Charities Urged To Have Their Say Into Review Of Standards For Fundraisers And The Management Of Volunteers

Howard Lake | 9 May 2007 | Newswire

The UK Workforce Hub is today announcing new funding from the Sector Skills Development Agency to carry out a review and redevelopment of the National Occupational Standards (NOS) for Fundraising and Management of Volunteers.
Alongside the funding announcement, the UK Workforce Hub are calling for voluntary and community organisations to engage in the NOS review process and give their views.
National Occupational Standards (NOS) set out the skills, knowledge and understanding needed to undertake a particular task or job to a nationally recognised level of competence.
The review is urgently needed as the standards, first approved in mid 2003, need to be updated to ensure that voluntary and community organisations can base their work on up-to-date standards and competencies.
The UK Workforce Hub will be working with the Institute of Fundraising on the review of the Fundraising NOS. This will enable the Hub to engage a broad spectrum of fundraisers, which will contribute to a relevant and accessible set of standards.
Members of the newly-formed NOS steering group include Chair, Tim Hunter and Linda Laurance, Deputy Chair. Tim Hunter is Deputy Director Fundraising at the NSPCC whilst Linda Laurance has held a wide variety of posts both at national and international level, and is currently serving as a Trustee of the Directory of Social Change.
Janet Fleming, Head of the UK Workforce Hub said:
This review into NOS will enable the UK Workforce Hub to learn how the NOS are used, how they contribute to organisations and what the challenges are in using them.
It is essential that NOS are embedded into the recruitment and selection and training and development practice across the UK-wide voluntary and community sector in order to improve the skills of paid staff, volunteers and trustees.”
Carrick Allison, Director of Professional Development, Institute of Fundraising said:
“The launch of the steering group to review National Occupational Standards for Fundraising, with Tim Hunter, Deputy Director of Fundraising at the NSPCC as Chair, marks the beginning of a very important period for the fundraising profession.
This is a golden opportunity for the profession to have direct input into a key document that will greatly assist the future development of fundraising standards throughout the United Kingdom”
To take part in the review, go visit http://www.ukworkforcehub.org.uk/fundraisingnos http://www.ukworkforcehub.org.uk/fundraisingnos
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Notes to editors
For more information please contact Elise Cross, Media Officer at NCVO, at el*********@nc******.uk or 020 7520 2469 or Diana Mackie, Press Officer at the Institute of Fundraising, at Di****@in**********************.uk or 0207 840 1027
· The Workforce Hub works with key stakeholders across the UK to produce relevant promotional materials and learning programmes to raise awareness and support the implementation of NOS ‘on the ground’. The Hub also works with the education regulatory authorities and awarding bodies to ensure the development of robust and relevant qualifications for the sector.
· The UK Workforce Hub aims to lead and facilitate action that makes it easier for voluntary and community organisations to: be great places to work; be better employers; and embrace a culture of learning and development. It also promotes the sector as a positive career choice.
· The hub is hosted and managed by The National Council for Voluntary Organisations, NCVO, in England, and by its sister councils in Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland.
· The UK Workforce Hub provides information, resources and signposting to:
1. Encourage more people to come and work or volunteer in the sector
2. Ensure people in the sector can develop the skills they need to do their jobs well
3. Encourage and support organisations to be better employers
4. Enable people to develop leadership and management skills.
For more information, visit www.ukworkforcehub.org.uk or phone 0800 652 5737.
· There are six national hubs of expertise: Finance, Governance, ICT, Performance, Workforce and Volunteering. The hubs are part of ChangeUp, the Capacity Building* and Infrastructure Framework for the Voluntary and Community sector, published by the Active Community Unit in June 2004. ChangeUp’s aim is that by 2014 the needs of frontline voluntary and community organisations will be met by support which is available nationwide, structured for maximum efficiency, offering excellent provision, accessible to all, truly reflecting and promoting diversity, and sustainably funded. ChangeUp describes the basic architecture of support which frontline organisations need. For more information please go to www.capacitybuilders.org.uk or call 0121 237 5100
· The National Council for Voluntary Organisations (NCVO) is the umbrella body for the voluntary sector in England, with sister councils in Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. NCVO has a growing membership of over 5,000 voluntary organisations, ranging from large national bodies to community groups, volunteer bureaux, and development agencies working at a local level. For more information please visit www.ncvo-vol.org.uk
* Capacity building is about ensuring that organisations have the skills, knowledge, structures and resources to realise their full potential.
‘Working For A Charity’ promotes the sector as a positive career choice and runs courses for people interested in transferring their skills to the voluntary and community sector. Visit www.workingforacharity.org.uk for more information.
The Institute of Fundraising (www.institute-of-fundraising.org.uk) represents fundraisers and fundraising throughout the UK and is committed to the highest standards in fundraising management and practice. The Institute of Fundraising is the largest individual representative body in the voluntary sector with 4350 Individual members and 250 Organisational members.

About Howard Lake
Howard Lake is consultant editor of UK Fundraising. He founded the site in 1994 and successfully sold it in 2022. As director of Giving X Ltd he is exploring growing giving on a massive scale. He is the founder of Fundraising Camp and co-founder of GoodJobs.