Forum Member Groups
Join Forum's Member Groups
Forum Members can take part in a range of Working Groups and Communities of Practice. These groups cover areas including research, standards, diversity & inclusion, and climate action.
Most of the groups meet monthly to share information and good practice, and to hear presentations from Forum members and guest speakers from outside the network.
HOW TO JOIN OUR MEMBER GROUPS
If you work for an organisation that is a Member of Forum, you can join these groups by emailing info@forum-ids.org.
BECOME A MEMBER
Our Member Groups
Forum RPPL Group
The Forum Research, Practice, Policy and Learning (RPPL) Group brings Forum members together with researchers and academics who work in the field of volunteering.
This group guides Forum’s research priorities and maintains and register of ongoing research.
The group meets monthly for a presentation and discussion of a research project, and it commissions research and strategy work on behalf of the Forum membership.
Standards Working Group
The Forum Standard’s Working Group manages the Global Volunteering Standard. Forum launched the second iteration of the Standard at IVCO 2021, and the group is now focused on promoting the Standard, supporting organisations to use it to improve their practice, and advocating for governments to endorse and adopt the Standard.
The Standards Working Group also manages the Global Volunteering Standard Platform.
Diversity and Inclusion Community of Practice
Forum’s Community of Practice on Diversity and Inclusion supports Forum members to better understand questions of equality and inclusion as they relate to our work, and it spurs and supports our members to improve their practice in these areas. It does this through discussion with guest speakers, journal clubs and by offering training to Forum members.
IVCO Working Group
The IVCO Working Group supports the planning and delivery of the annual International Volunteer Cooperation Organisations Conference (IVCO).
IVCO is the world’s biggest annual conference for volunteering in development organisations, researchers, governments and the private sector.
The group is made up of organisations that have hosted IVCO in recent years.
Security and Risk Management Working Group
The Security and Risk Management Working Group is a space for coordination, collaboration and mutual support for Forum Members on issues of security, risk management, and crisis response.
Climate Action Working Group
Our newest group, the Forum Climate Action Group, was established to engage and inform Forum members on issues related to environmental sustainability and climate action.
It aims to inform, to spur action and to provide practical advice to Forum Members on these issues.
Other Spaces For Forum Members
Heads of Agency Meetings
Forum hosts regular online Heads of Agency Meetings. This is an important space for the leaders of Forum member organisations to network and discuss questions of common concern. An in-person Heads of Agency meeting takes place each October at the IVCO Conference.
Intergovernmental Meeting
Forum hosts regular Intergovernmental Meetings, bringing together state volunteering agencies and government donors that support volunteering in development. The group also meets in person each year at the IVCO Conference.
Microsoft Teams
Forum members can access a Microsoft Teams for calls, chat and file management across all our Groups, and to communicate directly with other Forum members.