The document outlines the significant role of volunteering in Scotland, particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic, highlighting its impact on community support and recovery. Volunteer Scotland aims to enhance volunteering participation through various initiatives, including addressing barriers for under-represented groups and fostering inclusive opportunities. Key functions include advocacy, leadership, managing standards, knowledge exchange, and safeguarding to ensure a safe and fulfilling volunteering experience.

1. Our Work

2. Context for our work
Volunteering has
been in our collective
consciousness for much
of last year
Volunteers and volunteer involving
organisations reacted admirably to the very
difficult and fast changing circumstances
of COVID-19. We saw the adaptation of
formal volunteering to online platforms, the
importance of mutual aid groups and, not
least, the selfless acts of individuals helping
their neighbours. There are thousands of
positive stories of support across Scotland.
Volunteering has
an important role
to play in the future
The pandemic has ‘opened many eyes’
to a much broader spectrum of volunteering
and its contribution to society; in particular,
its link to stronger and healthier communities.
We’ve no doubt that Volunteering is playing
a critical role in Scotland’s recovery, and it will
also help to achieve a more resilient society
in the longer term. Volunteering is also critical
to any notion of ‘well-being economy’.
Achieving our ambition
of ‘Volunteering for All’
The ‘Volunteering for All: national
framework’ clearly articulates the scale
of the challenges facing volunteering; this
includes the need to break down the barriers
for under-represented groups while cementing
the habit of volunteering as early as possible.
It is our local places and spaces that enable
volunteering; the pandemic has shown the
power of local and national collaboration.
Our recent intensity research indicates
a participation hurdle whereby
those facing the most barriers to
volunteering find it difficult to get
started, but once they do, they often
volunteer with more intensity than
others. Those facing the most barriers
also have the most to gain from regular
volunteering (especially in relation to
their physical and mental health).
To read more about this research,
click here
2 | Volunteer Scotland - Our Work

3. Our Mission
‘More people volunteering: enjoyably, safely and regularly.’
Volunteer Scotland believes that volunteering should be an enjoyable, rewarding and
fulfilling experience for the volunteer; that volunteers have the right to be safe and protected
in delivering their volunteering roles; and that to derive health and well-being benefits from
volunteering requires regular and meaningful contributions of time.
• Inclusive volunteering
There are diverse, quality, and inclusive
opportunities for everyone to get involved.
• Policy impact
Volunteering in all of its forms is integrated
and recognised in our lives and through local
and national policy.
• Community development
The places and spaces where we volunteer
are developed, supported, and sustained.
• Recognition and celebration
There is an environment and culture which
celebrates volunteers and volunteering and
all of its benefits.
• Lifelong engagement
Volunteering participation is valued, supported,
and enabled from the earliest possible age and
throughout life.
Our Values Our Strategic Outcomes
Our outcomes are aligned to the
Volunteering for All: national
framework, namely:
How I live
our values
‘Me’ Committed
to my work –
Participative
– Positive impact –
Constructive
How our team
live our values
‘We’ Teamwork –
Honesty – Celebrate
success –
Mutual respect
How others
experience
our values
‘Us’ Inclusive –
Finding solutions
– Supportive –
Community ethos
3 | Volunteer Scotland - Our Work

4. Our roles
Volunteer Scotland fulfils five key roles
in the delivery of our work
1. Voice and Advocacy
We provide a one-stop gateway for volunteers to find out about volunteering and to f
ind an
opportunity to volunteer from anywhere in Scotland. Through our communications and events,
we recognise volunteers’ value, tell their story and celebrate their impact. We know that some
parts of society face more barriers to volunteering. Through our policy work, we advocate on
behalf of these volunteers and improve volunteering nationally and internationally.
2. Leadership and Collaboration
We work closely with other volunteering stakeholders to agree the changes needed across our
sector to achieve ‘Volunteering for All’ and our mission of ‘more people volunteering: enjoyably,
safely and regularly’. We collaborate with international, national, and local stakeholders; including
policy makers, funders and practitioners in an informed way, often based on a shared philosophy -
Human Learning Systems - and a shared agenda.
The Role of Volunteering and Work
Volunteer Scotland in collaboration with the UK
Volunteering Forum (comprised of the 4 national
volunteering centres) and Volunteer Glasgow (VG)
are creating a joint ‘position’ on the role of volunteering
in relation to work/employability. Establishing a shared
position will have far-reaching consequences and be
informed by our work on a Volunteer Charter and VG-led
work providing guidance to the Department for Work and
Pensions staff around Work Capability Assessments.
The Volunteering Action Plan
We are working in collaboration with the Scottish
Government and partners to facilitate the development
and delivery of a Volunteering Action Plan for Scotland.
We support the Governance, Management and 5
Working Groups to learn, form relationships and
understand Human Learning Systems, all of which
will help build the action plan.
4 | Scotland’s Bid for the 27th IAVE World Volunteer Conference
4 | Volunteer Scotland - Our Work

5. Our roles continued
3. Experience and Standards
We manage two complementary national standards aimed at improving the experience
for volunteers through developing the volunteering practices of organisations. We work
with partners to offer Investing in Volunteers and the Volunteer Friendly Award to every
organisation in Scotland.
4. Evidence and Knowledge Exchange
We are the preeminent source of volunteering research in Scotland. We also act as a bridge
between those generating evidence on volunteering and those who can benefit most from
this evidence. We foster close working relationships with academia, research centres and the
Scottish Government and add value to key datasets such as the Scottish Household Survey.
Evidence Expos and seminars are used to engage our key partners and enhance knowledge
through collective learning.
5. Safeguarding
Through our Disclosure Services team we ensure that voluntary organisations make safer decisions
when they’re involving volunteers. We also make sure unsuitable people don’t volunteer with
vulnerable groups, including children.
The Volunteer Friendly Award
We believe the time is right for a ‘whole sector’ approach
to driving and maintaining quality standards. The Volunteer
Friendly Award is a user-friendly quality standard to
support, recognise and reward groups who are good at
involving volunteers. Many essential services in Scotland’s
communities are enhanced by volunteers. The Scottish
Government recognises that volunteering matters and
it’s all about new experiences, feeling good and making
a difference.
Mobilising Voluntary Action
Volunteer Scotland is a member of a UK-wide
research consortium which is investigating government
and non-government supported volunteer responses to
the COVID-19 crisis. The findings will help guide the UK
volunteer effort to support the national recovery and
preparedness for future crises.
mvain4.uk
5 | Volunteer Scotland - Our Work

6. Our Stakeholder Map
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7. Our leadership team
Volunteer Scotland is organised around a range of
functional areas, which enable us to deliver our roles
Volunteer
Practice
Led by Adrian Murtagh
Communications Events
Disclosure
Services
Led by Ewen McMartin
Research
and Evaluation
Led by Matthew Linning
Corporate
Services
Led by Kenneth Stirratt
Supporting national, local and community
volunteer involving organisations to improve
the effectiveness of volunteer practice.
Informing and engaging our key audiences,
including partners, volunteer involving
organisations and volunteers through
marketing communications. Organising
large-scale events and campaigns.
Deliver a cost-effective service for Disclosure
Scotland to minimize risk and help to ensure
safe volunteering practice for all concerned.
Underpinning an evidence-based approach
to support the development of volunteering
in Scotland. Our goal is to be at the forefront
of thought leadership to inform volunteering
policy and practice.
Partnerships
Led by Margaret Starkie
Engaging and influencing key
stakeholders. Building relationships
with funders and partners based on
shared agendas.
Finance, human resources, IT infrastructure,
property, and risk management.
Volunteer Scotland’s main activities and planned outputs for each of our core functions
are detailed in the Volunteer Scotland Work Programme 2021-2022.
CEO | Alan Stevenson
7 | Scotland’s Bid for the 27th IAVE World Volunteer Conference
7 | Volunteer Scotland - Our Work

8. Volunteer Scotland Logic Model
8 | Volunteer Scotland - Our Work

9. ©2021 Volunteer Development Scotland Ltd. (Also known as Volunteer Scotland) is a registered Scottish charity No. SC013740
Company limited by guarantee, registered in Scotland,
No. SC106743. Our registered Office is Jubilee House, Forthside Way, Stirling. FK8 1QZ.
volunteerscotland.net