This month (August 2019) the Barking and Dagenham Council for Voluntary Service has launched a system which hopes to create a publicly accessible database of all not-for-profit organisations in the borough which will promote volunteering and participation opportunities across sectors.
The Simply Connect platform will address gaps in the market which have up till now hindered the accessibility of volunteering opportunities for the residents of Barking and Dagenham. Over the next few weeks the platform will be populated with volunteering and participation opportunities across the borough, and it is entirely free for the public to access.
Jon Cruddas MP said: "this is a great initiative and I commend the CVS who have worked really hard to bring this forward. Barking and Dagenham are the second borough in the country to use this system, and I think it has the potential to develop community engagement across our area. I look forward to seeing the local take-up and how this develops."
Public sector partners are encouraged to engage by placing their own volunteering opportunities on the portal, however there will be a nominal charge for organisations wishing to do this to help with the maintenance of the database.
The database can be found via the Barking and Dagenham CVS website here: http://www.bdcvs.org.uk/volunteering