Employer supported volunteering is becoming very popular as more and more companies see the benefits.
Endorsements from leading businesses, business national bodies and networks
Phil Orford, Chief Executive, Forum of Private Business "The Forum of Private Business (FPB) wholly recommends volunteering and getting involved in local communities. Charity work and volunteering doesn't have to cost much, but the benefits - for both the businesses and their respective communities - can be significant. It creates a positive team spirit amongst employees and, by engaging with the local community and increasing awareness of the business, can often lead to new contacts."
www.fpb.org |  |
David Frost, Director General, British Chambers of Commerce
“The British Chambers of Commerce supports employer supported volunteering and recognises the benefit it can bring business . It can help raise profiles, reach new markets, recruit the best employees and influence government. Volunteering England has provided an excellent web portal to help SMEs achieve these tangible business benefits through employer supported volunteering.”
www.britishchambers.org.uk |  |
Peter Campbell - UK HR Director, Zurich.
"Zurich's extensive community programme in the UK is an important part of our employee proposition. It not only enables our staff to make a valuable contribution to the communities of which we are a part, but also provides the opportunity for many of our people to develop skills in a unique and very rewarding way. 78% of the Zurich employees who were consulted for CommunityMark strongly agreed that they felt more committed to Zurich UK as a result of the community projects they had been involved in. "
www.zurich.co.uk |  |
Brendon Riley Chief Executive, IBM UK
"Both IBM and our employees derive tremendous benefits from our employer supported volunteering activities - recruitment & retention, motivation, market insights, skills development, teaming, reputation, the satisfaction of contributing to local communities - and just a lot of enjoyment and fun too. Everybody wins. We very strongly encourage other employers, however large or small, to set up their own volunteering programme."
www.ibm.com/uk/
John Wright, National Chairman of the Federation of Small Businesses says: “Our research shows that 67% of small businesses make charitable donations and encourage employees to undertake work with local charities. They are motivated to engage in these activities because of their personal value system and because they consider it to be good business practice.
With limited time and resources, small businesses need simple and effective ideas to increase and enhance their current participation. This is why the FSB welcomes Volunteering England’s initiative to support small businesses in their volunteering activities”.
www.fsb.org.uk/
Phil Hope MP (Labour), Minister for the Third Sector
I fully support this campaign because volunteering is a very effective way for employees to gain new skills while at the same time helping build strong relations with the local community. It's particularly important that small and medium size businesses take advantage of the range of support that Volunteering England offers so that they don't miss out on the benefits.
The Government wants to give more people the chance to try something different and give a bit back to the community, which is why we are investing more than ever before in organisations like Volunteering England. I urge all employers to make the most of the benefits that volunteering can bring to their businesses, employees and communities.
www.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/third_sector.aspx
Greg Clark MP (Conservative) Shadow Minister for Charities, Social Enterprise and Volunteering.
"Volunteering is good for individuals, good for local communities and good for companies in developing the skills and potential of their employees. The best companies are already leading by example and I would encourage all to share in the benefits that employee volunteering can bring."
www.gregclark.org/
David Dinsdale, Director of businesslink.gov.uk
Businesslink.gov.uk (www.businesslink.gov.uk) is the UK’s leading portal for practical advice for businesses. The website provides information on how volunteering can contribute towards the success of a business. If a company would like to set up a volunteering scheme, we provide links to Volunteering England’s website. By partnering with Volunteering England, businesslink.gov.uk is able to support businesses with high quality help and guidance that will ensure they can take their initial ideas through to a fully operational volunteering scheme.’
