Make Your Mark Inclusive Volunteering Conference 2026: Power in Partnership

Make Your Mark is the campaign to increase the number and diversity of heritage volunteers in Scotland. By heritage, we mean built, natural and cultural heritage. Make Your Mark is made possible with funding from The National Lottery Heritage Fund.

For our third annual conference, we will be exploring the power of collaboration in building inclusive, sustainable volunteer programmes.

Where: Online and in-person at Edinburgh Zoo

Who: Volunteer-involving organisations (heritage and non-heritage)

Volunteering thrives when we work together. Power in Partnership brings together voices from across the heritage and wider voluntary sector to explore how collaboration can drive inclusion, wellbeing and meaningful participation.

Through talks, case studies and interactive workshops, this one-day conference will celebrate the relationships that make change possible. Together, we'll explore how to build a more equitable and sustainable volunteer landscape.

Key themes include:

• Inclusion and belonging: creating volunteer programmes that reflect and empower a diverse range of communities.
• Co-creation and collaboration: sharing power between organisations, volunteers and communities.
• Accessibility and wellbeing: embedding psychological and structural safety in volunteering practice.
• Sustainability and impact: using research, data and design to build lasting, meaningful engagement.
• Cross-sector partnership: connecting heritage with health, education and community development.

In the main atrium area where attendees will gather for refreshments and networking in between sessions, we will be displaying digital posters highlighting achievements in inclusive volunteering, as well as celebrating some of their volunteers' stories. Learn more about how to submit a digital poster.

Who is the event for?

Whether your organisation is just starting to think about involving volunteers, or you're an organisation with thousands of volunteers, there's something for everyone on the day.

We have tickets for heritage and non-heritage organisations, as we're keen to share knowledge across the entire voluntary sector.

***Please note that to book an in-person ticket for a heritage organisation, you must be a member of Make Your Mark. Joining Make Your Mark is free - sign up now!***

Accessibility

We want our conference to be accessible, inclusive and enjoyable for everyone. We are applying a range of accessibility measures as standard:

• We have provided all speakers with accessibility guidelines to assist them in creating inclusive presentations and workshops.
• BSL interpreters will be signing throughout the event.
• We have scheduled in breaks throughout the day.
• The event will use Slido throughout for audience interactivity, and there will be a practice session for everyone at the start of the event. Slido access details can be found on the programme.

We have also invited all participants to tell us about their needs at the time of booking.

Please note that whilst the majority of the conference takes place in the Education Centre at the Zoo, some in-person workshops are located a short distance away in the Mansion House, and lunch will be served a short distance away in the Grasslands Restaurant.We have produced a detailed accessibility guide for attending the Make Your Mark conference 2025.

If you need any information or help at any stage, please get in touch at hello@makeyourmark.scot and let us know - we're happy to help.

Make Your Mark is a cross-sectoral partnership project that is hosted by the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland - a registered Scottish Charity No. SC010440.