Volunteering England National Convention

Transforming Passion into Power: Volunteering at the heart of social change 23-25 April 2008

There will be something for everyone at the volunteering convention of the year. If you are a volunteer manager, run a Volunteer Centre, work for a company with an interest in employer-supported volunteering or feel like a little fish with some big ideas about volunteering, then float on over to... the Volunteering England National Convention.

If you only attend one event in 2008 – make it this one. In one place, you will gain insight into the work of Volunteering England and of key organisations working in and with the third sector, enhancing your work to ensure that volunteering remains at the heart of social change.

Reasons why you should not miss out on this Convention:

Creativity on a budget: just because you don't have the cash does not mean you can't have a great campaign. Discover the design process for organisations that cannot afford big budget agencies. In this workshop Mike Marshall, Creative Director of eatsleepthink will demonstrate how to write a targeted brief, find the right designer and produce creative promotions without having to spend lots of cash.

Question time: a volunteering special involving a panel of politicians including Phil Hope MP, Minister for the Third Sector, who will answer your questions, alongside representatives from the Conservative and Liberal Democrat Parties, Greg Clark MP and Susan Kramer MP.

Ten reasons why your funding bid failed - the ‘do’s and don’ts’ of applying for funding – some suggestions for things to watch out for when putting together bids will be dealt with by Dennis Treleaven, Grants Manager, Volunteering England.

Patrons, Presidents and Personalities. Many charities are unsure how to approach high profile volunteers including celebrities. This session looks at where to find them, how to get them on board, how to make best of their involvement and key points in managing them and maintaining a relationship. This session will be delivered by Eileen Hammond, Hammond Associates.

Office of the Third Sector and Government's Volunteering Policy -Sarah Benioff, Deputy Director - Participation, will provide an overview of Office of the Third Sector work. The session will also focus on volunteering related policy and issues including support for v and youth volunteering, adult volunteering, work to overcome barriers to volunteering, volunteering in public services.

A workshop led by The Independent Safeguarding Authority - The way we vet volunteers will soon change. A new system is being created which will place legal duties on organisations to check whether or not people seeking to volunteer with vulnerable people have been barred from such work. A new body, the Independent Safeguarding Authority, will oversee this process. Learn about how the scheme will work, and what you need to do to prepare for it.

If these haven't whet your appetite, choose from a list of over seventy workshops in our extensive programme to ensure that the Volunteering England National Convention suits your requirements and interests.

As part of the workshop and seminar programme, there will be a wide range of sessions specifically designed for Volunteer Centres, where members will be able to learn about the latest developments, partnership working, working at regional and national levels, local area agreements and lots more.

Who will be attending?

The Convention will bring together a diverse range of delegates from all three sectors. We anticipate that volunteer managers from volunteer-involving organisations, charity representatives, Volunteer Centres and private sector companies with an interest in employer supported volunteering will find the workshops and speeches particularly relevant and useful.

Where is it being held?

Volunteering England is proud to be holding the Convention in the city of Newcastle, has transformed itself into one of Europe‘s most exciting places. It has convenient rail and road links and a number of low cost airlines fly into Newcastle Airport.

How to find accomodation

The Newcastle Gateshead Convention Bureau have taken the pain out of booking accommodation by providing an easy to use website just for Convention delegates. It enables you to check the availability and book rooms at a variety of hotels located nearby. For further information about the city, please click here.

How to get there

We hear that Jet2, a low-cost airline has cut their travel prices to Newcastle by 50%. To benefit, go to their website. Further information about how to travel to the Hilton Newcastle Gateshead can be found in the registration form.

The registration form is now available to download . If you have any further queries, email events@volunteeringengland.org or telephone 020 7520 8928.