Celebrating Volunteers Week

Volunteers are being celebrated by credit unions throughout Wales for the invaluable role they play in the development and success of the financial cooperatives.

Volunteers Week takes place 1-7 June every year. It’s a chance to recognise the fantastic contribution volunteers make to our communities.

Volunteers’ Week is supported and celebrated by small grassroots organisations as well as larger, household-name charities.

It is an ideal time to reflect on the massive contribution credit union volunteers make to the communities they support.

The ethical loans and savings providers rely on the voluntary support of many individuals who help with their decision-making and daily operation.

Thanks to volunteers, credit unions across Wales continue to provide a wide range of financial products to their members.

Did you know that:

• 16.3m people volunteered through a group, club or organisation in 2020/21.
• Levels of formal volunteering fell significantly from 2019/20 to in 2020/21.
• More than a quarter of the population were regularly involved in informal volunteering and about half did so at least once in 2020/21.
• Most people have formally volunteered at some point in their lives, dipping in and out of involvement over time.
• People volunteer in different ways, reflecting their lifestyles, values and priorities. The way they get involved has changed during the pandemic.

Credit unions across Wales continually encourage members to come forward and help make a genuine difference to the financial wellbeing of people within their own communities by volunteering.

By recognising their valuable and diverse contribution, volunteers can help steer the strategic development future of credit unions by standing as a voluntary board member in the AGM.

They can also ensure that the credit union is run in in the interests of all of its members.

The range of board members in credit unions differ in walks of life, professions and experience.

This helps credit unions understand the needs of a wider range of people in the community and develop bespoke services that will benefit them.
As well as helping others, volunteering has been shown to improve volunteers’ wellbeing too.

Volunteering can help people gain valuable new skills and experiences which helps develop a CV and boost their job skills.

It also boosts confidence and helps people realise how valuable they are to an organisation through their voluntary work.

To find out more about becoming a Credit Unions of Wales volunteer contact your nearest credit union today.