CSV, Community Service Volunteers, London/Ipswich, UK

•    Profile:

The CSV is the national volunteering and training charity of the UK,  limited by guarantee, incorporated on 10 July 1979 and registered as a charity in England and Wales on 22 February 1985.
Motto: Make a difference

•    Main aims

To provide further education for men and women by encouraging and enabling them to undertake voluntary work in education, social services, the environment or similar activities in various parts of the world and, in particular, in the United Kingdom: to promote the education and training of persons who, due to their social or economic

circumstances or otherwise, are in need and unable to gain employment in the United Kingdom.

•    Key partners and stakeholders involved:

The CSV is organised with a president, a vice-president, the council (10 members), a secretary,  an auditor,  a principal banker, a Scottish advisory board and has got over 15 000 supporting partners

•   Finances:

the charitable company is financed by many private and public funders. The financial resources result from ( in ascending rank) volunteers allowances and subsistence, gifts, donations and legacies, donated goods and services, European funding, grants general, local and health authorities, fees services and other income, the Cabinet office and other Government Departments and the Learning and Skills Council

•    Members and staff:

the CSV positively welcomes diversity and rejects no-one; in 2010, 350 individual projects are in progress. Every year CSV helps over one million people transform lives and communities through volunteering and training. In 2009/2010, the target of 150,000 involved has been reached by involving 165,666 volunteers in their communities. The examples of how this is achieved are many and varied and involve people of all ages in schools, hospitals, prisons, care homes, libraries and parks.

•  Tools and methods of delivery:

The size of our network, combined with our experience, knowledge and 15,000 partnerships, brings national strength to effective local delivery;

• CSV evaluates its work and shares learning within and outside the organisation to build the agenda of active citizenship and civil renewal. Used methods are 
• campaigns, research, transnational partnerships, projects, conferences, seminars, lobbying and dissemination

•   Volunteering projects:

Retired and Service Volunteer Programme (RSVP) with 150 engaged volunteers to enable elder people to be active in their communities; Employee Volunteering program (220 Volunteers), vocational training to 79 people employed in the Care sector through both its Skillseekers programme and independently commissioned work¸ Action Earth Volunteering projects, Lifelong learning programs, traning and consultancy services

•   Key policies and resources:

Most of the funding that CSV receives is project specific, and is either designated or restricted, and should be sufficient for the purposes for which it is granted. Hence there should be no need to build up reserves for running an on-going project. Trustees, therefore, took the decision to instead create a development fund reserve, which will be built up to a level that would allow CSV to develop new and innovative projects. Each programme will operate its own development fund. The new projects

developed from these funds should demonstrate their potential for success and so facilitate applications for ongoing and sustainable external funding.
The key policies are
- to create opportunities for people to play an active part in the life of their community,

•  to raise the profile of volunteering and community involvement
•  to enhance public services through the practical engagement
•  to develop new service models
•  to build Capacity and Expertise
•  to review organisation development and infrastructure
•  to develop staff skills for Governance & Resourcing
•  to measure the impact of the common work by setting verifiable targets

Contact

Community Service Volunteers (CSV)
237 Pentonville Road, London N1 9NJ,
UK.
Main switchboard: 020 7278 6601

Contact Person:
Piotr Sadowski
European Development Manager /Volonteurope General Secretary / Executive Group Member
CSV European Office / Volonteurope Secretariat / EYV 2011 Alliance

T: +44 (0) 20 7643 1329
F: +44 (0) 20 7833 0149
E: psadowski@csv.org.uk
W: www.csv.org.uk / www.volonteurope.org / www.eyv2011.eu