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GoldStar volunteering and mentoring exemplar programme

GoldStar was a £7.5 million OTS funded programme. It launched in November 2005 and came to an end in March 2009.

Background

The programme was England-wide and focused on spreading good practice throughout the voluntary sector on how to recruit, manage and retain volunteers, mentors and befrienders from groups at risk of social exclusion, including:

• People with no formal qualifications
• People from black and minority ethnic communities
• People with disabilities or limiting long-term illnesses

Purpose of the programme

The programme involved two elements:

1. Funding 46 exemplar projects to enable them to actively spread good practice in the recruitment and retention of volunteers, while also enabling them to maintain and develop their operations. The projects were located all over the country but concentrated largely in four priority regions, the North East, North West, Yorkshire and the Humber and London, and
2. Funding to enable the development and dissemination of good practice at national level through conferences, seminars and publications as well as a dedicated website.

Information on the exemplar projects along with the good practice resources that were developed as part of the programme can be viewed at:

• GoldStar [external website]