From reaching out to deprived inner-city youth to teaching vital numeracy and literacy skills in the community, there's a strong business case for volunteering through the workplace

When James Benamor was approached to take part in Channel 4's The Secret Millionaire, the managing director of the Richmond Group wasn't convinced volunteering was the best way to make a change. "We had done a lot of charity collections in the company, which I really believed in, but I didn't see the value in spending your time on volunteering," he says. But his staff persuaded him that it would be good for the company. So Benamor spent a fortnight working with groups trying to keep young people out of crime in Manchester's troubled Moss Side. The experience surprised him. "I never expected to change my views on it, but I did because, more than anything, I enjoyed it," he explains.

As a result of the programme, Benamor and the Richmond Group, which looks after the finance needs of people who have been refused credit by the big banks, have established strong relationships with the teams he volunteered alongside, and already one of the young people he met has completed a one-month work experience placement at the company. Benamor has also introduced a successful staff-volunteering programme.
There can't be many sceptics left when it comes to the wisdom of investing in solid corporate social responsibility programmes, and volunteering is on the increase.

"Employee hours being donated by our members are up 30 per cent on last year to 2.7 million," says Alison Braybrooks, head of the London Benchmarking Group, which provides a model for businesses to measure the impact of their community involvement. "Volunteering still only makes up 10 per cent of the total donation to charity, with cash being the major input. The overall figure for cash input is about £1bn," she says.

According to Catherine Sermon, community impact director of Business in the Community (BITC), there is a strong business case for workplace volunteering. "For many employers this is about being an employer of choice and attracting the best talent into the organisation," she says. "We consistently hear from organisations that they are getting a greater volume of questions about their corporate responsibility credentials from prospective employees. Equally, the types of questions candidates ask and the importance they place on them when it comes to making a decision have changed."

Benamor says his staff see community involvement as
another company benefit. "Just as recycling and reducing our carbon footprint have been important to our staff, the charity work and volunteering have motivated people hugely and been a real success," he says. Figures from BITC show that FTSE companies managing and measuring corporate responsibility outperformed the FTSE350 on total shareholder return by 3.3 to seven per cent over a five-year period. But financial rewards are not the only bonus. Mori statistics reveal that 86 per cent of employees surveyed believed that it was important their employer was responsible in society and the environment, while 47 per cent of job-seekers said they'd be more likely to join or stay with a business that addressed social issues.

"Don't forget that companies also have to mention what they do for the community in their annual report and volunteering enables them to demonstrate that they are doing something," says Catherine Hodgkinson, chief executive of Getting on Board, which provides a brokerage to place volunteers on boards, either as trustees of charities or school governors. She believes that by volunteering on boards, individuals—directors as well as their staff—develop invaluable skills. "You can learn softer people skills, which you have to develop on a board. You have to learn to get on with a range of people," she says.

Sermon says it is vital that senior management champion volunteering in the workplace. But, she says, directors should remember that they, too, could gain from the experience. "We have had excellent feedback from senior people, so they shouldn't overlook the fact that they can learn and develop skills through volunteering," she says.

One, a partner in a law firm who helped former homeless people acquire abilities to make them more employable, said being a volunteer had given her a chance to use different skills such as listening and coaching, and her team had subsequently found her more approachable.

Smaller firms may struggle to see how they can get involved in the community without losing valuable business time. But, with a recession looming, they may be well placed to make a commitment. "Smaller companies are often much closer to their local community, but availability of time and money is always going to be an issue," says Sermon. "I think the best thing to do is for them to work collaboratively with other organisations to find out how they can tap into an infrastructure that already exists rather than reinvent the wheel."

Many directors serve as school governors (see below), but more volunteers are always needed. Although there are 350,000 governors in England alone, the vacancy rate is around 40,000—more than one in 10 posts.

Tom Philpott, marketing manager of School Governors' One-Stop Shop (SGOSS), believes people who become governors have a common interest in giving children the best possible education, but also view it as a way to improve their own skills on strategic, budget or personal issues they may not come across in their normal working lives. "Increasingly, there is an acknowledgement among businesses that being involved in the communities from which you draw your staff—and your consumers—is a positive and valuable thing," he says.

But there is a more alarming reason why businesses should play their part, especially in the skills area. According to figures from market research company YouGov, five million people in the UK lack functional, or everyday, literacy, while 6.8 million have poor numeracy. Low skill levels cost the economy £10bn every year.

Sermon says that often companies launch volunteer schemes because they are unable to recruit employees with the necessary aptitudes. "There is going to be a need to fill high-level jobs in the UK, with projections showing that we will go from nine million to 14 million highly skilled jobs while low-skilled jobs will fall from three million to half a million, so it is vital for business success to raise aspirations and abilities," she says.

Benamor agrees that the business world is crucial for schools. "One of the biggest social problems in this country is kids who have no direction and no faith in themselves to do anything more than be on the dole or work in McDonald's," he says. "I think the business community has an obligation to do something about that, and actually there is a huge benefit for them in harnessing the talent that is evidently there."

Back to school with a difference

Alasdair Downes is director of business development at NCFE, a national body that designs and awards qualifications, and a governor at Churchill Community College in Tyne and Wear

I decided to become a governor because my own experience of school was a mix of the very good and the very bad, so I was well aware of the difference it could make, and I felt that I could contribute.

I attend governors' meetings each term and I am also on a committee that helps set targets for the head teacher. Outside of that, I have areas of expertise that I work on with the head teacher. He is interested in changing the culture at the school to increase expectations and raise aspirations.

We have worked hard at building a culture within my company, so I can help with that. We also look at how to promote the school in the community. So far, the head teacher, the chair of the governing body and members of the school management have come in and spent a day in my organisation, talking to staff and managers. They have looked at how we defined what we wanted our culture to be and how we have changed it.

Head teachers are competent and experienced managers, but modern schools have a broader management remit, and industry can definitely bring something to schools. I think it is hugely important that businesses get involved in schools.

The core problems in running a school are the same as in managing a business. For me, raising aspirations is the biggest task—if we can get a core of students who believe they have a right to progress and that they deserve to go to university, that is a good start.

I learn a lot from being a governor. A head teacher is a senior manager who is managing a sizeable budget and a large number of staff, so in talking to someone like him you are always going to benefit.

As a school governor, you can make a difference. It is easy to just tick the box, go home and not contribute anything. But if you are going to be serious, and challenge and support staff in a constructive way, then go for it. I will certainly do it for as long as my work permits. It is a commitment I have made.

The role of a governor

How much time will being a school governor take up? You'll be expected to attend school governors' meetings each term and those of any other committees you join. School Governors' One-Stop Shop says people should expect to spend up to eight hours a month in the evening during term time, including reading.
What skills are needed? Any professional experience is welcomed but skills of particular interest include law, human resources and project management.

For more information, visit www.sgoss.org.uk or www.gettingonboard.org