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If you are a Knowsley based organisation which currently manages volunteers, or if you are looking to recruit volunteers, KCVS Volunteer Centre can support you with recruiting, developing and retaining your volunteers. We can work with organisations from all sectors, whether it is public, private, voluntary or community. We also offer best practice advice on all aspects of working with volunteers.

To qualify for support, you will need to register with us by completing a registration form.

What we offer to support Volunteer Involving Organisations

Brokerage Service
Our internal database has more than 1200 Knowsley or Merseyside-based volunteering opportunities. It is linked to the national Do-it website where prospective volunteers can filter their search by geographical area, type of volunteering and area of interest, and specify their skills and availability.
Volunteers come to us through email enquiries, face to face scheduled interviews or through our drop-in service. We assist them by matching them up with the right opportunities. Once you register all of your volunteering opportunities with us you will increase the numbers of people who become aware of your opportunities and your organisation.

One-to-One Advice and Organisational Site Visits
If you want advice on improving the way you manage and recruit your volunteers, or support with implementing a volunteer programme, we can offer one-to-one support over the phone, in person or via email.
Once you are registered with us one of our staff can come out and visit your organisation to discuss your volunteer needs in more detail if required.

Promoting your volunteer opportunities
We offer a confidential appointment service for people interested in volunteering where we can recommend your opportunity if it matches their interests.
We will also publicise your opportunities through Do-it, the national volunteering website (www.do-it.org.uk.) 
If you are co-ordinating a volunteer drive or campaign, we can promote this via the fortnightly KCVS e-bulletin and bi-monthly ‘Voluntary News’ newsletter which is distributed to all organisations on our database. We also circulate any relevant information and news about local volunteering issues and national government policies concerning volunteering.

Employer Supported Volunteering (ESV)
ESV is often implemented as part of an organisation's Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) Policy. Organisations usually operate an ESV scheme in one or more of the following ways:

  • Employees are given more flexibility from their employer and encouraged to engage in volunteering in their own time (e.g. through a sabbatical or flexible working)
  • The employer organises volunteering activities for chosen good causes, perhaps organising a drive or campaign,and allow employees a set number of paid hours per year to volunteer
  • Employers enable employees to give their time and skills to voluntary and community organisations on a 'pro-bono' basis, for instance, consultation or assistance with adminstration

If your organisation is interested in implementing an ESV scheme then please get in touch and we can help guide you through the process. If you are already operating an ESV scheme, we would love to hear from you.

Advice on Good Practice
We can support you with managing your volunteers and help you ensure that all your policies and procedures are relevant and in line with best practice. We can also advise on quality assurance systems and signpost to relevant training.

Volunteer Managers Forum
KCVS Volunteer Centre co-ordinates a forum for staff across all sectors, public, private and voluntary, who recruit and manage volunteers. It is an informal network where Volunteer Managers can discuss strategy, quality assurance, policies, share ideas and resources and identify new opportunities.
The Forum meets quarterly. Please get in touch with us if you would like more information.

To register or to discuss your needs in more detail, please telephone us on 0151 489 1222 and ask to speak to our Volunteer Support Officer, Stephen Dunn. You can also email us on volunteercentre@knowsleycvs.org.