Volunteering

The main assignments of the Volunteering Programme Unit are the promotion of volunteering, counselling, trainings, linking and advocacy.

Slovene Philanthropy is the coordinator of the Slovenian Volunteering Organizations Network, which includes more than 1770 volunteering organizations and organizations with a volunteering programme. The purpose of the project is to strengthen the capacities of volunteering organizations to develop the quality of volunteering, their organizational structure and gaining and expanding their knowledge and skills in the field of volunteering. Our trainings for volunteers, their mentors and organisers of volunteering, have around 2000 participants per year. We encourage the development of volunteering in different fields and we cooperate with different Ministries with establishing strategies and redesigning the legislature in all fields of our work.

We promote volunteering through presenting different titles: Heroes of our Time (volunteers among schoolchildren and students), Best Volunteer in the Public Sector, Best Mentor of Volunteers and Volunteer Friendly Town. We organise larger events and conferences: Make a Difference Day, National Volunteering Week, Slovenian Congress/Forum of Volunteering; we actively collaborate with municipalities, schools, hospitals, other NGOs, public institutions, media and other institutions.

There are many projects, run by us, which alleviate the circumstances of individuals in need: Volunteering Service, Surplus Food – Put on Plates instead of Waste; there are professionally trained employees present at all our location, who can offer advice, help or counselling for anything in connection with volunteering or resolving their hardships.

More and more frequently, we also help with introducing volunteering to businesses, because they turn to us for the organisation of corporate volunteering actions and other ways of incorporating corporate social responsibility into their business. We gladly offer advice and collaborate with them, encouraging their employees to get involved in volunteering.