Volunteering in 2024 and Beyond: Inspire, Engage, Celebrate - Online conference

Inspire, engage, celebrate

Volunteers are an incredible asset to a charity. They give their time, effort, and skills to the charity they choose to support and are vital to its success. And for many charities, volunteers are the lifeline that enables them to continue to support their beneficiaries. But in order to add this value, volunteers must be utilised correctly, managed well and supported throughout. 

There is no doubt that volunteers do an incredible job but managing volunteers is often complex and can be extremely difficult sometimes. And finding the right volunteers for the right role can be hard.

Recent research has found that volunteering is worth around £324 billion a year, equating to almost 15 per cent of UK gross domestic product, so it is clear it is a huge part of our sector and something that needs to be managed well. 

A new DSC conference for 2024

This conference will look at many aspects of volunteer management, including how to recruit and retain volunteers, how to manage difficult situations effectively and explore what the future looks like for volunteering in the UK. 

You will hear from a range of speakers who are experts in volunteering. You will also be able to network with other volunteer managers to share advice and knowledge and talk about the issues you are facing at the moment when it comes to volunteering. We will also celebrate volunteers as we listen to their experiences of working with a charity.  

At the end of the day, we hope you will leave the event inspired and come away with practical advice, guidance and tips on how to manage volunteers effectively. 

Who should attend? 

This conference is for anyone currently working with volunteers to learn best practice, share knowledge and network with others doing a similar role. 

It’s also relevant for charities looking to take that first step into utilising volunteers to support their services and how to do this successfully. 

The conference is especially relevant for: 

• Volunteer Managers 
• Volunteer Leads 
• Anyone working closely with volunteers 

What’s included in the price? 

• Attendance to the online conference, keynote sessions, session talks and networking sessions 
• Access to all presentations and handouts 
• A printed copy of The Complete Volunteer Management Handbook  

Agenda

09.30 – 09.35: Welcome

09.35 – 10.00: Keynote: Inspire, engage and celebrate – Speaker: Rob Jackson, Director, Rob Jackson Consulting Ltd – Author and Volunteer Engagement Specialist.

10.00 – 10.45: How to recruit and train volunteers – Speaker: Chris Wade, Founder and Managing Director, Time for Impact.

• Overcoming challenges to recruitment
• How language is used in role descriptions to attract volunteers
• Recruiting diverse volunteers
• Empower and inspire your volunteers – how to train and induct volunteers

10.45 – 11.00: Break

11.00 – 11.45:  Retain, reward, recognise – Speaker:Alan Murray, Head of Volunteering and Employee Engagement, RSPB . Volunteers are an incredible asset to a charity when they are utilised right, supported and celebrated. This session explores tips to ensure you retain your fantastic volunteers and will cover:

• Creating the foundation – building relationships
• Volunteer wellbeing
• Ways to reward and recognise achievements

11.45 – 12.30:  Challenges of managing volunteers and how to overcome them. Speaker: Ruth Leonard, Head of Volunteering Development and Operations at Macmillan Cancer Support and Chair of the Association of Volunteer Managers.

12.30 – 13.15:  Lunch

13.15 – 14.35: Inspire and celebrate case studies.  Hear from two volunteer managers who have been there and done it. Speaker: Sally Munday, Volunteering Development Manager, Home-Start UK and Frowynke Siegers, Volunteer Development Manager, Community Development Practice Coordinator, Refugee Council UK.

14.35 – 14.45:  Break

14.45 – 15.30:  Collaboration and communities. This panel discussion will look at why volunteering is so vital to our society and how to ensure a fully inclusive, equal and diverse environment. You will also explore the importance of collaboration with other charities and when this might be needed. Speaker: Jon Knight, Chief Executive, /Together.

15.30 – 16.00:  An opportunity to help the sector. In this session, delegates will be split out into breakout rooms to discuss learnings and look at what help the sector needs when it comes to volunteering.

16.00 – 16.30:  Closing keynote – The future of volunteering. This closing keynote will explore the future of volunteering, with a particular focus on how to navigate these uncertain and challenging times. Speaker: Catherine Johnstone, CEO, Royal Voluntary Service.

Check out speaker biographies here.

Download and share the agenda here (note full session descriptions coming soon).

Find out more about our event sponsor

Rosterfy is delighted to support DSC and their Volunteering in 2024 event. By sharing ideas, collaborating and celebrating each other’s successes we can encourage more people to support causes they care passionately about. That’s at the heart of our own organisation as we offer charities a way to not just manage volunteers at scale but create a lasting and sustainable difference to people’s lives. Find out more.

Early bird booking has closed.

Regular prices from Tuesday 2 April

• Band A: £145
• Band B: £155
• Band C: £175