Employer Supported Volunteering

Volunteering is the commitment of time and energy, for the benefit of society and the community, the environment, and others. It is unpaid and undertaken freely and by choice.

Employer Supported Volunteering (ESV) is when organisations actively support and encourage their employees to volunteer. This can take many forms from an employer freeing up time for employees to do their own volunteering, as well as formal ESV programmes.

Whatever form it takes, ESV is becoming more popular as it allows organisations to make a big difference through volunteering.

We are very keen to encourage local companies to support employees to be actively involved in the community by contributing their time and skills and are therefore currently actively promoting and supporting a range of ESV projects across the county.

Becky and Carlisle Dementia Action Alliance

Cumbria CVS’s Becky, and Kevin from Carlisle Dementia Action Alliance, talk about how ESV works, and how Becky’s support with delivering Dementia Friends sessions for the Alliance is invaluable for them.

WCF and Eden Valley Hospice

We helped to organise an Employer Supported Volunteering Project with WCF who supported Eden Valley Hospice, with their employees volunteering to complete some external painting outside of patient rooms in their walled garden area to ensure theirs patients, families and carers have a beautiful environment.

The team also donated some bird food and feeders for the walled garden area so that patients and their families can watch the birds out of their windows.

“I would definitely recommend Cumbria CVS to other charities who could do with some helpful employee volunteers”.

Martha Pardoe, Fundraiser, Eden Valley Hospice & Jigsaw, Cumbria’s Children’s Hospice

Watch this short video to find out more:

Rachel and St Thomas Primary School

Watch the video below where Rachel explains why ESV works for both her and her employer Cumbria CVS.

VolkerRail and Yewedale Community Centre

Watch the video below to see how VolkerRail, their suppliers, and the Yewdale Community Centre in Carlisle all benefited from the ESV project we helped them to arrange.

You can also read our VolkerRail and Yewdale Community Centre Case Study here

 

Staff can benefit from ESV:

Participating in ESV projects builds self-confidence and supports personal development.

Share skills and experience:

  • Give staff a sense of achievement
  • A chance to make a difference
  • Explore new situations and challenges
  • Build relationships with colleagues

Companies can benefit from ESV in a number of ways including:

  • Providing personal development opportunities for employees
  • Helping to motivate staff
  • Recruiting and retaining staff
  • Bringing new skills/experience/ideas into the organisation
  • Marketing the company positively
  • Providing effective training
  • Team building

Developing Volunteering Opportunities

Cumbria CVS can work with local volunteer-involving organisations to provide a range of ESV opportunities for local companies and organisations including:

Practical ones such as:

  • Gardening
  • Beach cleans
  • Decorating
  • Community Clean Ups
  • Conservation

Professional ones including:

  • Accountancy
  • IT
  • Social Media
  • Governance
  • HR
  • Marketing
  • Business planning
  • Trustees

Personal Volunteering

Through working with employers, we aim to encourage individual employees to get involved with volunteering with projects that they have a personal interest or passion in.

Download Our Leaflet

Download our Employer Supported Volunteering Leaflet here.

Cumbria CVS Volunteer Brokerage Service – Employer Supported Volunteering

Cumbria CVS can support organisations to develop, deliver, manage and evaluate a successful ESV scheme as part of our Volunteer Brokerage Service. Please get in touch for costings and to discuss further.

 

To discuss ESV further please contact:
Judith Smale, County Volunteer Support Officer
01768 800350 or email:  judiths@cumbriacvs.org.uk

 

Cumbria CVS Employer Supported Volunteering Policy

Cumbria CVS recognises that it has a social responsibility to support our own staff to undertake volunteering activities with other voluntary and community organisations. Please see the Cumbria CVS Employer Supported Volunteering Policy for full details download here