by 2032
• A collaborative, grass-roots focused project designed to help you think about what works and doesn't work for you

What the Vision for Volunteering is not

• A rigid structure to aspire to
• Something that is being imposed upon you

Why is the Vision needed?

• Volunteering currently isn’t accessible or equally enjoyable for everyone.
• We saw huge changes happen for volunteers and their activities during the Covid-19 pandemic, but not all of this was positive or permanent.
• We also see changing patterns in who volunteers, how and in what activities and roles.

The Vision for Volunteering tackles five key themes, which are:

1. Awareness and Appreciation

A future where a culture of volunteering is part of everyone's life and volunteer roles are given the recognition they deserve

2. Power

A future where volunteers (and the communities they serve) lead on change that matters to them.

3. Equity and Inclusion

A future where it’s easy for people to give their time and energy to the causes they care about, they feel welcomed, and the benefits are equally distributed.

4. Collaboration

A future where collaboration is natural and spontaneous, where people do great stuff together because they want to.

5. Experimentation

A future where communities aren't afraid to try new things to develop their own, innovative solutions to engaging and supporting volunteers.

What the above themes might mean for you will vary dependent on your position, whether you are someone in a paid role, someone who volunteers, be it formally or informally, someone who is part of the wider community and someone who might do a bit of everything.

For example, the Vision themes might have different layers of meaning to you. Some of themes might have multiple parts to it. The Power theme could refer to:

• The different levels of power in an organisation
• Or the potential power of volunteers to make social change
• Or the ability of people to engage with the communities they’re supporting and collaborating with

For more information follow this link to the Vision for Volunteering website. You can also subscribe to the Vision for Volunteering newsletter by clicking on the button below.

We promote your opportunities to potential volunteers face to face, at events and online.

Our volunteering platform is a free advertising service that enables you to reach a wide range of potential volunteers in a simple way. If someone is interested in your opportunities, we will notify you of their contact details and ask you to get in touch with them to take things further.

We do not ‘vet’ potential volunteers on your behalf, so you will need to carry out whatever recruitment and selection processes are appropriate for your work.

However, we can work with you to help you develop a recruitment process to suit your organisation and the work that volunteers do.

Volunteering opportunities involving work with children, young people or vulnerable adults may require the volunteer to undertake a criminal records check as one of the elements of the selection process.

It is the responsibility of the volunteer-involving organisation to undertake these checks in line with appropriate legislation.

For more information on our DBS service, follow the link to our Disclosure and Barring Service page.