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The County Louth Volunteering Framework, published in 2021, was informed by an in depth consultation process involving over 350 people across Louth.
This Framework document, the first of its kind at County level in Ireland, will shape policy and resourcing in relation to volunteering in Louth in the coming years. It recognises and values the contribution of volunteers; seeks to expand the demographics of volunteering; supports those who support volunteers and aims to help make it easier for people in Louth to access voluntary activity. Work commenced on the delivery of the 68 recommendations contained in the framework in 2022 and will continue until 2024. You can view more details and view the document by clicking HERE
The Framework is owned by the Louth Community Development Committee and is currently being delivered by a group of stakeholders from across various sectors in County Louth. This implementation group is led by a secretariat consisting of members from Louth Volunteer Centre, Louth County Council, Louth Local Development Company and Louth PPN.
This group of stakeholders represent the interests of the breath of volunteering in Louth, and not any individual. They each participate in one of five themed subgroups that are tasked with delivering the 69 recommendations contained within the Framework document.
In the below graphic you will be able to see a breakdown of these groups involved with the County Louth Volunteering Framework
Volunteering is any time willingly given, formally or informally, for the common good and without financial gain.
Volunteering can be formal i.e., organised by/through organisations, or informal within communities.
Formal volunteering – formal activity undertaken through public, private, and voluntary organisations. which involves spending unpaid time doing something that aims to benefit the environment, individuals, or groups, other than close relatives.
Informal volunteering – is defined as giving unpaid help as an individual to someone and is generally an activity not co-ordinated by an organisation. While many people volunteer to help charities and community groups, many people also volunteer as individuals or with groups of friends/neighbours in the community.
Remote volunteering – It is any type of volunteering that allows individuals to contribute their skills or time without being physically present at an office or specific location e.g., can be via calls, emails, research, digitally.
Virtual/Online volunteering- is simply volunteering completed virtually over the internet. It is usually more similar to a standard volunteer role than micro-volunteering as it might require a longer time commitment or specific training.
Micro-volunteering - is “bite-sized, on-demand, no commitment actions that benefit a worthy cause. Micro-volunteering is quick and convenient – a micro-volunteering opportunity might take less than two minutes to complete and, in some cases, can be done from the comfort of your couch. Micro-volunteering did grow out of Virtual volunteering; however, these small tasks don’t necessarily need to be done virtually.
Episodic/Sporadic/Programmatic volunteering – is short-term, time-limited, or irregular volunteering. Episodic volunteers tend to be time poor, and typically do not have the resources available to commit to longer-term or more regular volunteer roles.
Spontaneous Volunteering – is where self-organised voluntary groups and/or individuals come together and react in the immediate response to a difficult situation in their community. Spontaneous volunteers are often the individuals who are unaffiliated with existing official response organisations, yet, without extensive pre-planning, are motivated to provide unpaid support to the response and/or recovery to emergencies.
Corporate Volunteering - also called employee volunteering, can be defined as workplace-based initiatives where employers provide support or encouragement for its employees to volunteer for the local community or good cause.
There are so many benefits to volunteering, from making a difference in your community, getting to meet new people and improving confidence and self-esteem to name a few. See the wheel below outlining some of the many benefits of volunteering. If you are interested in getting involved in the work being carried out by the County Louth Volunteering Framework you can do so by completing our recently released research survey about volunteering in Louth and have your say about the future of volunteering. Click HERE for survey.
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