The Kaleidoscope Plus Group is proud to be an Investing in Volunteers (IiV) achiever, having been awarded the quality standard in 2023 for the 1st time for its commitment to volunteering. The West Bromwich-based charity helps thousands of people across the UK each year and offers a range of services for people in need, struggling with their emotional health and wellbeing.
On the recent accreditation Carol Wilson, Volunteer Coordinator at the Kaleidoscope Plus Group added: “We are delighted to have received the Investing in Volunteers accreditation. It shows that we value our volunteers and demonstrates our commitment to volunteering within our organisation.
“The accreditation as an Investing in Volunteers Charity is the result of over 18 months hard work that has been put in by staff, who have been driven by their passion to make volunteering at the charity a fulfilling and purposeful experience.” Investing in Volunteers is the UK quality standard for all organisations involving volunteers.
Investing in Volunteers aims to improve the quality of the volunteering experience for all volunteers and demonstrates that organisations value the enormous contribution made by their volunteers. Investing in Volunteers is delivered by the three national volunteering infrastructure bodies Volunteer Scotland, Volunteer Now in Northern Ireland, and Wales Council for Voluntary Action. Together they enable organisations across the UK to achieve the award.
The Kaleidoscope Plus Group was assessed against six quality areas and proved to excel in all aspects of working with its volunteers.
The Chair of UKVF (the Awarding Body) said “UKVF is delighted to announce the Kaleidoscope Plus Groups successful achievement of this Award, they have demonstrated a real commitment to volunteering, proven that their volunteer management policies and procedures meet nationally recognised standards.”
Investing in Volunteers is unique in that it is the only standard that focuses on volunteers. It is based on the following six quality areas:
- Vision for Volunteering
- Planning for Volunteers
- Volunteer inclusion
- Recruiting and welcoming volunteers
- Supporting volunteers
- Valuing and developing volunteers
Further information about the Standard can be found on investinginvolunteers.co.uk. The Standard will enhance volunteer management and is rigorous but is designed to be simple to implement and not to generate large amounts of paperwork.
Monica Shafaq, Chief Executive of the Kaleidoscope Plus Group said: “Our volunteers are crucial to the success of our organisation and the work that we do to support those struggling with their emotional health and wellbeing.
“It is a testament to our volunteer coordinator, our staff across the organisation and the volunteers themselves that we have received such a prestigious accreditation that recognises the hard work they do day in day out and the huge impact our volunteers have.
“We are delighted to receive this accreditation in the year that we celebrate our 50th anniversary as a charity. Our ethos has always been to help people feel good whether that be through the support they receive or the experience they have when fundraising or volunteering for us.
“At KPG we want every volunteer experience to be a great one and aim to make sure all of our volunteers feel valued for their contribution and fulfilled.” On volunteering at the Kaleidoscope Plus Group, volunteer Kofi added: “The Kaleidoscope Plus Group is a nice charity, were everyone feels welcomed and part of the team. To me, KPG is not just a team but a family.”
