Employer supported volunteering (ESV), or corporate volunteering, is where the employees of an organisation take time to volunteer during work hours or organise volunteer activities. Employees might choose to support a charity or community group, or take up an opportunity provided by their workplace.
Here at Action Together we like to put into practice what we offer, giving all our employees the opportunity to volunteer. We recognise the importance of volunteering in the community and actively encourage and enable our employees to participate in local volunteering activities.
Employees are entitled to an agreed amount of paid leave, per financial year, to engage in voluntary work with a registered VCFSE organisation whose work benefits communities in Oldham, Rochdale, and/or Tameside.
Lucy Clarke is one of our Social Prescribing Link Workers in Oldham. She's loved having the opportunity to get involved with volunteering, and told us more about her experience and what it means to her...
Where did you volunteer?
I volunteered at Oldham Unity which is a small, volunteer-led project based at Oldham Baptist Church supporting destitute people seeking asylum and living in Oldham.
Why did you choose to volunteer there?
I was introduced to the project by a friend a few years ago and helped out at an event where we met lots of people, including a family very much like our own, who had fled Iraq. Following the evening I found out more about their work, and then started volunteering one day a month from there.
What did you do while volunteering?
I am the treasurer of Oldham Unity now so I give out the money. We support people with a cash amount every two weeks. I also chat with the people who come in, and signpost them to any other help they may need.
What did you get from it?
I get time to spend in the community getting to know some really interesting people with very different stories. I really enjoy meeting new people - doing what I can to help them, and working with other like minded volunteers.
Why is employer supported volunteering important/rewarding?
It is very important to me to be able to do my work at Oldham Unity every month, it also ties in really well with my Social Prescribing role. Actually, being a volunteer is what led me to applying for a job with the Social Prescribing Team as I learnt so much about the value of community connections from my time there.
How has Action Together supported you to volunteer?
My manager has been 100% supportive of my volunteering from day one. I am always asked how it's going, and always able to work flexibly to attend each time. It is one of the things I value most about working for Action Together.
