Welcome to Volunteering and Social Services.

By the end of this course, you should be able to:

• understand the meaning of ‘voluntary’
• explain the differences between sectors
• explain the origins of the voluntary sector
• understand the different activities of voluntary and community organisations
• explain the contribution of the voluntary sector to the economy
• understand the functions and classifications of the voluntary sector
• outline the different ways of funding organisations in the voluntary sector
• understand the most important sources of funding
• find the information you need about funding in the voluntary sector
• describe the meaning of the term ‘stakeholders’ in the context of voluntary organisations
• identify primary and secondary stakeholders using different examples
• understand the competing interests in organisations
• identify how stakeholders may influence decision-making processes
• describe some methods for communicating with stakeholders in voluntary organisations
• identify different sources of power
• describe the beneficiaries of an organisation
• explain engagement and empowerment and why they matter
• describe ways of improving beneficiary involvement and expanding it more widely
• apply ideas and methods of empowerment to an organisation you are familiar with
• explain what is meant by volunteering
• develop a profile of who volunteers
• outline the reasons why people volunteer
• describe the types of volunteering activities supported by your organisation or in an organisation with which you are familiar
• reflect on what you have learned in the course
• make plans for what you would like to do next in terms of further learning, work or volunteering
• understand the benefits of volunteering
• identify ways of finding a job or volunteering experience
• understand the learning cycle approach and apply it