CAF welcomes Conservatives’ proposals on promoting volunteering
Howard Lake | 13 April 2015 | News
Charities Aid Foundation has welcomed the Conservative Party’s proposals to offer workers three days paid leave a year for volunteering. It described them as “a welcome step towards getting more businesses to lead the way in promoting volunteering”.
Currently, fewer than one in 10 workers in the UK are given time off, let alone paid time off, to volunteer. Yet nearly six out of 10 people believe that offering staff more paid volunteering leave would encourage them to give up more of their time for good causes.
Volunteering opportunities are not always promoted effectively and CAF argues, based on research by ComRes on employee volunteering, that many staff remain unaware of the opportunities that are available to them to volunteer. This research found that 56% of employees said that offering information on how to support charities at work would be particularly effective at getting them involved in giving.
John Low, Chief Executive of CAF, said of David Cameron’s announcement on volunteering:
“Charities across Britain rely on the dedication and determination of volunteers to make a difference and action designed to get more people involved in volunteering should be applauded…”
“Businesses that help their staff get involved in volunteering benefit too. Not only does volunteering help develop team working skills, but evidence also shows that it makes employees feel more engaged and proud at work, which can increase their productivity and loyalty towards an employer.”
Sir Stuart Etherington, chief executive of NCVO, also welcomed the proposal. He said:
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“This is an exciting proposal which would be good news for charities and for businesses. Many charities urgently need more volunteers to support their work, while volunteering is an excellent way for employees to develop skills and confidence that will benefit their employers.
“Anything that helps encourage our culture of volunteering is very welcome. We look forward to seeing the detail of the proposal.”
NCVO’s Almanac reports that an estimated 15 million people volunteer in the UK for good causes at least once a month.
Trade unions initially welcomed the proposal because it included public sector workers, but were then informed that it would not extend to enable people to undertake volunteer work for trade unions.
Photo: volunteer t-shirt by wavebreakmedia on Shutterstock.com
About Howard Lake
Howard Lake is consultant editor of UK Fundraising. He founded the site in 1994 and successfully sold it in 2022. As director of Giving X Ltd he is exploring growing giving on a massive scale.
He is the founder of Fundraising Camp and co-founder of GoodJobs.