The National Social Service of Ukraine, in cooperation with the Centre for Democracy and Rule of Law and the Ukrainian Volunteer Service prepared a Guide to Volunteering in Ukraine: Legislation, Management and Best Practices.
This guide was created to raise the level of social and legal awareness of volunteers and organizations that engage them in their activities, as part of the Project Ukraine Civil Society Sectoral Support Activity implemented by the Initiative Center to Support Social Action “Ednannia” in partnership with the Ukrainian Center for Independent Political Research (UCIPR) and Centre for Democracy and Rule of Law (CEDEM) with the sincere support of the American people through United States Agency for International Development.
According to various data, between 60% and 80% of the population in Ukraine is involved in volunteering, with 20-30% volunteering systematically. According to the World Giving Index 2023, Ukraine became the only European country which was included in the top ten world leaders in terms of philanthropy.
The guide developers studied theoretical literature, analyzed international and personal experience of volunteering, invested their expert knowledge on legal support of volunteer activities, and implementation of volunteer management. The guide contains 4 units, which cover all the necessary information for the volunteer and organizations that engage them.
Unit 1 focuses on the theoretical foundations of volunteering. In this unit, you can find out who can be a volunteer, what rights and duties each volunteer has and how volunteer activity is regulated by law.
Unit 2 contains a detailed description of the forms of volunteering organization. The peculiarities of individual volunteering and volunteering in cooperation with non-profit organizations are described. This unit also describes the algorithm for the registration in the Register of Volunteers, the procedure for receiving charitable donations on personal bank cards and explains the specifics of engaging foreign volunteers.
Unit 3 is practical, focusing on volunteer management. In this unit, you can find the procedure for creating quality volunteer programs and an effective system for engaging and selecting volunteers. The unit explains why onboarding, supporting volunteers and acknowledging their contributions are important.
Unit 4 focuses on the best practices of volunteering in Ukraine and abroad.
In addition, the authors have made the guide as useful as possible. The guide contains the below appendices: 1) Model agreements on volunteering with state and local self-government authorities / with civil society organizations; 2) A collection of methods for psychological support of volunteer activities.
The presentation of the guide took place on December 5, 2023, a part of the 12th Civil Society Development Forum “”Where We Can Take the Strength From”. The presentation is available here.
You can download “Guide to Volunteering in Ukraine: Legislation, Management and Best Practices here.
This material was prepared by CEDEM as part of the Project Ukraine Civil Society Sectoral Support Activity implemented by the Initiative Center to Support Social Action “Ednannia” in partnership with the Ukrainian Center for Independent Political Research (UCIPR) and Centre for Democracy and Rule of Law (CEDEM).
CEDEM press-center, pr@cedem.org.ua
