Corporate volunteering can make a huge difference to charities and community organisations. With limited time and resources, many groups rely on volunteer support, and a team of corporate volunteers can often achieve in one day what might otherwise take weeks or months.
These partnerships allow charities to focus more of their time and energy on the people and causes they support. They also benefit businesses by helping colleagues build stronger team relationships, develop skills and make a meaningful difference in their local communities.
A partnership that made a real difference
One example is the partnership between EE & BT and two local charities, Whitley Bay Young People’s Centre and 9th Whitley Bay Scouts Group.
Over several months, employees contributed more than 10,000 hours of volunteering and raised thousands of pounds to reinvest into the organisations. Their support included renovating and refurbishing buildings, carrying out cleaning and gardening projects, and promoting services within the local community.
This sustained support helped both charities make progress on goals they had previously seen as out of reach, while also increasing awareness of their services and attracting new users.
“The impact of this partnership has enabled both charities to achieve goals they once believed were only pipe dreams.”
The impact on people and teams
For employees, the experience often goes beyond a single volunteering day.
“I’ve loved getting the opportunity to take part in volunteering days through work. I’ve met new people and even learnt new skills whilst volunteering.”
“Our team engagement has grown significantly since we started to prioritise regular volunteering. The team are now actively looking for new opportunities themselves, and some have even continued to volunteer in their own time.”
This shows how corporate volunteering can lead to ongoing involvement, with staff developing lasting connections to causes they care about.
Building longer-term change
With support from Sector Connector through VODA, the partnership has helped strengthen links between businesses and the voluntary sector.
“As a business we now have 50% more take up on volunteering since we’ve received support from Sector Connector through VODA.”
“Thank you so much Rachel and VODA, we certainly could not have achieved what has been done this year without your kind help.”
“Thank you, Rachel, for finding us the perfect project and giving us the opportunity to truly make a difference!”
Why corporate volunteering matters
Corporate volunteering shows what is possible when organisations work together. It brings time, skills and resources together to create real, lasting impact.
For charities, it helps deliver projects more quickly. For businesses, it builds stronger, more engaged teams. For communities, it creates opportunities and improvements that might not otherwise happen.
“When organisations give their time, communities grow stronger.”
Get involved by getting in touch with our Sector Connector Project.