# Two charities invest over £1 million in volunteering

- Link: https://fundraising.co.uk/2004/06/01/two-charities-invest-over-1-million-volunteering/
- Published: 2004-06-01T23:00:00+01:00
- Author: Howard Lake

RSPB has invested £500,000 in a Volunteer Management System and RNIB has received
£598,934 from the Community Fund to reorganise its volunteer management and expand
its regional volunteer development.
The RSPB’s new Volunteer Management System (
VMS) will give the the charity’s 12,000 volunteers an easier way to get involved
in

 

supporting wildlife conservation. Via the RSPB’s Web site, they will be able to 
match their own skills and preferences to the thousands of RSPB volunteering opportunities
available across the UK.

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Alan Murray, RSPB Volunteering Development Manager, said: “This is the biggest investment
in volunteering the RSPB has ever made”.

 

 

The RSPB estimates that volunteers contribute the equivalent of £3.7 million worth
of staff hours each year.

 

 

RNIB’s grant from the Community Fund’s Strategic Grants Programme will help the 
charity employ 10 regional volunteer managers. Working with other staff they will
help them to recruit, train and support volunteers as well as develop new volunteering
opportunities throughout the UK. RNIB currently has over 5,000 volunteers.

 

 

This is the largest ever Lottery grant received by RNIB, although it has now received
£4.2 million from the Lottery distributors.

 

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