Happy International Volunteer Managers Day!

Happy International Volunteer Managers Day!  This years theme is ‘What is Excellence, Pushing us beyond the Ordinary’.

Here’s what Jen Reston, Aberlour’s Head of Volunteering, had to say about championing excellence through our volunteering:

“Excellence is Not a Skill. It is an Attitude.” – Ralph Marston

To be a person of excellence is someone who adds value to themselves and to others, who goes the extra mile, stands out from the crowd, and is a positive influencer. This is what I see in practice from Volunteer Managers every day. Leading and supporting volunteers is done with hearts and minds, it is connecting volunteer passion with purpose and being values driven, the relationships and connections made is at the heart of volunteering which is what makes Volunteer Managers extraordinary.

Our new strategy is called ‘Being Brave’. This calls for us to be courageous and authentic leaders, to challenge inequalities and injustice, to be brave for our planet and support our people and communities to recover from the pandemic. This IVM day, my hope and aspiration for myself and all volunteer leaders is to continue to strive for this excellence, alongside volunteers, to lead with passion and purpose and as Brene Brown brilliantly says ‘choose courage over comfort.’  Excellence is a continuous learning journey and as leaders we will continue to push beyond the ordinary for the communities we serve.