Volunteer
IMSA recognises the fantastic contribution made by the shedders who have acted as advocates since the association was set up in 2011.
Without these people who have selflessly given their time and skills over the last five years we could not have made the men’s sheds movement in Ireland such a success.
It is that very success that means that we need to now put in place more structured systems that are designed to cope with the 400 sheds and growing who rely on us for guidance and support.
We are calling for shedders who want to support the men’s sheds movement to consider becoming an IMSA shed support volunteer for their county. The purpose of this role is to support IMSA in the development of new and existing sheds in your county. IMSA needs volunteers who will work on behalf of IMSA with all sheds in their county, support the delivery of IMSA programmes and be the first point of contact for shed queries. At all times, the shed support volunteers will be working under the guidance of the IMSA volunteer coordinator.
If you’re interested in learning more about becoming a Shed Support Volunteer, please download the Shed Support Volunteer Duties and Responsibilities.
We aim to have one Shed Support Volunteer in each county, or where there are more than eight sheds in a county, two volunteers.
These people would be asked to agree to serve for two years and will be provided with the support and direction of the volunteer coordinator and with full training and induction.
If you are considering applying to act as a Shed Support Volunteer you will need to get the support of your own shed and of at least two other sheds in your county. This will needed to be provided to IMSA Head Office on a proposal form. You can download the nomination form by clicking here.
We will notify each shed in the county of the names of the people who have put themselves forward. If only one person applies in any county, we will invite that person to become the Shed Support Volunteer for that county.
Where there is more than one person who wants to be considered as a Shed Support Volunteer for any county, and the county has eight or less sheds, IMSA will ask each shed in that county to confirm in writing which candidate they prefer. For counties with more than eight sheds, IMSA will ask sheds to choose two candidates.
If any county has no applicants putting themselves forward, IMSA will reach out to each shed in the county and ask that they put forward one of their existing Shed members to serve as Shed Support Person for a period of six months. During that six month period, IMSA will work with the sheds and see if a volunteer can be found to perform the role as a two-year volunteer. If there no shedders available, IMSA will again ask that another of the shed members puts themselves forward as the shed support person to serve a further six month term.
Why become a Shed Support Volunteer?
Shed Support Volunteers are a very important part of the men’s sheds movement in Ireland. During a person’s time volunteering with the Irish Men’s Sheds Association, we hope that you will experience the many benefits of acting as a volunteer, which include;
- Personal development.
- Experience of working in and learning about the voluntary sector in Ireland.
- Opportunity to make a positive and meaningful impact on the lives of men in the community.
- Contribute towards the development and sustainability of the Irish Men’s Sheds Association.