Ways to get involved…
1 Employee Volunteering Programmes
Encourage staff to donate their time and skills.
- Paid volunteer days – give employees set days/time off to volunteer
- Team volunteering days/events – group activities like clean-ups or charity days
- Skills-based volunteering – employees use professional expertise (e.g. marketing, IT, finance) to help charities
- Virtual volunteering – remote support such as mentoring or admin help
*Builds team morale and develops employee skills*
2 In-Kind Support
Donate goods, services, or expertise instead of money.
- Excess products or equipment
- Professional services (legal, marketing, Hr, IT)
- Use of facilities (meeting rooms, venues)
- Logistics or distribution support
- Donate crafts, food or other physical donations
*Especially valuable for smaller charities with limited budgets*
3 Financial Support & Fundraising
Direct financial contributions or helping employees give.
- Corporate donations – one off or regular contributions
- Matched giving – match employee donations pound-for-pounds
- Payroll giving schemes – tax efficient giving directly from salaries
- Sponsorships – fund charity events or initiatives
- Charity-of-the-year partnerships – long-term commitment to one cause
Strengthens brand reputation and creates measurable impact
4 Strategic Charity Partnerships
Work more closely with charities on shared goals.
- Long-term collaborations aligned to company values
- Joint campaigns or awareness drives
- Supporting specific projects (e.g. education, environment, health)
- Offering resources like office space or tech infrastructure
Creates deeper, more sustainable impact than one-off efforts
5 Community Engagement Initiatives
Get involved locally to build stronger communities.
- Partner with schools, food banks, shelters
- Participate in local events or drives
- Support community development projects
- Offer internships or mentoring
Improves local relationships and social impact
6 Awareness & Advocacy
Use your platform to amplify causes.
- Promote charities on social media or marketing channels
- Run awareness campaigns internally and externally
- Encourage customers to donate (e.g. checkout donations, charity boxes)
- Host talks, workshops, or charity events
Extends impact beyond financial support
7 Cause-Related Marketing
Link business activity directly to charitable giving.
- Donate a percentage of sales
- Create charity-linked products or campaigns
Engages customers in giving while driving sales
8 Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) Strategy
Formalise your approach
- Set clear social impact goals
- Measure outcomes (e.g. volunteering hours, funds raised)
- Align with ESG )Environmental, Social, Governance) priorities
- Publish impact reports
Helps ensure consistency and long-term commitment
Simple & Low-Cost Ideas
Charity of the Month
- Feature a different local or national charity each month
- Promote them in-store, on your website, or social media
- Add a donation option at checkout
Easy to rotate causes and keep something fresh
Product Donation Scheme
Donate a small number of products regularly
- e.g. cafes – food for shelters
- retailers – clothing to homeless charities
Partner with Local Charities
- Work with food banks, schools, animal shelters, or community groups
- Provide support where its needed most locally
Volunteer Days (Small Scale)
- Close early once a quarter or pick quieter times
- Volunteer as a team (e.g. litter picks, packaging food parcels, charity events)
- Boosts team morale without big time commitments
Hold a Volunteer Fair
We can also help you get your staff involved; if you have the space to invite different charities to come into your offices you could hold a volunteer fair! Employees can come down on their lunch break and look at different ways they can get involved.
Need More Information
You can contact the Portsmouth Volunteering Team by email – volunteer@portsmouthcc.gov.uk
