This document discusses employer supported volunteering (ESV) and whether it is a benefit or burden. It summarizes research on partnerships between companies and voluntary organizations for ESV. The research found that ESV has potential benefits for all parties when done well. However, mutual understanding of costs and expectations is important. Brokers can help match partners' needs, especially for smaller organizations. While volunteering for local charities is attractive, capacity issues need addressing. Overall, ESV provides benefits when partnerships are well-facilitated and understand each party's perspectives and needs.

1. EMPLOYER SUPPORTED
VOLUNTEERING: BENEFIT
OR BURDEN?
MONDAY 23 NOVEMBER 2015
#volunteering

2. ON THE BRINK OF A GAME-
CHANGER?
BUILDING SUSTAINABLE PARTNERSHIPS
BETWEEN COMPANIES AND VOLUNTARY
ORGANISATIONS
MAIN MESSAGES FROM THE
RESEARCH
23RD NOVEMEBER 2015
NICK OCKENDEN
ANDREW CURTIS

3. BACKGROUND TO THE RESEARCH
3
• Commissioned by the Chartered Institute of
Personnel and Development to look at
partnerships in ESV
• Research conducted spring/summer 2015
Two workshops and 12 telephone interviews, we
spoke to:
• Companies
• Charities
• Brokers

4. PEOPLE IN PAID WORK PARTICIPATING IN ESV
2010/11 – 2013/14 (ENGLAND AND WALES)
4
3.9 4.2
4.6
10.5
10.4
13.3
0.0
2.0
4.0
6.0
8.0
10.0
12.0
14.0
2010/11 2012/13 2013/14
% people
in paid work
participating
in ESV
Monthly
In last 12 months
Source: NCVO Almanac and Community Life Survey

5. A MUTUALLY BENEFICIAL ACTIVITY
5
• ESV, when done well, has the potential to create positive benefits
for all parties
• Volunteering is freely given but not cost free, yet this can be
outweighed by the benefits experienced
• A need for mutual understanding of the full range of costs that are
involved and who should incur these costs

6. UNDERSTANDING THE PERSPECTIVE OF
PARTNERS
6
• Both companies and voluntary organisations have different
working cultures, challenges and expectations
• Need to understand and examine these at an early stage
• Importance of the first contact between the company and the
voluntary organisation
• Different values can be placed on varying types of activity, eg
group volunteering versus specialised assistance

7. USING THIRD PARTY BROKERS AND
INTERMEDIARIES
7
• Brokers and intermediaries can play a key role
• A third party can play a vital part in matching the needs of
companies and voluntary organisations
• Brokerage can be especially beneficial for smaller voluntary
organisations and SMEs

8. RECOGNISING THE IMPORTANCE OF SCALE
8
• Volunteering for smaller local organisations can be particularly
attractive
• Can potentially have greater impact working with smaller voluntary
organisations
• Also benefits from voluntary organisations partnering with SMEs

9. IMPLICATIONS?
9
• What can help to facilitate ESV?
• Can anything be done to help ‘match’ partners?
• What are the relative merits about volunteers providing generalised
versus specialised support?

10. EMPLOYER SUPPORTED
VOLUNTEERING: HR’S
VIEWS
Katerina Rudiger
Chief Community Officer, CIPD
Monday 23 November 2015

11. COMMUNITY INVESTMENT AT CIPD
Creating a movement of HR volunteers
CIPD approach to its own volunteers
Supporting CIPD members and wider
HR/employer community with ESV
Relationships with charity/voluntary sector
Advocacy around volunteering & role of HR
Ensuring CIPD walks the talk

12. CIPD VOLUNTEER SURVEY 2015: EMPLOYEES’
VIEWS

13. EMPLOYERS’ ATTITUDES TOWARDS
VOLUNTEERING

14. THE ISSUE…AND SOME SOLUTIONS

15. HOW TO TAKE THIS FORWARD
Close partnership with the NCVO (joint work on
training for HR)
Championing good practice
Exploring link between volunteering and L&D
Promoting skills-based volunteering
Providing employers with initiatives & toolkits
Supporting the charity sector
Joining up CSR & HR activity

17. “This doesn’t exist anywhere else
outside of London.
We are leading the way and we are
making a difference.”
Tony Martin, Zurich Community
Trust, Chair, Involve Swindon
Why it is different ………

18. ……Structure
• Monthly steering group with Corporate,
Charity and Statutory partners
• Corporate and statutory donations with
multi year commitment
• Activity brokered through NCVO
Accredited Volunteer Centre
• It is business driven

19. Brokerage perspective
• Small local charities can be overwhelmed
by support from large corporates, they
may not have capacity to deal with or
know what to do with people or how to use
the skills/time offered

20. Brokerage perspective
• Businesses & their employees can think
that offering the time of 50 or more people
for a day is a good thing & don’t realise the
amount of time involved in supporting &
managing, particularly for small charities

21. Brokerage perspective
• Difference in understanding between a
corporate CSR team & an employee on
the ground – what a business may say at
corporate level is not always understood
or easily achievable by an individual
employee

22. Brokerage perspective
• it’s really important to stress that what may
work between 2 big partners (corporate &
charity) may not always work out in the
regions with smaller charities

23. Brokerage perspective
• Trying to get people to understand that
volunteering and brokerage isn’t free
• But you are a charity ……..

24. Brokerage perspective
• Businesses & employees still want to do
‘team building’ ie practical stuff but there
are only a few charities that can take
advantage of this offering, need to find
ways of raising awareness of what is
actually needed
• Shift towards donation of skills , micro
opportunities and workshops

25. What has worked
• “I’m learning things I wouldn’t normally learn.
I’ve developed skills I’m bringing back into my
job.” Emily Jones,Nationwide
• Customer Care Training Delivered & hosted by
the Swindon Marriott for volunteer receptionists
from Citizens Advice Bureau“
• Corporate trustees help us look at our charity
from a fresh perspective and bring skills none of
us possess” Dressability

26. The future……
• Developing Franchise model
• Gloucestershire taken it up
• Develop links with SMEs

27. Contact
• www.involveswindon.co.uk

28. Abi Robins, British Gas

29. BREAKOUT DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
• What are the challenges you face in
terms of working with
charities/business?
• What is needed to ensure your
organisation can make the most of
the opportunities presented by ESV?

30. EMPLOYER SUPPORTED
VOLUNTEERING:
BENEFIT OR BURDEN?
#volunteering