Community Service Volunteers
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Volunteering Matters, formerly known as Community Service Volunteers (CSV) is the UK's largest volunteering and training charity.[citation needed] It was founded in 1962 by Mora and Alec Dickson, who also founded Voluntary Service Overseas (VSO).[citation needed] In the 2004/2005 financial year, Volunteering Matters had six operating companies with a total expenditure of £43 million, employing 944 full-time equivalent staff.[citation needed] They organise full-time, part-time and one-off volunteering opportunities for different groups in the community, including young adults (through Millennium Volunteers for 16- to 24-year-olds), people over 50 (through the RSVP - Retired and Senior Volunteer Project) and for employees of large corporations.
The president of Volunteering Matters is Lord Levy.
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Organisation
Nearly 16,000 people a year volunteer through Volunteering Matters, particularly young people. Volunteering Matters pioneered the idea of teaching citizenship in schools – it became part of the National Curriculum in England in 2002.[citation needed]
Volunteering Matters has sought to recruit volunteers from all demographics. Over 10,000 senior volunteers who run activities and projects for Volunteering Matters and recruit other senior volunteers.[citation needed] Volunteering Matters also runs weekend volunteering projects in London, designed to give busy people a chance to make a difference in one weekend.
Volunteering Matters also runs a journalist network through which journalists can volunteer their skills to non profit organisations who need extra promotional help. Additionally, Volunteering Matters Action Desks work in partnership with the BBC in 36 BBC local radio stations. They broadcast appeals for volunteers, run awareness campaigns and promote Lifelong Learning.[citation needed]
In April 2015, the charity changed name from Community Service Volunteers (CSV) to Volunteering Matters.[citation needed]
Full-time volunteering
Volunteering Matters runs many full-time volunteer projects across the UK. These placements can involve helping children in school, providing support to students with disabilities at university, helping in homeless hostels, enabling people with disabilities to live independently, or mentoring and befriending young people at risk of offending or exclusion from school.[citation needed]
Volunteering Matters Full Time Volunteering is residential and volunteers move away from home and are provided with accommodation, weekly food and subsistence. A full-time placement can last between 6 and 12 months, although it is sometimes possible to extend a placement after this date. No previous experience or qualifications are necessary.[citation needed]
Part-time volunteering
Every year Volunteering Matters involves thousands of part-time volunteers in a diverse array of projects ranging from clearing a canal to helping children to read. This includes: Mentoring, Millennium Volunteers, 'Go' Volunteering in London, Lending Time, and Allies.[citation needed]
