Selby District Volunteer Centre was involved with piloting an employer sponsored volunteering scheme to benefit local organisations and the community, the employers sponsoring the volunteers and the volunteers themselves.
Themes
Volunteering supported by local employers.
Locality
The Selby district area.
Aims
To promote and support local volunteering through an employer sponsored volunteering scheme.
Details
Selby District Volunteer Centre was involved with piloting an employer sponsored volunteering scheme during the financial year ending 31 March 2013. The pilot brought together two employers, Selby District Council and DRAX power station, 17 of their employees and several local voluntary sector groups. These groups included the Alzheimer's Society, Selby Carers, Selby and District DIAL and the Wildlife HABITAT Trust based at Church Fenton.
The volunteer centre acted as a broker between the employees and the community groups and we brokered volunteering opportunities, including supporting at Singing for the Brain sessions, admin and reception support, IT support and environmental activities. Some volunteers went on to further volunteering as a result. A DVD was also produced and shown at our Valuing of Volunteers event in November 2012.
The benefits of employer sponsored volunteering are:
- Volunteers gain and share skills and knowledge they bring back into their workplace. They also gain an understanding of volunteering and the value of the voluntary and community groups in the Selby area;
- Employers benefit from an innovative approach to staff development that engages and inspires staff. It also increases the organisation's local credibility; and
- The organisations offering the volunteering opportunities gain support that is matched to their need, this ensures they get the right volunteer to help achieve the organisations aims and promote their work. It also helps build their capacity so they can do more.
This film was produced following the pilot Some of those involved explain more about how the scheme benefited local organisations and the community, the employers sponsoring the volunteers and the volunteers themselves.
Following the success of the pilot, the employer sponsored volunteering scheme is now fully live and works with public and private sector employers and a number of charities including the NSPCC, Alzheimer's Society, Selby Carers, Selby and District DIAL, Groundwork North Yorkshire and Horton Housing.
Contact details
Kathy Donnelly, volunteer champion, Selby District Volunteer Centre
Tel: 01757 291111
