Employer supported volunteering (ESV) is when an employee's volunteering is actively supported by the volunteer(s)'s employer and can take place during work hours, as opposed to in the volunteer's personal time.

Established in 1999, Involve is an innovative employer supported volunteering project. We have a national reputation for providing meaningful employee volunteering opportunities – mainly in Southwark, but also in Lambeth and Lewisham.

The project provides an essential needs-led brokerage service for businesses who recognise the connection between the health of their business their employees and the well-being of the community in which they are located.

Corporate Community Investment is all about how your company can share its resources with the wider community to make a positive difference. For example, your company could fundraise for charity or donate money or gifts in kind. However, the greatest resource your company has, and can offer, is to share the time and skills of your workforce to benefit good causes. According to Volunteering England (www.volunteering.org.uk) 75% of FTSE 100 companies offer some kind of employee volunteering programme and the benefits of employee volunteering are widely acknowledged.

Business benefits of Employer Supported Volunteering:

• Increasing employees’ commitment, morale and motivation
• Enhancing the skills of employees
• Improving levels of recruitment and retention
• Improving public image
• Encouraging team building and internal communication
• Showing employees that they work for a company of which they can be proud
• Creating networks with potential clients and partners

Employee benefits of Employer Supported Volunteering:

• Developing new skills or improving existing skills
• Making a difference to society and the environment
• Meeting new people and mixing in teams
• Exploring new situations and challenges
• Building self-confidence
• Changing or enhancing the way the individual feels about them-self and their employer
• Having fun and adding variety to the daily work routine!