VOLUNTEERING INFRASTRUCTURE

1. VOLUNTEERING INFRASTRUCTURECONCEPT DEFINITIONVolunteering infrastructure can be defined as those organisations,programmes or projects, which exist solely to support volunteering. Thissupport can take a variety of forms, from helping non-profit organisationsto involve volunteers, public bodies and educational organisations topromote volunteering, profit-making organisations to support volunteering,to helping individuals find volunteering roles and so on.There are several elements of volunteering infrastructure, which areconsidered particularly important or relevant. For example, an integralelement is the promotion of volunteering, alongside the facilitation ofvolunteering. Effective training, both of volunteers and staff and to nonandfor-profit organisations, is a fundamental role played by a volunteeringinfrastructure. This predicates the successful placement of volunteers andensures quality volunteerism in a country. Legislation in the field can beargued to be important to the foundation of a facilitating volunteeringinfrastructure. Last but not least, if there is to be evidence-based policyin relation to volunteering, which would represent the cornerstone of avolunteering infrastructure, then there needs to be accurate and comparableresearch into volunteerism, of both a qualitative and a quantitative nature.These things together would create an environment where volunteerism canbegin to meet its full potential.In Ireland, the volunteering infrastructure comprises the followingorganisations: the national volunteer development agency, VolunteerIreland; a network of local Volunteer Centres (20+) affiliated through theirmembership of Volunteer Ireland; Boardmatch, a national organisationdedicated to identifying and placing prospective volunteers on the boards ofmanagement of non-profit organisations; and various and several initiativeswithin third level educational establishments that promote and facilitatestudent volunteering.187 Volunteering infrastructure in Europe 14 Ireland