We are so pleased to see that new volunteering matches and activity are already emerging from our annual reception event, which took place on 12th March 2009. With over 60 businesses and Livery companies in attendance, it was clear that enthusiasm around employee volunteering is very much alive and well!
We have picked up messages from our clients, which imply that Corporate Community Involvement needs to be flexible as possible at the moment, to ensure momentum remains and involvement continues: our annual reception event focused on simple and convenient ways to make valuable contributions within the City fringe boroughs.
The Lord Mayor of London, Alderman Ian Luder, very kindly delivered a keynote speech about his Financial Literacy Initiative, emphasising that Financial Literacy is essential to our future, and that you don’t need to be a financial services expert to help young people improve their numeracy skills. Anyone who knows how to budget, what a good deal is on a loan, and why you need to save for a pension, can help out by giving as little as one hour of time a month.
The Lord Mayor also highlighted that we now live in a digital age where communication does not have to be face-to-face. Corporate volunteers can offer skilled support to a charity or individual via telephone and e-mail. For example, setting up a database, creating the structure for a business or marketing plan, mentoring a young person or proof reading documents. We recently launched the concept of ‘Virtual Volunteering’ and have developed an icon on our online volunteering opportunities bulletin, enabling visitors to identify volunteering opportunities that can be undertaken remotely.
The event was also a chance for City Action to thank our members for their contribution to our success over the past year. In the last 12 months City Action has seen a 55% growth in the placement of skills-based volunteers from 2007; and in the last quarter of 2008, City Action saw a 40% increase in new volunteering activity. However, we don’t want to become complacent in this ever-changing climate. We must continually review our services to ensure an even stronger City Action community in the coming year.
The areas we will be focusing on this year include:
Re-launching our website – with an integrated members area, more online resources including case studies and interactive news pages.
Ensuring that our community partners continue to receive the skilled support they require by increasing the accessible volunteering opportunities, such as virtual volunteering roles, we have available.
We will also be looking to raise awareness of the lesser known City-fringe boroughs such as Lambeth to ensure those community organisations receive the support they need.
Finally, we will be consulting you! We are looking forward to discussing our plans and finding out how we can best support your organisation in the coming year.
