Equitable Volunteering Forum
About the Forum
Established in 2023, the Equitable Volunteering Forum aims to connect volunteer managers to build capacity and champion diversity and inclusion within the voluntary sector.
The Equitable Volunteering Forum (formerly the Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Volunteer Managers Forum) brings together professionals within the voluntary sector who are making volunteering more inclusive and equitable for all volunteers. Through peer-to-peer learning, workshop sessions and talks, we aim to deliver practical opportunities for volunteer managers to support their organisation in addressing EDI challenges.
Join the Forum
Applications to become a member of the Equitable Volunteering Forum for the year 2025–26 are now open. Join our community of practice to help make volunteering more inclusive and diverse.
What to expect
If selected, you will be invited to four free, full day, in-person sessions with other forum members. These sessions will run between October 2025 and June 2026 in a central London location.
Throughout the year, you will also have the opportunity to:
- collaborate with peers in the volunteering space
- explore challenges related to EDI in volunteering
- help shape strategies to make volunteering accessible and welcoming to all Londoners.
Apply now
The deadline to apply is Monday 29 September at 11:59pm.
Join the Forum's Planning Group
Support the delivery of the Equitable Volunteering Forum in 2025–26 by joining the Equitable Volunteering Forum's Planning Group.
As a member of the Planning Group, you will be instrumental in shaping the direction of the Equitable Volunteering Forum. Supported by the Greater London Authority and our partner organisations, including the London School of Economics, Literacy Pirates and English Heritage, you will help to ensure the forum’s continued success and that its activities are as inclusive as possible.
We are looking for enthusiastic members with a commitment to equity, diversity, and inclusion. If you're seeking a hands-on opportunity to shape London's voluntary sector, we'd love to hear from you.
Guidance for Planning Group applicants
Working as part of a small team you will:
- attend fortnightly online planning meetings to plan and shape each forum – we encourage your ideas for topics, speakers or sessions
- take on responsibilities for your own lead area such as communications, organising facilitators and speakers, or evaluation
- have the opportunity to deliver a case study or facilitated session
- support the planning group to evaluate each session
- attend each forum event and support with the delivery on the day, e.g. set up, welcoming members and acting as a point of contact during the day.
We are looking for people who enjoy teamwork, are inclusive volunteer leaders, and are eager to learn and share their experiences in developing equity within volunteer programmes. You should have experience in volunteer programme development or the ability to influence your organisation’s policies or approaches.
We value active participation and involvement and you’ll be keen to get involved. While experience in volunteer management and programme development is needed, this could be from a previous role or as a consultant.
Ideally, you will have a strong network of other volunteer management professionals that you can share the work of the forum with or engage to deliver talks or sessions.
We aim for our forum and planning group members to be as representative of society as possible and seek better representation from Black and ethnic minority colleagues.
Our current Planning Group members have told us that this is a great development opportunity – a chance to collaborate closely with other organisations, different from their own but with a shared goal.
- It’s a way to grow your professional network and make connections.
- Depending on the lead role you take on, you can focus on areas of interest or skills you’d like to develop.
- A supportive group of new colleagues, who enjoy working together to create the forums and continuing to push for inclusion in volunteering across London and the country.
Apply now
To apply for the Planning Group, write a short paragraph (around 300 words) about yourself and email it to Sophie van der Ham, Programme and Policy Officer, at [email protected].
In your application, please tell us:
- what your role is and what kind of organisation you work in
- why you're interested in joining the planning group
- any ideas or experience you can bring.
The deadline to apply is Monday 18 August 2025 at 11:59pm.
Connect with others
Connect with other volunteer managers and EDI professionals within the voluntary sector by signing up for our Slack channel.
What we've done so far
Meeting four times a year for a full-day in-person discussion, we provide a space where those in the voluntary sector can explore ideas, experiences, and best practices. We support each other in advancing inclusion in our organisations through a community of practice with colleagues who share a responsibility or remit for EDI.
The partnership is supported by the London School of Economics (LSE), Literacy Pirates, the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) and English Heritage
Eight sessions have taken place so far between June 2023 and June 2025 to share learning, research, and best practices with peer-to-peer support. The forums included talks and panels by guest speakers in the voluntary, community and social enterprise sector; practical workshop learning; and networking opportunities.
Hear from forum member Christy Brunel on their experience in the 2024–25 cycle.
Read Christy's blogEDI Volunteering Toolkit
In 2023, the Great London Authority published its good practice toolkit for improving the volunteer experience through inclusion.
Developed with the support of the Team London EDI Volunteer Advisory Group and Inclusive Village, the toolkit is a flexible resource that provides practical steps to help create a better volunteering experience by implementing Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion practices in volunteering contexts. It provides guidance on how to leverage volunteers' voices and insights to co-produce solutions to progress EDI work.
Improving The Volunteer Experience Through Inclusion - A Good Practice Toolkit
Applications to join the Equitable Volunteering Forum are now open!
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