Many local organisations are increasingly relying on volunteers to offer their services to Suffolk communities. Community Action Suffolk recognises this and is responding by evolving its volunteering team to meet these needs.
Volunteering Services Officers will continue to offer local support to organisations, but now each officer will also have their own specialist support to offer to the voluntary, public and private sectors.
Local businesses are recognising the importance of “employer supported volunteering”. This is when employers organise team volunteering activities for their staff, or offer time away from work to employees to volunteer. CAS now has a Volunteering Services Officer to manage employer supported volunteering.
Many of Suffolk’s events, such as the Great East Swim and weekly parkruns, could not run as efficiently without teams of volunteers. CAS continues to offer support to event organisers to help them recruit and maintain volunteers, with staff dedicated to support this work.
CAS has been running popular volunteering training courses for a number of years. Courses for volunteer managers and co-ordinators cover subjects such as the law, recruitment, retention or dealing with challenging situations. CAS will soon be launching a NOCN accredited course for volunteers themselves. One of our Volunteering Services Officer focuses on training.
With a shortage of young trustees and leaders involved with local charities and groups, CAS has a dedicated member of staff to address this. The Young Leadership Development Officer works with local organisations, offering free training for young people to find leadership roles.
Recruiting and retaining volunteers is not always easy, so one Volunteering Services Officer will be a point of contact marketing and promoting guidance. They will also help support volunteering campaigns.
Following National Lottery funding from Sport England, CAS will be launching the “This Community Can” project, to help local volunteers make a positive contribution to their community using sport and activity. All members of the community will benefit from the opportunities made available to them, whether organising or taking part in activities. CAS is currently recruiting this full-time position.
If you are someone looking to volunteer, please explore the Volunteer Suffolk Volunteer Suffolk website.
If you are an organisation looking for some volunteering support, please get in touch with one of the CAS volunteering team:
Contacts for your area
- Ipswich, Suffolk Coastal and Waveney
Siobhan Kranjanasilp, [email protected], 01473 345335 - Mid Suffolk and Babergh
Jo Belfield, [email protected], 07990 576893 - West Suffolk
Andy Simpson, [email protected], 01473 345322
Specialist support contacts
- Employer Supported Volunteering (ESV)
Andy Simpson, [email protected], 01473 345322 - Event Volunteering
Catherine Thornber, [email protected], 07702 532810
Leah Tovell, [email protected], 07702 532810 - Training of volunteer coordinators, managers and individuals
Siobhan Kranjanasilp, [email protected], 01473 345335 - Young People Volunteering Development (trustee & local volunteer leadership opportunities)
Janet Perry, [email protected], 07391 419917 - Marketing, promotions and campaigns guidance
Jo Belfield, [email protected], 07990 576893 - This Community Can Project
New post – now recruiting
