Volunteering England and NAVCA
(the National Association for Voluntary and Community Action) are
to announce a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) at NAVCA's annual
conference today. The aim of the initiative is to increase the
impact and effectiveness of both organisations' services to
members, as well as to encourage closer collaboration between local
infrastructure organisations and volunteer
centres.
Volunteering England (VE) and NAVCA are strongly committed to
partnership working in order to add value and strength to their
core activities and, wherever possible, to be speaking with a
united voice to their members, as well as to Government on their
behalf. To this end, the two agencies will hold a meeting each year
of chairs and chief executives to review: the MOU and its impact;
joint activity undertaken; intelligence from both organisations
about the way the relationship is perceived at local level; the
ways in which NAVCA and VE intend to develop the relationship in
the coming year; and potential for the development of new joint
activity.
Christopher Spence CBE, Chief Executive of Volunteering England,
said: "We very much welcome this commitment to joint working
between NAVCA and VE. We have a shared history of working in
partnership to support the strategic development of volunteering
in England, and through this undertaking,
pledge to serve our overlapping constituencies through effective
communication and collaboration."
Kevin Curley, Chief Executive of NAVCA, said: "In the
past too much energy has been wasted at local level in pointless
arguments about which organisation should lead the work needed to
support volunteering. What NAVCA and VE are saying is that
collaboration is vital. It doesn't matter who leads the work so
long as volunteers get good support in every part of
England. We will set the tone by working well
together at national level'.
NAVCA agreements with other
organisations