Voluntary work
Employee volunteering is
volunteering that is supported by your employer, either in work
time or outside of work hours.
Many people find
employee volunteering beneficial as they often work together as a
team – creating improved team building skills through a rewarding
experience. It’s also a good way to lend a hand to your local
community.
If you are thinking
about setting up an employee volunteer scheme you will need to
decide what you want to do and how you would like to get
involved.
Team challenges
A 'challenge' is a practical task
that helps out a local community organisation. Types of challenge
include painting a hall, clearing a river or creating a children's
playground.
Secondments and development assignments
These are short placements in
community organisations for individuals and teams. All projects
have a clear focus and benefits include improved team building and
work place skills.
Virtual volunteering
Already well established in the US,
volunteers work from their desk on behalf of groups in the UK,
overseas and on the web.
Examples include:
- web research
- email mentoring
- 'listening' chat room
- newsgroup supervision
Virtual volunteering is helpful if you have limited time as you
can keep in touch via email or phone.
Board membership, including school governors
Volunteers can offer professional
or managerial skills to a school board or serve on the management
committee of a voluntary or public sector organisation. Skills
gained include:
- management experience
- decision-making
- developing strategies and policy
- organisational structure overview
Visit the Employee Volunteering
website for more information and to find out if it's right
for you.