Embracing skills-based volunteering: insights from corporate foundations

Skills-based volunteering offers a powerful way for charities, businesses and staff volunteers to create mutual benefits. Insights from the BGF Foundation, Lloyds Bank Foundation, The Barratt Foundation, McCarthy Stone Foundation, and Link UP London reveal how to optimise this form of volunteering. Together, they’re highlighting the essential role of preparation, alignment, communication and leadership, in making these initiatives successful.

The mutual benefits of skills-based volunteering

Skills-based volunteering is a win-win for everyone involved. Charities gain valuable expertise, businesses enhance employee engagement, and volunteers grow personally and professionally.

Lloyds Bank Foundation, which is dedicated to partnering with small charities and communities, goes beyond financial support with a range of development support, including through skills-based volunteering. Its Win, Win, Win report showcases how structured, skills-based volunteering programmes create lasting impact, serving as a valuable resource for organisations aiming to leverage their expertise for greater social good.

Speaking with Helen Underwood-Savage (Skills Volunteering Lead at Lloyds Bank Foundation), Donya Anvari (Grants & Communications Manager at the BGF Foundation) recognised the transformative power of this approach, as both a tool for immediate impact and a long-term strategy for building stronger, more resilient communities.

By equipping non-profit organisations with skills that they might otherwise struggle to access, especially given the financial constraints they face, skills-based volunteering helps to bridge crucial gaps. This support enables organisations to reinvest in their missions more effectively, ultimately enhancing their capacity to serve and uplift the communities they support.

The approach aligns with BGF’s good growth ethos, which demands collaboration, not control. Our Head of Investment Operations, Alistair Brew, described his experience supporting a youth charity backed by the BGF Foundation as “food for the soul.” Alistair added that “it was incredibly rewarding to step out of the day job and see the energy the young people brought — truly inspirational,” highlighting the profound impact of these collaborations.

The BGF Foundation’s mission is to help young people in the UK, with a focus on five areas: education, enterprise, employment, mental health, and physical wellbeing. It aims to go above and beyond just grant funding, engaging in multi-year partnerships and using our vast expertise in good growth to help organisations scale — by providing pro bono support across various business functions, as well as engaging directly with the young people it aims to support.

Since the BGF Foundation’s inception, our team members have engaged in multiple programmes of support with its charity partners. The Foundation will continue to implement learnings and develop its practices.

The essential work behind meaningful volunteering

Setting up and maintaining effective volunteering programmes requires significant effort. Will Foreman (Head of Programmes at Link UP London) stresses the importance of dedicated resources and co-production principles, where charities and volunteers work together to ensure meaningful impact.

Link UP London connects socially-minded individuals and organisations to drive local change, offering insights into implementing impactful, skills-based volunteering initiatives. Its approach is based on the premise that charitable organisations provide critical support to their communities, but lack resources to bring in the expertise of top talent when it’s needed.

Donya and Will agree that upfront investment in time and planning is crucial for these programmes to succeed and create lasting change. The BGF Foundation works closely with its charitable partners, including MyBnk, Social Enterprise Academy, and Leadership Through Sport and Business (LTSB), to create meaningful opportunities.

Recently, BGF team members also supported the charity Oxfordshire Youth. To ensure that each pro bono initiative was tailored to create genuine impact, the BGF Foundation facilitated discovery meetings and applied co-production principles.

The charity’s Deputy CEO, Emmy O’Shaughnessy, commented: “Every person at BGF that we interacted with has listened with integrity and exceptional curiosity. The strategic input offered to date has been generous and inspiring. Paired with a sense of BGF’s authentic compassion for alleviating societal injustices, this partnership has been one of the most inspiring we’ve been a part of for a very long time. I hope many others follow their lead in offering high-level strategic input.”

Finding the right fit: the art of alignment and messaging

Ensuring a good fit between volunteer skills and charity needs is critical. Andy Button-Stephens (Head of The Barratt Foundation) suggests offering a range of volunteering opportunities, from one-off activities to long-term roles. “It’s about offering a menu of options carefully curated with charity partners,” he says, “to make sure the opportunities available truly help.”

The BGF Foundation, which is at a newer phase of this journey, realises the importance of clarity and transparency, as well as providing options. It has observed that a key reason volunteers hesitate is because they don’t fully understand what the opportunity involves. To address this, the BGF Foundation is planning to run information sessions with open Q&A segments, so that BGF volunteers feel confident in their ability to add value.

Julia Laister (Foundation Coordinator at McCarthy Stone Foundation) says that communicating the value and impact of volunteering should not be understated, nor overlooked. Sharing real-world examples and personal experiences can significantly enhance understanding and motivation. Julia also advocates for innovative communication strategies, such as using videos at company-wide events, to showcase the impact of volunteering efforts. Julia explains that this “helps by ensuring people take notice; it also serves to demonstrate that there is senior buy-in to such initiatives, by providing the Foundation with the platform and time to share at such events.”

Continuous learning and adaptation

Successful volunteering initiatives are a journey, not a destination. Helen from Lloyds Bank Foundation emphasises that “there’s a need for learning and adapting your approach, as you continually develop your understanding around charity needs and what motivates your volunteer audience.” She also highlights the importance of securing support from senior leadership and determining who’s responsible for providing the necessary resources.

Having volunteering role models at all levels, and encouraging people to share their experiences, are also key. These approaches ensure that a culture of volunteering is embedded throughout your organisation, promoting long-term engagement and success.

The takeaway?

Skills-based volunteering, when thoughtfully planned and executed, can create significant benefits for charities, businesses and volunteers alike. By focusing on alignment, communication and continuous adaptation, companies can ensure their programmes are both impactful and rewarding.

Meanwhile, the collaboration between the BGF Foundation, Lloyds Bank Foundation, Link UP London, The Barratt Foundation and McCarthy Stone Foundation sets a powerful example of how shared knowledge, thought leadership and commitment can drive positive change across the non-profit sector.

If you’re a BGF-backed portfolio company seeking advice around skills-based volunteering initiatives, please contact the BGF Foundation’s Grants & Communications Manager, Donya Anvari, at donya.anvari@bgffoundation.org.uk. For general enquiries from charities, please email info@bgffoundation.org.uk.