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Working in the voluntary sector


The Open University

Summary

Price
Free
Study method
Online
Duration
24 hours · Self-paced
Qualification
No formal qualification
Certificates
  • Certificate of completion - Free

Overview

Have you been thinking about volunteering or working in the voluntary sector and want to find out more about it? Do you already work or volunteer and are seeking to build on your existing knowledge or skills? Do you have a general interest in voluntary organisations? Are you looking to develop your study skills for further learning? If you answered 'yes' to any of these questions this course is for you.

This course is introduced by Martha Lane Fox, the Chancellor of The Open University and a significant figure in the voluntary sector.

This free online course, Working in the voluntary sector, will introduce you to some of the main activities carried out by volunteers and staff, will give you some background on how different organisations work and will provide you with knowledge and skills you can apply to your own work or volunteering, as well as to your every day life.

Enrolling on the course will give you the opportunity to earn an Open University digital badge. Badges are not accredited by The Open University but they're a great way to demonstrate your interest in the subject and commitment to your career, and to provide evidence of continuing professional development.

Once you are signed in, you can manage your digital badges online from My OpenLearn. In addition, you can download and print your OpenLearn statement of participation - which also displays your Open University badge.

Description

After completing this course, you will be able to:

  • demonstrate an understanding of different roles and activities in voluntary organisations
  • understand how to work with other staff and volunteers in a team or organisation
  • use and apply knowledge of the voluntary sector to work or volunteering experience
  • link this learning with personal or career goals.

Course content

  • Introduction and guidance
  • Week 1: Getting started – working in a voluntary organisation
  • Week 2: Working with volunteers
  • Week 3: Introducing marketing and communications
  • Week 4: Working with financial information
  • Week 5: Introducing fundraising
  • Week 6: Effective meetings
  • Week 7: Working in teams and partnerships
  • Week 8: Understanding stress and conflict

Who is this course for?

Working in the voluntary sector is a free badged course that lasts eight weeks, with approximately three hours’ study time each week. You can work through the course at your own pace, so if you have more time one week there is no problem with pushing on to complete another week’s study.

There may be several reasons for you studying this course – perhaps you’ve been thinking about volunteering or working in the voluntary sector and wanted to find out more about it; or you already work or volunteer and are seeking to build on your existing knowledge or skills. You may, of course, just have a general interest in voluntary organisations or are looking to develop your study skills for further learning.

There are many roles and responsibilities in voluntary organisations, and this course introduces you to some of the main activities carried out by volunteers and staff. These activities include working with volunteers; marketing and communications; working with budgets; fundraising; taking part in meetings; working in teams and partnerships; and managing stress and conflict. Even if you do not personally get involved with all of the activities covered in the course, learning about them will give you some background on how different organisations work and what staff and volunteers do. The course will provide you with knowledge and skills you can apply to your own work or volunteering, as well as to your everyday life.

All these aspects will be explained, so don’t worry if they seem unfamiliar at the moment. You’ll use plenty of real-life examples to help with this and you’ll get plenty of opportunities to practise your new understanding and skills.

Part of this practice will be the weekly interactive quizzes, of which Weeks 4 and 8 will provide you with an opportunity to earn a badge to demonstrate your new skills. You can read more on how to study the course, and about badges, in the next sections.

As part of the course, there is a glossary which explains key terms used throughout the course.

After completing this course you will be able to:

  • demonstrate an understanding of different roles and activities in voluntary organisations
  • understand how to work with other staff and volunteers in your team and organisation
  • use and apply your knowledge about the voluntary sector to your own work or volunteering experience
  • link your learning with your own personal or career goals.

Certificates

Certificate of completion

Digital certificate - Included

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FAQs

Study method describes the format in which the course will be delivered. At Reed Courses, courses are delivered in a number of ways, including online courses, where the course content can be accessed online remotely, and classroom courses, where courses are delivered in person at a classroom venue.

CPD stands for Continuing Professional Development. If you work in certain professions or for certain companies, your employer may require you to complete a number of CPD hours or points, per year. You can find a range of CPD courses on Reed Courses, many of which can be completed online.

A regulated qualification is delivered by a learning institution which is regulated by a government body. In England, the government body which regulates courses is Ofqual. Ofqual regulated qualifications sit on the Regulated Qualifications Framework (RQF), which can help students understand how different qualifications in different fields compare to each other. The framework also helps students to understand what qualifications they need to progress towards a higher learning goal, such as a university degree or equivalent higher education award.

An endorsed course is a skills based course which has been checked over and approved by an independent awarding body. Endorsed courses are not regulated so do not result in a qualification - however, the student can usually purchase a certificate showing the awarding body's logo if they wish. Certain awarding bodies - such as Quality Licence Scheme and TQUK - have developed endorsement schemes as a way to help students select the best skills based courses for them.