News

There are so many talented professionals willing to volunteer their skills and they offer a  great opportunity for increasing charities’ capacity, without the uncertainty and inefficiency of  fundraising. But few charities really embrace this approach to resource-raising.

Reach Volunteering runs a service matching charities with volunteers willing to share their expertise,  and we see a big variation in how charities use our service: many use us just for finding trustees, while some recruit an inspiring range of volunteers. To celebrate Volunteers Week I spoke to some of the charities that make most effective use of our service to learn more about their approach.

What volunteers can do for charities

Small Charities Coalition runs an advice service through which volunteer mentors provide advice for small charities in topics including fundraising, governance and strategy. They also engage volunteers to deliver projects. Their Christmas advert is a great example. It is a video that encourages people to consider giving to small charities rather than large household names.  Mandy Johnson, chief executive, said: “We needed someone who was a  ‘jack of all trades’ who could deliver the project end to end”. The volunteer they recruited was an experienced project manager who then recruited the rest of the team: volunteers to do the filming, write the music  and edit the film.

Another great example is Thames Estuary Partnership  who provide a framework for the sustainable management of the Thames. They involve volunteers across the organisation in key roles such as marketing and communications. Volunteers’ roles include editor, content writer, journalist, social media manager, and database administrator.Together they run the charity’s social media, and produce their weekly email updates, their monthly newsletter and their bi-annual magazine.

Lastly, Health Action Campaign champions more action to tackle preventable illness. It has no paid staff at all so all of its research, campaigning and publications are undertaken by volunteers. For example, a multi disciplinary team of volunteer health professionals and economists produced their report exploring the tensions between business needs and mass-produced food. The Healthy and wealthy report has influenced Department of Health policy, demonstrating the huge impact of their combined efforts. Likewise, another volunteer’s research into European approaches to childhood obesity was recently referenced by the House of Commons Health and Social Care Committee.

To read the full Civil Society article click here.