Everton in the Community have been awarded the prestigious ‘Investors in Volunteers’ accreditation for the second time, and remains the country’s only club community organisation to receive the quality mark in recognition of its effective involvement of volunteers throughout the charity.
Investing in Volunteers is the UK quality standard for all organisations that use volunteers in their work, and it ensures that the charity’s volunteer management structure follows best practises. The IiV accreditation will assist Everton in the Community in demonstrating the effectiveness of its work with its loyal and committed team of volunteers, as well as showing them how much they are valued and instilling confidence in Everton in the Community’s ability to provide an outstanding volunteer experience.
Everton Football Club’s official charity was evaluated against six quality areas and demonstrated excellence in all aspects of working with volunteers. These quality areas evaluate how the programme manages the entire volunteer programme, from initial volunteer recruitment to volunteer processes and policies to volunteer retention, support, and recognition. The two-day assessment included meetings with senior charity staff, including EitC Sue Gregory and Chair of the Board of Trustees Sir John Jones, as well as 29 volunteers and assessors.
During the two-day process, assessors identified a number of strengths, including the impact that the charity’s volunteers have on their local community and beyond, the work done by Everton in the community to welcome and accommodate the needs of individual volunteers and ensure they are carefully matched to opportunities, and how volunteering is at the heart of the charity, with the programme underpinned by excellent organisation and communication.
Everton in the Community currently has nearly 200 active volunteers who perform a variety of diverse and essential roles for the charity on a weekly basis across more than half of its programmes, donating more than 6,000 hours of volunteer time annually and giving back to their local community. The charity’s volunteers also assist external organisations on a regular basis and have been instrumental in supporting new developments within the community, including The People’s Place, a purpose-built mental health facility, and its Digital Skills Lab.
Everton in the Community Volunteer Manager Katie Bramhall said:
“Volunteers are a huge part of our charity and without their selfless efforts, we wouldn’t be able to have the impact that we do. We are delighted to receive this prestigious award for a second time which recognises our ongoing commitment to volunteer improvement.
“We received some suggestions some development from our initial assessment in 2019 and we have incorporated all of these into our work and further enhanced our volunteer programme over the last four years including improving our policies and processes and introducing more regular communications and social activities.
“I’d like to thank everyone who played a part in the process for their time and also thank our volunteers for the unwavering dedication and loyalty that they give to Everton in the Community every week, helping to create the solid foundations that we currently have in place.”
The Chair of the awarding body, UK Volunteering Forum, said:
“UKVF is delighted to announce Everton in the Community’s successful achievement of this Award for a second time. They have demonstrated a real commitment to volunteering and proved that their volunteering management policies and procedures meet nationally recognised standards.”
For more information on volunteering with Everton in the Community visit their website here.
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