The Association of Volunteer Managers, run by those already working with volunteers, will offer networking opportunities and develop best practice resources for the sector. Many of AVM’s services, from peer support groups to blogs, will be primarily run by its members. The group will be officially launched on 5 June.

“The role of volunteer manager is more complex than every before,” a statement from the group said. “There is increasing regulation relating to both volunteering and also to the sectors within which many people volunteer. There are also changes in the ways that people come to volunteering, [with] people more conscious of what they want to gain from volunteering and organisations facing increasing economic challenges and often looking to volunteers to help resolve these.”

The group’s first members are expected to be recruited at a launch event in June, when early research into volunteer managers’ training and support needs will also be carried out.