Reflections on volunteering at AVM

With 2024 drawing to a close, it feels like an opportune time to reflect and take stock, yet it doesn’t easily happen. Life quickly gets in the way as one thing after another crops up and we’re off dealing with them.

The same can go with recognising the contributions of others. At our conference back in October, one of our panel sessions was with a range of volunteers sharing their experiences of volunteering and volunteer managers. Something they raised was the impact knowing you were appreciated and respected could have. A small act of gratitude can go a long way.

Luckily, 5th December marks International Volunteers Day, a chance to recognise and celebrate the amazing contribution volunteers make and so I want to take the opportunity to reflect on this past year and thank everyone who has helped us. Have you taken the time to do this yet?

One of the things I love about Association of Volunteer Managers (AVM) is that our activities are for volunteer managers, by volunteer managers. Co-production is an important practice, the idea that those who use a service are best placed to help design it. We have a variety of different volunteer roles who plan and deliver different elements, and these are such a success because they’ve been created by the very audience in mind.

Our Events Planning Group plan, organise and deliver the range of public speaking events which are held throughout the year. 2024 saw us deliver events on micro-volunteering, digital skills and inclusion and difficult conversations. Our volunteers plan the learning objectives, find engaging speakers and host the event on the day. There is an enormous amount of work, skill and knowledge that goes into these events and are such an integral part of AVM’s offer. Over the past year we’ve developed a more consistent event programme and it’s all down to our brilliant volunteers that we continue to deliver high quality events.

In a similar vein, we have a Conference Planning Group. AVM’s annual conference has become one of the most renowned for volunteer managers and it’s because of our dedicated volunteers who bring it all together. For anyone who has organised conferences you’ll know it’s a huge undertaking. It might only be a 2-day event but the planning starts 11 months before. There’s feedback to consider, debates on format and timings, decisions on topics, speakers to book, briefings to happen then the conference itself before repeating the cycle all over again. Our conference is the highlight of our year and the insight, passion and professionalism our volunteers bring is what makes it so good.

Volunteering can utilise and develop various skill sets, from event planning and logistics to strategic thinking and leadership. The cornerstone of AVM is our Board of Directors, all of whom are volunteers themselves which can sometimes be overlooked. Our directors bring a wealth of experience and expertise to help drive the organisation forward by shaping the strategic direction, challenging ideas and making big decisions. Without the ambition and drive of our Directors, AVM would not exist.

Another way people can volunteer is through our mentoring programme. Twice a year we put a call out for people looking to be mentored and those who are willing to be a mentor. Mentoring is such a useful development practice and to have AVM members willingly step forward to support their fellow peers is wonderful. It’s quite a commitment yet from the feedback we’ve received over the years, a very worthwhile investment and one we’re continually indebted to.

Whilst we have well-established volunteer roles, we’re also trying to find different ways for people to be involved with AVM. We’re aware of the declining trends in volunteering in the UK and how lack of time is a key factor. A new role has been a Resource Planning Volunteer, who reviews and re-categorises our current online resources, identifies any gaps and then helps source or create resources to fill those gaps. This role is very much in its infancy but people have signed up, in part because of its flexibility. Volunteers can review our resources as and when it suits them. Creating an opportunity for people to be involved in a way that can work for them and for us has been really satisfying and I’m thrilled to have them on board.

Pausing and reflecting has highlighted the immense contribution that is made every single day by our dedicated volunteers. And it’s not just what they’ve done for AVM, it goes wider than that. They haven’t just enabled AVM to grow and develop, they have enabled a plethora of volunteer management professionals to grow and develop and effect change in their communities. That’s quite the legacy and one I am very grateful for.