Submitted by colette.bradley... on
Employer Supported Volunteering, or Corporate Volunteering, is where the employees of an organisation take time to volunteer during work hours, or organise volunteer activities. Action Together works with local groups across Oldham, Rochdale and Tameside to develop volunteering projects and roles, and then matches workplaces that want to volunteer with local organisations who need their help.
Last year Action Together were approached by Hyde-based Findel Education with a request to help them find an opportunity for their staff to get involved in volunteering.
We were already supporting our member organisation Hattersley Projects to recruit new volunteers by advertising their volunteer opportunities through the volunteering directory on our website, social media and volunteering emails. This quickly found six new volunteers to support their projects, helping them get involved in gardening, woodwork, painting, and learning new skills around sustainability and growing flowers, fruit and vegetables.
As part of of our Employer Supported Volunteering offer in Tameside, we then linked Hattersley Projects with Findel Education, and a team of four employees attended for a volunteer day.
Sharmain, Volunteer Lead at Hattersley Projects, said;
"They cleared the space beside our entrance and planted flowers to make the area more welcoming. The difference it has made is huge and we have had nothing but compliments about the first impressions walking into our site.
A massive thank you to Katie, Maria and Paul who worked tirelessly in the heat to make a huge difference to an area of the centre and a big difference for their community. It’s employers and people that volunteer here who make the biggest difference and can help us in many different ways. Thanks also to Action Together who supported us, and who continue to do so."
Following their volunteer day at Hattersley Projects, Findel Education continued their drive to support local charities, and Action Together connected them with Community Matters.
Community Matters is run through the Hattersley Community Hub and helps support families across Tameside. The aim of the campaign was to help families in need by providing pencil cases filled with stationery to children to use as part of their learning. For many families the cost of stationery is one that very few can afford. This appeal goes a long way in ensuring children have the equipment they need to learn and that they don’t feel that they are missing out because they don’t have some of the things that other children do.
Claire Greave from Findel Education said;
“We were more than happy to donate 100 filled pencil cases to their cause as it’s important to us here at Findel that we support children’s education however we can. Part of our ethos ‘growing education for generations’ is to ensure that everyone gets a fair chance, and that’s why campaigns like these ones really matter. Thanks to Jacqueline and Janet for visiting and we can’t wait to hear how this campaign makes a difference.
Action Together helps bring people and communities together and we simply wouldn’t get to hear about all these amazing charities and groups if it wasn’t for you, so thank you!”
Findel were thrilled to support and, following their initial involvement with Community Matters, they have gone on to support them on more occasions - with donations of toys and games at Christmas to distribute across the community, and with another employee volunteer day supporting The Bread and Butter Thing in Hattersley!
If your team would like to volunteer together, find out more about Employer Supported Volunteering at: www.actiontogether.org.uk/ESV