Volunteers’ Week: Employee volunteering in action
This Volunteers’ Week, Volunteering Matters is celebrating the impact of employee volunteering, with more than 600 volunteers expected to support over 20 community organisations across the UK throughout June.
By Ian Carruthers, Engagement Manager
Volunteers’ Week is always an amazing chance to celebrate the incredible contribution volunteers make to communities across the UK. For us at Volunteering Matters, we see every day how volunteering brings people together, strengthens communities and creates lasting change.
Employee volunteering (or corporate volunteering) is a key part of that picture. By connecting businesses, employees and community organisations, we help turn skills, energy and enthusiasm into practical action that makes a real difference.
June is another busy month for employee volunteering. Whilst there are far too many fantastic projects to highlight individually, the scale of activity demonstrates the power of people coming together to support their communities.
The numbers
During June, we are expecting:
- Around 40 employee volunteering days to take place.
- More than 600 employee volunteers taking part.
- Support for over 20 community organisations and venues across the UK.
These projects reflect our belief that stronger communities are built when people have the opportunity to contribute their time, skills and experience.
Making a practical difference
Many of our employee volunteering days focus on improving community spaces and facilities that local people rely on every day.
Across the month, volunteers will be:
- Clearing rivers and improving local environments.
- Painting indoor and outdoor community spaces.
- Gardening and transforming green spaces.
- Sorting donations in hospice shops and warehouses.
- Supporting maintenance work on a community railway.
- Improving an Age UK allotment and community growing spaces.
This work often enables community organisations to complete projects that would otherwise take months to deliver or simply would not happen due to limited resources.
Sharing skills and building connections
Employee volunteering is about much more than practical tasks. Many organisations are also sharing their professional skills, experiences and perspectives to support individuals and communities.
Alongside hands-on volunteering, June includes a range of skills-based and interactive opportunities supporting people with disabilities, community groups and education initiatives. While most activity takes place face-to-face, online volunteering sessions are also helping to extend the reach and impact of this work.
Some highlights from June
A number of projects particularly stand out.
- Teams will be supporting the important work of the Prince & Princess of Wales Hospice, working to collect and sort donations to support their fundraising efforts.
- Volunteers will be working alongside service users at Kith & Kids during an interactive employment-focused project. Together, they will sort, model and upload donated clothing to Vinted, helping participants develop skills, confidence and experience linked to future employment opportunities.
- At Elgin Youth Café, employee volunteers will spend two days redecorating and improving the premises. It is the type of essential work that community organisations often struggle to find the time or resources to undertake themselves.
- We are also continuing our partnership with Age UK Ealing, where a team of regular volunteers will deliver their third monthly intergenerational activity day. These sessions bring people together through conversation, storytelling and shared activities, helping to reduce isolation and create meaningful connections across generations.
- Meanwhile, volunteers will be working with Rise Up to deliver employment skills workshops, supporting individuals to build confidence, develop new skills and explore future opportunities.
More than a volunteering day
We believe everyone has something to give and something to gain through volunteering.
Whether it is improving a community space, sharing professional expertise, supporting someone to build confidence, or creating connections between generations, employee volunteers are helping to build stronger, more connected communities.
As we celebrate Volunteers’ Week, we would like to thank every employee volunteer, community partner and organisation involved. Your commitment demonstrates the positive impact that can be achieved when people come together to make a difference.