Volunteer Ireland has welcomed the publication of Ireland’s first National Volunteering Strategy, launched by Minister Joe O’Brien On December 5th 2020. The five year strategy lays out a comprehensive plan to foster and support volunteering well into the future.
The strategy is the culmination of years of hard work and collaboration between Volunteer Ireland, Volunteer Centres and Government. Ireland is known across the globe for our generosity in giving time and lending a hand, currently sitting at number one in Europe and number ten in the world for volunteering time.
According to Volunteer Ireland CEO Nina Arwitz, our high levels of volunteering make the strategy all the more important. “Ireland already has a strong culture of volunteering with over a quarter of the country giving their time each year. This strategy is about grounding and supporting that culture so that it exists well into the future and has the chance to grow. This year in particular has shown us the importance of volunteering to our communities and the positive impact volunteering has on society.”
“Volunteering is constantly evolving – how organisations engage volunteers is changing and how people want to give their time is changing. This strategy aims to enhance existing supports and structures to ensure that volunteers and organisations continue to flourish and we can continue to meet their changing needs.”
On Volunteer Ireland’s role in delivering the strategy, Arwitz added “Along with the network of Volunteer Centre across the country, we have represented the views of volunteers and organisations throughout the process to ensure a robust and focused strategy. The key now will be ensuring there are adequate resources to deliver the actions within the strategy and that an implementation group is convened without delay.”
“As the national volunteer development organisation, we look forward to delivering many elements of the strategy in partnership with Government and other stakeholders in the sector. Ireland has always been a leader in volunteering and volunteer management; this strategy gives us the chance to embrace that role and pave a way forward.”
Download the National Volunteering Strategy 2021 – 2025
Find out about the scoping exercise and submissions.
