Working with employers

Spending some time researching and considering the employers your brokerage service wishes to target can pay dividends, as can spending some time on how you will approach each employer.

The most important question to ask when considering an approach to an employer is “how will they benefit?” This message needs to be communicated to the right person in the right organisation at the right time.

• Once you have devised a format for your programme you will need to establish a target list of the employers you wish to approach and prioritise it.
• Prioritising the list will help you to target your resources effectively but also enables you to address any specific objectives you have

Researching an employer

Once you have the name of an employer it is very important to do some background research which will inform how or indeed if you should approach them. You will want to know:

• Do they have an ESV programme?
• If not do they support any charities or engage in any corporate community involvement activity?
• Do they have a preferred charitable cause?
• Who manages their ESV or CCI programmes? Is there a dedicated community affairs team or is it co-ordinated within the HR or other department?
• Who would be the best contact for you to approach? How should you get in touch with them?
• Do you, any of your clients or partner organisations have a track record of working with that employer in any capacity?

There are a number of places you can look for this information:

• On the employer’s website – for large organisations or customer focused websites you may have to search the site quite hard for this information.
• The employer’s annual report
• On local and national broker and charity websites
• The local press
• National sector specific press (for larger employers)
• Asking colleagues and partner organisations
• Contacting the employer directly. For SMEs this is often the most sensible approach

Helping an employer to establish an ESV programme

If you are promoting ESV to employers you may find that some need a little guidance to help them establish their programme. This could involve:

• Helping them to understand the possible benefits and how to achieve them
• Integrating ESV into any existing community programmes
• Enabling them to identify links between ESV and staff development
• Providing them with access to best practice information
• Encouraging them to set targets and establish mechanisms for review and evaluation
• Guiding them through some of the costs they may encounter and the resources they will need to apply
• If you are running a programme which engages with several employers you may wish to hold some form of regular network meeting

Getting an employer started

You can take an employer through the following steps for success.

1. Secure, strong senior management support
2. Identify what is wanted from the employer supported volunteering programme (i.e. skills development, corporate reputation etc.) – set objectives, guidelines and action plan
3. Ensure thorough management understanding and support for the programme across the board
4. Identify dedicated personnel to co-ordinate and manage activities and identify and provide the necessary resources
5. Consult and involve employees so that they have ownership/buy-in to the programme
6. Celebrate and recognise employee’s efforts and achievements
7. Communicate community involvement messages both internally and externally
8. Focus community objectives that meet business and community need
9. Start small: a small yet successful programme will grow and inspire others to become involved
10. Review activity (establish outcomes i.e. number of employees involved in first year, number of VIOs supported) to ensure growth and focus of the programme and assess impact.

Running a pilot volunteering project will provide you and the employer with an opportunity to better understand how the other operates

Checklist: brokering a volunteering activity

This checklist will help you to cover the organisational process for a volunteering activity (depending on the extent of your brokerage role). Please adapt to your needs and your specific service.

Pre-activity

• Agree the number of volunteers to be involved, and the type of activity (linked to employer’s needs and interests) – this will determine the scope of the project/organisation and is key to costing your service.
• Ensure the employer/team has appropriate insurance cover for the activity planned
• Explain your management process – style, briefings, training, materials, how volunteers find out about opportunities, how you match volunteers to projects
• Clarify your brokerage role – what you do and don’t provide and your costs and customer care i.e. whether you attend introductory visits, your role in evaluation and review
• Encourage links with the employer’s own H&S staff if they have any concerns and wish to develop best practice
• Start the process, and gain commitment to go ahead and request that appropriate forms are completed and returned.
• Volunteers should agree their role with their VIO and investigate resources (time, equipment, materials, personnel) to start/complete their activity
• Encourage volunteers to think about any contingency plans
• Liaise continually with volunteers and matched VIOs

During the activity

• Ensure the organisation provides induction/briefing, make introductions and provide a warm welcome
• Any risk assessments should be reviewed before the activity starts – to ensure all information is up to date
• Clarify when your programme staff may visit to provide moral support and feedback

After the activity

• Clarify who responsibility for any work not completed rests with, and if the volunteering activity is not completed what will happen next – as the broker, you may facilitate this role
• Clarify your role in supporting/organising feedback and review processes (feedback forms, questionnaires etc.
• Discuss support for publicity – PR and Media i.e. providing templates for press releases, support with PR (quotes, radio interviews etc)
• Discuss how you will provide wider company feedback and review - including summaries and update meetings
• Highlight any networking/celebratory events

Communicating inside companies

The relationships you build with your main employer contacts are extremely important, as good relationships with them will help with the key and important communications route to employer supported volunteers. The more enthusiastic, supportive and encouraging you are – the more they will be too – infectious enthusiasm is a very important quality!

Top tips

• Find out who the key stakeholders are internally – what will they need to know?
• What consultation process will need to take place?
• Communications should create ownership and build a stake in the programme for employees, and involve everyone
• Communications should anticipate questions and concerns and provide the information in a way that encourages employees to come forward and want to get involved
• Factor in lead-in times i.e. copy for a newsletter, awards announcement
• Communications should be regular, up to date, simple and designed for the audience who is going to see them
• People can only communicate the information they are given

Routes to communication

Understanding the employer’s main routes for internal communications is very important. Employees will be familiar with the usual methods – so why invent something new if there is already an effective system that works.

Checklist: ways to communicate

• Employer intranet
• Posters/display boards.
• Teaser campaign
• Table-top cards/pop ups/flyers
• Brochures and publications
• Team briefings
• Personal letters
• Newsletters/staff
• Launches and merchandise
• Community marketplace
• Committees and clubs
• Internal ESV committee/working group
• Presentations

Want to know more about how to work with employers, including guidance, checklists and templates?

Find out how you can purchase our publication Employer Supported Volunteering: a toolkit for Volunteer CentresVolunteer Centres can download the toolkit free of charge from the members section of the VE website.