IAVE

IAVE is leaving Twitter/X. We’re moving to Bluesky, where we can continue meaningful conversations about volunteering and positive, sustainable change in a more enabling environment. Join us there! bsky.app/profile/iave.b… #LeavingX #JoinUsOnBluesky

Who is IAVE? We are our volunteering! IAVE member Association Jeunesse-Sensibilisation-Action in Togo offers marginalized children and youth quality learning opportunities for creating a more equitable and sustainable future. Learn more about IAVE at iave.org/members

United Nations Volunteers has published a procurement notice for a consultant to carry out a study on AI and volunteering. Please see the link here: procurement-notices.undp.org/view_negotiati… This is a joint UNV-Forum initiative. The application deadline is 21st February.

Volunteering is a symbol of #hope in a complicated time, writes Wendy Osborne. "We live in a world where reality for many people is stark in its negativity. … We also know the care, compassion, hope & resilience of people who reach out to help others.” iave.org/celebrating-th…

IAVE’s 27th World Volunteer Conference was a chance to learn more about IAVE members. Félicité Djioukouo is the executive director of Association des Acteurs de Développement (ADEV), a member of IAVE’s Global Network of Volunteering Leadership (iave.org/gnvl).

IAVE’s strength is in its network. Our Global Network of Volunteering Leadership (GNVL) is a peer-to-peer structure that allows engaged volunteering organizations around the world to share insights and forge global partnerships. →iave.org/gnvl

“Do your little bit of good where you are. It’s those little bits of good put together that overwhelm the world.” —Desmond Tutu

IAVE provides connections, research, and resources to empower volunteer organizations and leaders around the world. Becoming a member is an easy way to join a global conversation about the future of volunteering. Learn more at iave.org/members.

The first large-scale evidence that being a #volunteer can improve mental health in older adults came out of the Baltimore Experience Corps trial, published ten years ago this month. npr.org/sections/shots…

“Volunteerism in Kazakhstan has deep historical roots, emerging through the tradition of Asar, a unique form of collective mutual aid,” @TheAstanaTimes reports. Kazakhstan introduced the UN resolution declaring 2026 the International Volunteer Year. astanatimes.com/2024/12/kazakh…

2026 will be the International Year of Volunteers for Sustainable Development (IVY 2026). IAVE, @forumids, @ifrc and @GenUnlimited_ are bringing leaders together to talk about what that can mean for the future of volunteering. Listen in: m.youtube.com/watch?v=RSqBki…

IAVE’s Reskilling Revolution Africa harnesses the power of volunteering for skills development. Thanks to a partnership with @IBM, IAVE member orgs in Ethiopia, Nigeria & South Africa are enrolling thousands of youth on the Skillsbuild platform. → iave.org/iaves-reskilli…

“Volunteering has increasingly been acknowledged around the world as a driving force for tackling development challenges,” says a report from the UN Secretary General. → documents.un.org/doc/undoc/gen/…

IAVE’s strength is in its network. Our Global Corporate Volunteer Council is the only global, volunteering-focused network for multinational companies, sharing a commitment to supporting & promoting all forms of employee engagement in the community. →iave.org/gcvc

IAVE’s 27th World Volunteer Conference was a chance to learn more about IAVE members. Clement Douault is Associate Director of People Engagement & Volunteering at @Novartis, a member of IAVE’s Global Corporate Volunteer Council (iave.org/gcvc).

What does volunteering look like? In its last State of the World’s Volunteerism Report (swvr2022.unv.org), @UNVolunteers attempted to capture the depth and variety of global volunteering by identifying 5 different types of volunteer action:

A recent large-scale systematic review...found that a range of workplace wellness offerings had no positive effect on employees’ well-being, Beth Greenfield writes in @FortuneMagazine. But there was one clear exception: volunteering. fortune.com/well/article/b…

3/ Good news! IAVE and its partners are currently hosting Global Dialogues and will be releasing a challenge paper, global poll, and other ways to strategize about the International Volunteer Year in 2026, and the #future of volunteering. Join on 1/23 at iave.org/ivy2026

2/ “In that case, we should do a much better job recognizing and giving visibility to them. We could also increase their numbers. It is here where @UNVolunteers, in partnership with IAVE and @forumids, should restart that conversation….”

1/ “Suppose more than 800 million people selflessly dedicate their time, energies and skills to the common good,” Simone Galimberti writes from Nepal for the International Press Syndicate Group. indepthnews.net/volunteerism-t…