“We were drawn to the Specialist Volunteer Network because of the wide range of skills and expertise provided by Volunteers and the excellent fit with help we were looking for as a charity.”
Small charities often lack the infrastructure that larger charities have for HR, IT, Finance and Business Development. On top of this, accessing specialist advice and services, such as legal advice, comes at the cost of inevitably having to redirect funding away from the frontline services that make a real difference to children’s lives.
As the Director of a child protection agency in Edinburgh, we were drawn to Inspiring Scotland’s Specialist Volunteer Network (SVN) because of the wide range of skills and expertise offered, which has added enormous value to what we do as a small charity.
SVN provided advice and support that would have cost a great deal for us to access independently. Their support was transformative and helped us build our capacity and overcome problems. And the Inspiring Scotland staff are also a great resource because they are invested and understand our charity and our needs. That means they’ve tailored the SVN support to make sure we’re connected with the right people to really make a difference for our organisation.
Support has been timely, targeted and always on point, and I’ve been really impressed at the calibre of volunteers and their level of expertise in their specific area.
If your organisation is considering getting support from the Specialist Volunteer Network, I’d say use them! We received fantastic assistance around strategic development as well as help with legal advice and securing a new office space. Getting the right kind of support from experts has ensured we are freed up to do what we do best – working to protect children from harm.
Stuart Allardyce, Director at Stop It Now! Scotland / Lucy Faithfull Foundation
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