Norwich Skills Exchange Forum

The Business Case for Employee Volunteering

Norwich Skills Exchange Forum – What is it?

• A project run by Voluntary Norfolk and commissioned by Norwich City Council

• Facilitating meaningful employee volunteering by matching businesses with community groups that need support

• The local community is more skilled, sustainable and resilient – community and voluntary groups are helped and businesses benefit enormously from the experience.

Why do it?

There are so many reasons why employee volunteering not only benefits the local

community, but a business too. Some key benefits are:

• Attracting and retaining staff, engaging your workforce, developing skills, and building brand awareness.

Attracting and Retaining Staff

• The Social Media Foundation reported 90% of prospective employees agree that a company active in the community is likely to be a good employer

A commitment to community stands out to potential employees

Engaging Your Workforce

• A Harvard Business Review Study found engaged staff generate 37% more sales, are 31% more productive and three times more creative than disengaged employees

Employees who volunteer will be more engaged in the success and growth of the

company

Developing Skills

• A study by YouGov reported that 96% of managers felt volunteering enhanced skills

• A study by the Social Market Foundation showed 65% to 80% of employee volunteers report increased teamwork, leadership and communication skills

Volunteering will help teams to develop leadership, soft skills and interpersonal

skills

Building Brand Awareness

• An increasing number of consumers consider sustainability issues when deciding on which product to buy. Employee volunteering demonstrates business responsibility

• Builds customer loyalty. Nielson reported that 50% of global consumers said they would be willing to reward companies that give back to society by paying more for their goods and services 

Consumers choose to engage with companies who show a clear commitment to

community

Support from Norwich Skills Exchange Forum

• Helps smaller companies who want to give something back to their local communities. They are not cash rich and therefore can’t give away large sums of money but their time and expertise could make a huge, positive difference

• The Exchange Forum helps when businesses don’t have the resources to find community groups, track progress and administer the support

The Exchange Forum has the connections and networks to make it a simple process for businesses to give back to their local

community

Any questions? Get in Touch!

• emily.balsdon@voluntarynorfolk.org.uk• 01603 883827• 07468 724260

Contact Emily Balsdon, Norwich Skills Exchange Forum Co-ordinator