Sector Connector for Businesses

How can Sector Connector help your business to make a difference in the local community?

Sector Connector supports businesses to develop their Corporate Social Responsibility offer and to get more involved with the community in North Tyneside by linking them with local groups and organisations that need help.

What are the Benefits of engaging with Sector Connector?

As a business, as well as the “feel good factor” of using your business skills to help charitable work, working through Sector Connector can bring added benefits:

• For businesses that are interested in delivering public service contracts, supporting voluntary and community organisations through Sector Connector can be a good way to demonstrate Added Social Value;
• The North of Tyne Combined Authority has launched its Good Work Pledge, with members being able to access learning, networking opportunities and support in the pursuit of good work and sustainability. Supporting Sector Connector can help evidence the Social Responsibility strand of the Good Work Pledge.
• Supporting voluntary organisations can not only be a good source of testimonials but can potentially open up new markets within the voluntary sector for the future;
• For your staff, volunteering, acting as a trustee or providing other support to a voluntary or community organisation can be a great way of improving their skills, confidence, teamwork and communication.
• Working with the voluntary and community sector through Sector Connector can raise the profile and demonstrate the values and ethos of businesses.

See the other businesses that are contributing to Sector Connector here.

How can you and your business get involved?

It doesn’t matter what size of business you are, or for how long you have been established, there are lots of great ways that you can work with the voluntary and community sector in North Tyneside to make a difference. Either you or your employees could:

• Volunteer your professional skills to assist individual voluntary groups. Charities are always looking for help with:
  • • Finance and accounts;
    • Health, safety and risk management;
    • Design and branding;
    • Employment issues;
    • Web design, and effective use of IT;
    • Marketing and PR;
    • Business planning;
    • Insurance and legal issues;
    • Property renovation, management and maintenance;
    • Advice on building design, change of use etc.
• Mentor someone with a similar job to you in a voluntary organisation, in order to build their expertise.
• Volunteer as a team to make a difference for a day in a local community. You might want to work with a group of young people, entertain a group of older citizens, help clean up a community or promote a charity and its services.
• Deliver a two hour workshop to a group of voluntary organisations in order to build their skills or make them aware of best practice across a range of business-related issues.
• If you provide training for your staff, which might also be of use to the employees of voluntary organisations, you can make free training places available on your conferences and workshops.
• Become a trustee of a small charity and use your business expertise to help develop and shape the future of an organisation so that they can really make a difference.
• Make a donation or help raise funds to buy small pieces of equipment that can really make a difference to the delivery of services by charities for local people.
• Host a collection box to gather donations for different charities
• Help promote a campaign or raise awareness on behalf of a charity
• Help unemployed beneficiaries of local charities to move closer to the world of work.

If you’re interested in making a contribution to your local community by getting involved by any of the above activities, get in touch and start making a real difference. Contact rachel.sketheway@voda.org.uk.

Voluntary sector organisations may be able to help your business

Voluntary organisations can provide advice and guidance on a range of issues that might affect you and your employees – from support for physical and mental disabilities to caring responsibilities, to financial problems and citizen’s rights. We can put you in touch with voluntary groups that might be able to help you.

Volunteero Corporate

You can sign up for the Volunteero app to receive regular alerts about ways in which you can support voluntary and community organisations in your area.

Sector Connector Bulletins & Awards

We’ll also keep you up to date through our regular e-bulletins and every year Sector Connector presents its Community Friendly Business Awards to recognise businesses that have made a significant contribution. Qualifying businesses receive a certificate, official branding and lots of positive publicity.

Find out more about Sector Connector

If you are interested in making a difference in your community through the sector connector project, please complete the expression of interest form and we’ll get back to you: