LOOKING FOR ESV VOLUNTEERS

1 - Strategic need and planning

Consider how partnerships with businesses, including corporate volunteering, would help you to develop and deliver your aims and ambitions. Plan ahead and be clear of what you would hope to gain from that relationship or arrangement and what you are able to give in return. You can still be flexible to respond to urgent requests, but experience has shown that it works more effectively if part of a planned relationship. Consider what level of resource (money or people) you are able to devote to any corporate volunteering partnership/events and agree your position on whether you would seek any funding from those businesses in order to carry out corporate event type volunteering.

2 - Finding the right business partner

Think about the type of business that might support you, not just in a one-off event, but on an ongoing basis. Do your values and purposes align and are they the sort of business that you feel would work well with you? Go Volunteer Glos lists employers looking for volunteering opportunities, but you can also find out more about local businesses who may wish to support your community through business networks, including Circle2Success www.circle2success.com GFirstLep www.gloucestershire.gov.uk/business-property-and-economy, Business Buzz www.business.buzz.co.uk, and local Rotary groups. If you have existing relationships with businesses, whether that’s through fundraising events or other routes, then you might consider approaching them to develop your relationship further into volunteering.

3 - Identify your volunteering needs and communicate them clearly

Be clear about what you need from volunteering so that the support given is really beneficial to you and make sure that you have discussed this openly with any business partner to avoid any mismatched expectations. Don’t create a need for an activity unless it’s genuinely required – otherwise you may end up creating unnecessary work. Offering more diverse, inclusive and flexible volunteering opportunities, including virtual volunteering, that are accessible so that as many people can give their time as possible could help attract new corporate volunteers. Having clear volunteer role profiles will help you to determine which type of role you need or can manage under corporate volunteering or different circumstances, for example roles that do not require DBS’s or close supervision.

4 - Plan any volunteering events carefully

Make sure any volunteering activity or project is clearly organised with a defined scope and expected results. Send invitations, including any agenda if necessary, catering options and any other information that you think could help the employer feel fully prepared. Volunteering events such as one-off days can put a significant strain on a charity’s resources if they are not planned properly. Consider any associated costs or other resource implications and communicate that clearly. A clear event plan will aid your design and implementation.

5 - Explain what you can offer a business

In our experience, businesses are interested in partnering with VCSE organisations that align with their:

·       employee development and wellbeing programmes

·       goals such as brand strengthening

·       ambitions related to community and social responsibility and value (CSR,ESG, CORP/Procurement objectives linked to social value)

Help them to understand who they are helping through any volunteering - show them all the great work that you do, and the difference that it is making, through news on your websites, sharing stories and impact reports. Talk to them about what their needs might be and any challenges and constraints they might have which will affect your relationship arrangements. Say thank you for any support that is given, report and share the volunteer impact stories with them so that they can see the difference their involvement has made to you and the community your support.

6 - AND FINALLY Feel confident to say no!

Finally, feel confident to say no to a corporate volunteering request if it doesn’t meet your organisations needs or ability at that moment in time. It’s better to be honest about which things meet your charitable objectives and circumstances than to feel you have to do something. Think of it as an opportunity to develop a relationship with that business that may bring positive results for you both over time.