Voluntary work for charities has become an increasingly popular government-backed activity to be offered in the workplace over the last few years, and has been shown to give great satisfaction to those who volunteer. But is it really a useful and beneficial tool for charities themselves?
Or does volunteering detract from the fundraising efforts of companies and therefore hamper charities rather than benefit them?
I pose this question following many discussions with charities and with CSR professionals from a whole range of large and small employers.
Workplace Giving UK are professional fundraisers, working on behalf of about 150 charities and our remit is to try to recruit long-term, regular donations straight from an employee's gross pay. This scheme can be known as Workplace Giving, Payroll Giving or Give As You Earn, but is the same scheme and is the most simple and tax efficient way to give regularly to any charity.