2026 International Year of Volunteering for Sustainable Development

Group applications: one contact person for an entire group We at the TSI facilitate employer supported volunteering and one of the recurring obstacles is that there are often one or two pioneers within a company, but it is difficult to activate all employees. With the help of group applications, we can facilitate the pioneers. We bring the right people into contact with each other, while all applications and their impact are registered! A group application is several applications made in one go which is created by one "group representative". The group representative becomes the point of contact for all communication and notifications regarding the applications and their status. In this way, we keep the contact between the organisation and the group central and the rest of the group doesn't have to do anything. This feature was developed with employer supported volunteering in mind, but can of course be used for any situation! How do you make a group application? Use the 'Group application' button on the activity page to start the process. A pop-up will appear. Select (if you are an administrator of multiple organisations) the organisation on whose behalf you want to apply. You can only select members of that organisation. Select which members you want to register on whose behalf by typing their name. You can also choose to add all members first (via the link below the text field) and then deselect the members you do not want to register one by one. If a person has already registered, you can no longer select this person. Group applications are never placed on a waiting list. If there is not enough capacity for the entire group, the error message "There is not enough capacity for your group" will appear. In this case, contact the organisation directly to discuss the options. Click on 'Proceed to the application form'. Fill in the question or the questionnaire. The answers you give apply to each person you're applying for. Click on 'Proceed to confirmation'. Please read all points carefully so that you understand the consequences. Click on 'Create group application'. And that's it, now it is up to the organisation to get in touch with you. Important things to note: Any organisation admin or moderator can make an application on behalf of people who are members of that same organisation, but it is not possible to add members of sub-groups or teams. You can only add members of your own organisation(s). Someone who is an administrator at multiple organisations can choose on behalf of which organisation they are applying. All communication goes through the group representative, including any status changes, and that the individual members do not receive any communication about this. As a group representative, you are responsible for communicating with the members you have registered and must therefore ensure that everyone is in the right place on time. To find out more information, follow this link How do group applications work?

Here at Be the Change we are all about volunteering. We know what makes it great, but how do we convince others? We tell stories! Volunteers telling us about their journey into volunteering and what they get out of it. Staff telling us how they began as a volunteer and then loved it so much they took a job when it came round. Young people, old people, new people, pillars of the community all getting together to Be the Change. All of these stories are what connect us and remind others of the benefits of volunteering. So, how do you 'Be the Change'? Fill in our feedback form now to be in with a chance to win a £30 Amazon Voucher. Closing date 21st of May.

Be the Change is officially a year old! We would like to say a massive thank you to the 80 organisations and nearly 500 users who have registered with us so far. Over 150 volunteering activities have been advertised on our platform and organisations have received over 160 applications directly through the platform. With opportunities from Kinross to Pitlochry, Comrie to Alyth and beyond, our reach is only growing. While opportunities in Communities and Family are the most popular roles, there are also opportunities in areas such as wellbeing, education, poverty reduction, people with disabilities, sport and recreation, animal welfare and nature and sustainability and more! There is something for everyone so make sure to have a look. Help us be the change and reach more potential volunteers in year 2!