Support for volunteers is a priority for the NTS

The National Trust for Scotland is celebrating after finding out it has retained its Investing in Volunteers accreditation.

The conservation charity is sharing the news today, International Volunteers Day.

Investing in Volunteers (IiV) is the national standard for volunteer management in the UK. The National Trust for Scotland has held the IiV accreditation since 2009 and is re-assessed every three years.

The accreditation process included an online survey open to volunteers, as well as face-to-face interviews with both volunteers and employees in the Trust; both related to volunteering and volunteer management within the organisation.

Simon Skinner, chief executive of the National Trust for Scotland, said: ‘We’re delighted to have been successful in retaining our IiV accreditation. Having this recognition is a guarantee for potential volunteers that the National Trust for Scotland takes its volunteer management responsibilities seriously.

‘By working to both achieve this award and maintain its standards, our aim is to ensure all our volunteers have a fantastic experience doing what they do for the love of Scotland.

‘I’d like to thank all of our volunteers for their hard work and dedication in helping us to protect Scotland’s heritage for future generations.’

The IiV accreditation is a demonstration to the National Trust for Scotland’s existing volunteers that the Trust wants to continue ensuring that they enjoy their volunteering, and are happy to listen to their feedback when it’s given. The principles for Investing in Volunteers cover the entire volunteer life cycle, from recruitment and induction right through to reward and recognition.

The National Trust for Scotland has around 3000 volunteers who contribute a total of 200,000 hours of volunteering per year in roles that include anything from footpath building to property guiding and bat monitoring to buggy driving.

Those interested can get involved and volunteer with the National Trust for Scotland by visiting https://www.nts.org.uk/volunteering-job to see what roles – from gardening to guiding – are available across Scotland.