Employer Supported Volunteering
Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) is generally understood to be the expression of an organisation’s commitment to and acceptance of its role in society. A socially responsible employer will subscribe to a set of standards of behaviour to make its impact on society positive and productive. To be effective and visible, this commitment needs to be backed by resources, leadership and measurement.
Employers are increasingly seeking ways to address the rising expectation that business should act responsibly, and the relationship between business and the voluntary sector has moved on, from asking for and donating money, to seeing the value in forming strategic partnerships that benefit all parties involved.
Employer supported volunteering, as part of a wider corporate community involvement programme, can improve a company’s image in the community in which it operates. By making strong links with the local community, the company is demonstrating that it takes its corporate social responsibility very seriously. This strengthens its reputation in the local and wider community, including the business world.
There is clear evidence that people do make the link between companies that are actively involved in the community and those that are good to work for. Many companies have learned that encouraging their employees to volunteer is good for the individual, for the community and for business.
eVOLution act as broker between the private, public and third sectors developing relationships and projects that meet the needs of the client. Projects such as team challenges, fundraising board membership and skill sharing opportunities can be taken on both individually or as a group.
For example, Darlington Building Society have teamed up with Age Concern to work together on their own version of “Silver Surfer” projects. Staff from DBS are volunteering to run the session once a month from Age Concern where they will pass on their computer skills to the older residents of Darlington.
ESV Garden Challenge 2009
In stark contrast to last years Volunteers’ Week, this years Garden Challenges took place in glorious sunshine and the results were just as dramatic.
This years gardens were provided by WRVS service users, who could no longer maintain their gardens but still enjoy using them. Each garden was tackled by one of three large Darlington Employers.
The first garden, belonging to Mr. Ron Sanderson was taken on by the Department for Children, Schools and Families. They tidied and replanted flower beds, cleared a rockery area and cut and tidied the lawn.
The second garden was tended by NHS County Durham and NHS Darlington and belonged to Mr. Norman Kirby. Mr. Kirby’s wife had looked after the garden before she died and the front garden had been dedicated to her memory. The team were able to tidy up the front garden as well as the back garden and even managed to re-paint the shed.
The third garden provided perhaps the most striking transformation (as you can see in the pictures) and belonged to Mrs. Joan Butler. A mix of students and staff from Darlington College were able to clear the overgrown garden, lay a new patio and also create a ramp so Mrs. Butler can now enjoy her garden without difficulty.
Mark Wilkes eVOLution’s Employer Supported Volunteering Development Worker said of the day “It went really well, the gardens all looked fantastic. Plus it was great to see two new teams getting into the spirit of ESV.”
Thanks to: John Wade, Darlington Borough Council , Woodburn Nursery and MKM Building Supplies for their kind donations of skips and materials for the day.