CSV has run employee volunteering schemes with companies including BT, The Guardian, KPMG, British Gas, Nike and npower since 1993. The contracts have ranged from providing a single team task to a nation-wide schools partnership project involving over 600 staff giving an hour a week for over four years.

All projects are charged on a not-for-profit basis, based on the amount of work necessary. Basic costs for a one-off team task start at around £1,100.

The price includes research to find several options which meet the team's exact requirements, risk assessment of the site and the tasks to be carried out, general facilitation of tools and materials, liaison with the company and the organisation where the event is to take place, and a final evaluation report. 

We are happy to discuss proposed Employee Volunteering programmes with companies, and to prepare a proposal and costing.

Email Lesley Nicholls at lnicholls@csv.org.uk for more detailed information. 

There is room for both! 

Of course many charities are in need of the funds provided by 'giving' schemes, and some, such as those involved with medical research, do not require employee volunteers. 

But employee volunteering provides many charities - particularly small ones - with the opportunity to have their premises painted etc, and the company also gains in terms of team and personal development and public relations. 

The benefits to children of having one-to-one support from a literacy volunteer or mentor cannot be provided through giving schemes.

CSV provides a professional service to client organisations. We charge on a not-for-profit basis, but need to recoup the costs of salaries, staff travel etc, and office costs. 

In order to maintain our standards we also incur training costs, particularly in ensuring that our staff are up-to-date in the relevant aspects of Health and Safety. Click here to see our fees.

We cannot do this for several reasons:

1) Team tasks come and go so quickly, either as the task is completed or because they are seasonal.

2) Most teams require a local task, and it would be impossible to maintain a current list for every location.

3) We like to find interesting and up-to-date tasks. Litter-picking is always available, and would tend to feature highly on a permanent list, but we aim to provide more interesting options.

4) The task has to suit the team in terms of team size, location, dates available and type of organisation they would like to support. We therefore research to find activities which are suitable. The task also has to appeal to the team.

There are three main benefits for companies:

1) Personal and team development of their staff.  Volunteering offers a range of development opportunities, which vary according to the type of activity e.g. volunteers develop coaching and listening skills from working in a school partnership; the ‘team leader’ of a team task will have the opportunity to manage a small project while developing, among others, communication, influencing and organisational skills.

Feedback from team tasks regularly shows the advantages of working together in a new environment, which often gives new or junior members of staff a chance to shine. Research shows that staff morale may be improved through employee volunteering and that staff are more likely to recommend the company to friends if they admire the company’s values, including their support for community involvement.

2) Contribution to a company’s Corporate Social Responsibility policy. Employee volunteering is a visible means of demonstrating Corporate Social Responsibility.

3) Improves public relations by providing positive local and national press coverage.

Most programmes involve either regular volunteering in local schools or the delivery of one-off team tasks. For some companies we provide regularly updated lists of local volunteering opportunities and we are also able to set up a partnership between a company and a local charity which the company can then support.

We tailor-make employee volunteering programmes to meet the needs of the company, and are happy to discuss proposals and offer advice.