Volunteer activities

Some of our volunteer groups organise activities for CIH. These activities support us to improve our visibility and the recognition of CIH member value, and create spaces where our members can network and learn together.

If this applies to your group, the Member Engagement Toolkit can be found in the Volunteer Pack for your volunteer group. Please have a read of this for more detailed guidance on planning, delivering and evaluating your group’s activities.

Types of activity

There are many different types of activity that CIH organises throughout the year. The table below will help you to distinguish between these events and where volunteers are involved.

Activities may include online webinars, in-person networking events, roundtables, consultation sessions, conference contributions, good practice sharing, careers activity, member engagement campaigns and regional or nation-specific events. Where applicable, your group’s Terms of Reference and Volunteer Pack should explain which activities are within scope for your group and what support is available from CIH.

Webinar guidance

Type of webinar	Volunteer run	CIH run
Managed by	Volunteer cih-group Designated CIH officer Supported by CIH event coordinator.	CIH events team.
Type of content	Several speakers Topic relevant to section of membership that volunteer group is dedicated to.	Several speakers Topic identified as relevant to membership base to answer a learning or development need.
Availability	Free to members, occasionally open to non-members upon agreement with CIH.	Free to members, occasionally open to non-members.
Sponsorship	All sponsorship must be approved by the events manager or the head of business development. Corporate events have structured sponsorship packages, contract details and income targets. Please see the Sponsorship policy for more information.
Marketing	Inclusion in CIH events webpage and relevant member newsletters Promotion via volunteer group social media.	Inclusion in CIH events webpage and relevant member newsletters Promotion via official CIH social media channels.
Target audience	Members Non-members on occasion.	Members Non-members on occasion.
Strategic goals	Attract members Improve knowledge and opportunities for professionals.	Attract members Improve knowledge and opportunities for professionals.
Contact	Designated CIH officer CIH event coordinator.	CIH event coordinator.

In-person event guidance

Event type	Volunteer run	CIH run
Managed by	Volunteer sub-group Designated CIH officer CIH event coordinator.	CIH events team.
Type of content	One day or under Several speakers Topic relevant to section of membership that volunteer group is dedicated to.	One or more days Multiple sessions and speakers Involves a working group and detailed research to develop the programme May include networking dinner and/or drinks May include awards ceremony.
Availability	Free to members, occasional offer for members to bring a non-member upon agreement with CIH.	Free to members, with the exclusion of awards ceremonies. Occasionally a paid option for non-members.
Sponsorship	All sponsorship must be approved by the events manager or the head of business development. Corporate events have structured sponsorship packages, contract details and income targets. Please see the Sponsorship policy for more information.
Marketing	Inclusion in CIH events webpage and relevant member newsletter One solus email for one-day events Promotion via volunteer group social media.	Inclusion in CIH events webpage Targeted emails to members Inclusion in member newsletters Partner marketing Promotion via official CIH social media channels.
Target audience	Members Non-members on occasion.	Members Non-members.
Strategic goals	Attract members Member networking opptunities Improve knowledge and opportunities for professionals.	Attract members Member networking opportunities Improve knowledge and opportunities for professionals Raise the profile of CIH within the sector Stimulate dialogue on key issues Provide revenue stream for CIH.
Contact	Designated CIH officer CIH event coordinator.	CIH event manager CIH event coordinators.

Other event guidance

Event type	Study trip	Community of practice	Interview panel
Managed by	International study trip committee Designated CIH officer.	Community of practice network chair CIH policy lead.	Designated CIH officer.
Type of content	Study trip abroad.	Several speakers Topic relevant to specific community of practice.	Interview.
Availability	CIH members given priority, open to non-members.	Free to members, specific groups include non-members.	Members aiming for Chartered or Fellow status.
Sponsorship	All sponsorship must be approved by the events manager or the head of business development. Corporate events have structured sponsorship packages, contract details and income targets. Please see the Sponsorship policy for more information.
Marketing	N/A	Advertised on the policy webpage and CIH policy social media channels Advertised through emails to members on relevant mailing lists.	Included on CIH webpages about Chartered and Fellow membership Promotion via official CIH social media channels Postcards given out at events
Target audience	Members Non-members.	Members.	CIH members.
Strategic goals	Learning and development opportunities for participants Stimulate dialogue and ideas Networking opportunities.	Share best practice Share CIH policy update Contribute to consultations on legislative change Networking opportunities Stimulate dialogue on key issues.	Ensure candidates meet the criteria to be awarded Chartered or Fellow membership Align professional competence, ethical practice and behaviour with professional standards Organisational and industry standards.
Contact	International study trip committee lead Designated CIH officer.	CIH policy lead.	Designated CIH officer.

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Data protection of members

In the course of volunteering with CIH, you will never be asked to process the personal data of our members. However, when carrying out your volunteer role, you may become privy to data.

Please read the CIH Data Protection Policy for full guidelines on how to interact with data as a CIH representative. This can be found in your Volunteer Pack.

Attending events as a CIH volunteer

As an active professional in the housing sector, you are likely to attend both CIH and non-CIH events. When attending external or related events, you should be clear whether you are attending in a personal, professional or CIH volunteer capacity.

We always appreciate when our volunteers can be advocates for CIH at external events, as well as our own, and it’s great to be able to speak about CIH with confidence.

To do this:

Refamiliarise yourself with the CIH mission so you can talk about why we do what we do
Share some of the great work you’ve been doing as a CIH volunteer with other delegates
Remember that you are our eyes and ears! If other delegates are sharing feedback about what they want to see from their professional body, then we want to hear it
As you are a trusted representative of CIH, please never share private data or names that you have come across during your volunteering
Review our Communications section of the handbook for more detailed advice around communications and when to involve the CIH comms team.

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