It was a proud moment for me to present, this week, the very first recipient of the new quality standard, Lead Volunteering Organisation (LVO), to the very deserving Community CVS who serve the area of Blackburn and Darwen.
The LVO is a new quality standard for modern volunteer infrastructure organisations who want to demonstrate to funders, stakeholders, partners and beneficiaries the important role they place in leading volunteering in the area they operate. It has been created by not-for-profit Works4U who are also launching a quality standard for businesses, Employee Volunteering Accreditation (EVA).
As someone who manages two volunteer infrastructure organisations in London, I have been frustrated for many years that there has not been a quality standard that meets all my needs. I want a quality standard that:
- would genuinely impress funders and I could show it off to partners and beneficiaries
- was exclusive for my area, meaning no other organisation than mine could hold it
- would allow me to adopt whatever brand I chose for my organisation
- was affordable and value for money
- was flexible, recognising that there is not one single model of what volunteer infrastructure is
- had robust assessment processes but was not too onerous a task to carry out
- would be supported by an organisation who genuinely wants to see my and other volunteer infrastructure organisations be successful and recognised for the great work they do with little resources
Well, this now exists with Lead Volunteering Organisation (LVO). This is what I wanted for my organisations and so it seems many others do as well. Quite a few organisations are going the assessment and moderation process at the moment, but the first to complete and achieve the award is Community CVS.
Community CVS, set up in 1986, exists to promote, develop and support voluntary and community action in the Borough of Blackburn with Darwen and across Lancashire. It is committed to delivering its services to organisations and residents to the highest of standards and to help demonstrate that it applied to be assessed for LVO to clearly show its role in leading and developing volunteering.
Kate Lee, Volunteering Manager from Community CVS stated, ‘We are proud to have obtained the new LVO quality standard for developing and leading volunteering in Blackburn with Darwen. We have over 20 years of experience and knowledge of supporting volunteering, and this award provides assurance of our ability to mobilise volunteers, connect people to where they are most needed in their neighbourhood, support new groups to get everything they need in place to involve volunteers, and improve the quality of the volunteering experience for all in Blackburn with Darwen.’
Community CVS CEO Garth Hodgkinson said, ‘Achieving the LVO Quality Mark demonstrates the quality of our work in leading and developing volunteering in the borough. It shines a spotlight on our knowledge and connection with the voluntary and community sector in Blackburn with Darwen and our key role in connecting people together, to communities working together to tackle adversity, and on our development of strong partnerships with Blackburn with Darwen Borough Council, NHS and other key strategic partners. Community CVS will continue to deliver high quality services to help grow resilient communities and enable them to thrive– something we need now more than ever.’
Cllr Julie Gunn, Deputy Leader of Blackburn with Darwen Council, said, ‘In Blackburn with Darwen, we are incredibly lucky to have a wealth of people who give their time freely as volunteers to help others. The role of Community CVS is vital in connecting volunteers to the right opportunities to truly make a difference. I am pleased and proud that Community CVS has been recognised in this way. I’m delighted especially that Community CVS being the first organisation nationally to gain the LVO Award puts the borough on the map as a place where volunteering truly matters and thrives.’
Works4U’s recent report ‘Monetary Value of Charity Trustees‘ shows that the economic value of all volunteering is £324 billion, far higher than has been previously considered. This means the role of volunteer infrastructure organisations to lead and develop volunteering in the area they operate is far more important than has been realised before. It is hoped that the LVO Quality Standard will help volunteer infrastructure organisations demonstrate their important role to decision makers.
To find out more about LVO you can can download the overview from the Works4U website or view here.
Dominic Pinkney's World of Volunteering 