Jewish Care has become the first Jewish charity in England to be an Investing in Volunteers achiever, receiving the accreditation from the United Kingdom Volunteering Forum (UKVF).
The award, supported by the National Council for Voluntary Organisations (NCVO), demonstrates the organisation’s commitment to quality assurance and continuous improvement by a charity in relation to the way that it values and supports the contribution of its volunteers to the organisation.
Achieving the award involved a process that included self-assessment along with one-to-one and group interviews with 29 staff and 75 volunteers, as well as written evidence to support the volunteer process and management.
Jewish Care’s director of community services, volunteering, social work & hospitality, Richard Shone, said: “We are extremely proud to be leading the way and to have been awarded the Investing in Volunteering standard. We have worked hard to achieve this because our volunteers are invaluable to us and the skills they offer are infinite. If we were to pay for all that they contribute, we estimate that it would equate to £9.25 million a year.
“It’s important to us that our volunteers enjoy a first-class experience, and that they feel valued, appreciated and supported. That’s why we have built up our professional training opportunities for volunteers, have volunteers’ handbooks, and hold an annual awards ceremony, a volunteer conference, special events during Volunteers’ Week, and outings for them to enjoy. We also produce an annual volunteer survey, using the feedback from the results to inform improvements in the following year.”
In the report to accompany the standard, the Chair of UKVF said: “Jewish Care has demonstrated a real commitment to volunteering, proving that their volunteer management policies and procedures meet nationally recognised standards.”
Jewish Care was assessed against six quality areas – vision for volunteering, planning for volunteers, volunteer inclusion, recruiting and welcoming volunteers, supporting volunteers, and valuing and developing volunteers – and proved to excel in all aspects of working with its volunteers.
According to the interviews held, volunteers were unanimous in their view that their contribution was valued, appreciated and recognised. They spoke of being made to feel welcome, feeling fully included in what was going on, of being in a safe and supportive environment, and of being treated with respect. Volunteers noted: “It is in the name. They care. Really, genuinely care about us.” They also spoke of “high teas” and other special events during Volunteers’ Week; small gifts such as pots of honey for Rosh Hashanah; outings; events; cards for birthdays, house moves, get well, special anniversaries; and so on.
Across all the interviews, there was a strong sense of “belonging”. Volunteers frequently spoke of feeling like part of the “Jewish Care Family” and “just part of one big team”. “They go out of their way to make sure you have a good time,” said one.
Pam Bertschinger, who has been a Jewish Care volunteer for over 15 years, said: “I was given free rein to set up a memory café for people living with dementia and their family carers.” The charity’s Memory Way Café is now in its 12th year.