Volunteers are, of course, vitally important to charity work. They are often the backbone of a charity organisation, and many charities would find it virtually impossible to operate without these skilled volunteers. People coming in from the corporate sector for a day’s volunteering for entertainment purposes, however, can be viewed in a far more negative light.
Whilst managers enjoy these types of activities as an opportunity to increase staff wellbeing, whilst also allowing their company to be perceived in a very positive light, charities are more hesitant and the demand for such opportunities is far exceeding supply. Recognising that demand for such volunteering days is high, some charities have started charging fees for companies to bring in groups of people. Others insist that the company provides some sort of charitable donation, such as toys for disadvantaged children, as part of their volunteering experience. Still others will only offer these coveted volunteering experiences to companies who contribute large sums of money to their charities.
This has led to some employers choosing to set up opportunities within their own companies for employees to experience in-house giving programmes. Employees will then carry out imaginative activities within the company, with the proceeds going to charity. Others have chosen to look at other team-building opportunities for their teams. Many companies, however, simply choose to view the charities’ demands as similar to the fee that they would pay for any other team-building opportunity, and pay up quite happily, knowing that the money is going to a good cause.