​Sarah Latto on the vital importance of Scotland's army of volunteers - and what you can do to support them

Volunteers’ Week, the national celebration of volunteering from the 1-7 June, is fast approaching. If you haven’t thought about it already, now is the time to start planning.

As a volunteer manager, I’ve pretty much accepted that a summer holiday in the first week of June is never going to happen. In fact, the thought of taking annual leave in April or May also brings me out in a cold sweat.

This will be my first Volunteers’ Week as volunteer development manager with Shelter Scotland. It’s also my first year leading the Volunteers’ Week Scotland campaign with the Scottish Volunteering Forum. No pressure.

Despite the hectic few months I have ahead, Volunteers’ Week will be a highlight of my working year. I’ll get to hear about and share all the incredible things that volunteers have accomplished in the last 12 months and it reaffirms, year after year, why being a volunteer manager is the best job in the world.

The incredible things volunteers have accomplished reaffirms why being a volunteer manager is the best job in the world

Sarah Latto

The theme of this year’s Scottish Volunteers’ Week campaign will recognise volunteering as the golden thread running through Scotland’s communities and wider society, reflecting a comment made by Angela Constance MSP, minister for communities, social security and equalities.

At Shelter Scotland, our volunteers really are worth their weight in gold (pun intended) and we have lots of exciting ideas about using this theme. We currently have about 85 volunteers in a variety of different roles who help us to support people affected by homelessness or housing issues.

To recognise the fantastic contribution of our volunteers across the country, we are planning to give Shelter Scotland the Midas touch this June and really embrace the gold theme.

Gold balloons, gold sweets, gold banners… the list goes on! We’ll also shine a spotlight on volunteers using our digital platforms by sharing the incredible impact that individual volunteers make to our services.

If you are struggling for ideas about how you can celebrate, the Volunteer Scotland website will provide a range of Volunteers’ Week resources over the coming months.

These include a press release template with statistics and quotes about volunteering in Scotland, and a downloadable golden selfie frame for encouraging your volunteers to get involved.

Alex Cole Hamilton MSP is also hosting a special reception at the Scottish Parliament to celebrate Volunteers’ Week which organisations are encouraged to attend.

You can also share your celebrations on social media using #volunteersweekscot and sign up for the Thunderclap.

Last year, tweets about Volunteers’ Week in Scotland reached over a million people in one day and we’d love to further increase the reach this year.

For more information about engaging with our theme on social media, you can follow the Scottish Volunteering Forum on Twitter using @scotvolforum, or follow Volunteer Scotland using @VolunteerScotland.

Hopefully you will now have the information and inspiration to get planning! Volunteers’ Week takes time and effort, but it also provides a perfect opportunity to speak to your volunteers, find out what they have contributed and achieved in the past year, and say thank you.

Sarah Latto is volunteer development manager at Shelter Scotland and a member of the Scottish Volunteering Forum.