THE BENEFITS of employee volunteering are endless, from learning and developing new skills and increasing engagement to improving recruitment and raising the profile of a business.
Plenty of charities doing amazing work but many struggle to provide volunteering opportunities that meet the requirements of Corporate Social Responsibility programmes.
Action4Youth is a charity working across Buckinghamshire, Milton Keynes and the surrounding counties providing positive, often transformational, experiences and activities to inspire children and young people.
It has identified a programme of opportunities, ideally suited to businesses and their employees who are keen to reap the benefits of corporate volunteering.
A report by the National Council for Voluntary Organisations reveals that, for employers, participating in employer-supported volunteering benefits their employees by supporting their development and feeling better about their work place. Participation also benefits the business through increased employee productivity, enhanced image and reputation of the business.
Many said it was important for employers to demonstrate a good ethos and values as an organisation and create an increasing expectation among those they engaged with, whether clients or employees.
Action4Youth has a huge range of volunteering opportunities throughout Buckinghamshire, from helping to prepare young people for working life, to improving facilities for children with disabilities at the Caldecotte Xperience in Milton Keynes. Corporate volunteering offers employees fun and rewarding experiences, which will directly contribute to Action4Youth’s work with young people in the community. Everyone’s a winner, says the charity.
“We currently have a number of opportunities available,” says fundraising manager Rosalind Lee “including hosting a group of students and giving them an understanding of different career opportunities within your business; helping to prepare young people for a job interview; and taking part in a ‘dragons den’ panellist session to question teenagers taking part in the National Citizenship Service on their social action plans.
“We also have more practical group volunteering opportunities at the Caldecotte Xperience, such as painting, decorating and garden maintenance, creating an accessible archery range, building an outdoor pizza oven and extending accessible pathways through the site.”
Action4Youth is keen to hear from businesses or employees interested in finding out more about corporate volunteering opportunities. To find out more, visit https://www.action4youth.org/volunteer-opportunities/
