Red Cross pledges support for volunteer management!

The Red Cross became the 215th organisation to sign up to the Value Volunteer Management Endorsement today.

The Endorsement is a simple statement that organisations can use to demonstrate the value they place on volunteer management.

It is one output of the Value Volunteer Management Campaign, which aims to increase awareness of the value and importance of investing in volunteer management across private, public and voluntary sectors.

The Red Cross sign-up couldn't have come at a better time, as the following news came through about the excellent management of Red Cross volunteers in New Zealand:

The extraordinary contribution by the many teams of volunteers in the Canterbury earthquake is attributable to the preparation, training and good management of those teams said Tim Burns, Executive Director of Volunteering New Zealand.

"Volunteers, both those who are members of formal emergency response teams and those who have spontaneously helped in their local neighbourhoods, must be thanked for all they have done to support and care for those who have lost homes and so much more," said Tim Burns.

The work of the civil defence personnel and the emergency response teams from Red Cross, Salvation Army and other community agencies did not just happen by chance.

That they were able to swing into gear so quickly and so well was the result of preparation by those who manage the volunteer teams and the many training hours they put in to ensure they were ready when they were needed.

"This highlights the need for effective management of any volunteer programme - good volunteer programmes just do not fall out of the sky," said Mr Burns

For more information about the Value Volunteer Management Campaign please visit our website at http://www.volunteering.org.uk/valuevolunteermanagement. To sign up to the Endorsement visit http://www.volunteering.org.uk/vmendorsement