FAQs
For individual volunteers
1. Why should I volunteer?
2. What can I do as a volunteer?
3. Who can I volunteer for and where can I do it?
4. What’s required of me - how much time? how often? how much commitment?
5. I have never volunteered before, where do I start?
6. I work all day, how will I find the time to volunteer?
7. How do I talk to my employer about volunteering during work hours?
8. I can’t find anything I want to do?
9. Do I need any training?
10. Will my expenses be paid?
11. Do I need insurance?
12. What do I do if there is a problem with my placement or I want to stop volunteering?
13. Will I need a Criminal Records Bureau (CRB) check?
14. Why do I have to fill in an equal opportunities monitoring form?
15. Where do you hold my information?
For companies
1. How can our company be involved in the local community?
2. What are the benefits of employee volunteering for the company?
3. What are the benefits of promoting volunteering to our staff?
4. How many staff would we have to put forward?
5. Who is Paddington Waterside Partnership (PWP)?
6. Who is Volunteer Centre Westminster (VCW)?
For Voluntary and Community Organisations
1. Why should we get involved with companies?
2. How can my organisation benefit from Paddington Waterside Volunteers?
3. Can Time for Paddington get funding for us from companies?
4. My organisation has never worked with companies before, where can we find information about it?
Still have a question?
FAQs for individual volunteers
1. Why should I volunteer?
Employee volunteering is a hugely rewarding experience which benefits all concerned. You can make a difference to an issue you care about whilst contributing to the regeneration of the local area. Depending on the activity you choose, you can use skills you already have or learn new ones by taking on roles, tasks and responsibilities that do not feature in your paid work, thereby contributing to your own personal development in a non-work environment. As part of a volunteering team, you can get to know your colleagues better through community based team challenges in a new and stimulating environment.
2. What can I do as a volunteer?
Almost anything; opportunities can be short or long term, one-offs or regular, team or individual with varying levels of responsibility. Have a look through our searchable database of volunteering opportunities to see if any catch your eye. Additionally you can fill in our application form with your interests and we will do our best to match them
3. Who can I volunteer for and where can I do it?
You can volunteer at any non-profit making organisation on our books - we have something for everyone.
4. What’s required of me - how much time? how often? how much commitment?
YOU DECIDE. Some opportunities will require regular attendance, but others are less frequent, there are flexible options to suit everyone. Be realistic, have a look at our questions below and choose something that you will enjoy and be able to manage.
5. I have never volunteered before, where do I start?
As you browse our opportunities, consider the following questions:What issues do I care about? What am I good at, what are my skills? How could I apply those skills to volunteering? How much time can I give and when am I going to do it? How far can I travel? What do I want to get out of volunteering, what could I learn? How much responsibility do I want? What do I not want to do?
6. I work all day, how will I find the time to volunteer?
We have a wide range of opportunities; some are desk based such as e-mentoring, some are one offs or time limited projects and others are long term. If you know how much time you can realistically give, we will find you an activity to suit your needs
7. How do I talk to my employer about volunteering during work hours?
If you are not aware of the allowances of your individual employer’s volunteering policy then it will probably be a matter for your line manager. We can advise on the questions that you need to consider but cannot advise on company policy.
8. I can’t find anything I want to do?
Then we will aim to find it. Click here for a form (link through to registration forms) and tell us what you are looking for.
9. Do I need any training?
It is unlikely that you will need any specific training other than an induction to the organisation, although we will make this clear with each individual opportunity.
10. Will my expenses be paid?
You should be refunded your travel expenses and any other costs you incur but this is a matter for each organisation so you must discuss this with them before you start.
11. Do I need insurance?
You will be covered by the organisation’s insurance policy if you work on their site.
12. What do I do if there is a problem with my placement or I want to stop volunteering?
If there is a problem with your placement we will work with you and the organisation to resolve the situation amicably. If you still feel that you wish to terminate your placement you would be under no contractual obligation to stay. We will assist you in any way you need to either find a more suitable placement or, if you wish, we will take your details off our database. The best way of preventing difficult situations is to be open from the start with the organisation, discuss how long you plan to volunteer with them and set a review date in which any issues can be addressed.
13. Will I need a Criminal Records Bureau (CRB) check?
Some organisations require that a criminal record check be carried on anyone who wishes to volunteer with them. This is often the case if the volunteering involves working with children or vulnerable persons. No criminal record checks will be made without your consent.
14. Why do I have to fill in an equal opportunities monitoring form?
You do not have to fill in the equal opportunities form. If you would prefer not to answer the questions then feel free to leave them blank. Equal opportunities information is used to monitor our effectiveness in reaching all groups in society. This information will be treated in the strictest confidence and will not be passed on to any external person or organisation.
15. Where do you hold my information?
We will hold your information on Volunteer Centre Westminster’s official database.At no time will we provide any of your details to a third party without your permission. You have the right to see, challenge and remove any information about you that we hold in a retrieval system such as a computer database or paper index system. In order to keep you up to date with information and events we will include you in our mailing list or email list. We will never sell or give our mailing lists to a third party.
FAQs for companies
1. How can our company be involved in the local community?
There are many ways in which companies can be involved, for example employee volunteering, in-kind help, free professional services, financial support etc. Any move into Corporate Community Involvement (CCI) needs to be thought through properly as it is a complex area. Please call us and we will assist you in creating your own CCI policy and programme.
2. What are the benefits of employee volunteering for the company?
Employee Volunteering (EV) is a tangible aspect of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) as it is an excellent way of understanding and meeting community needs. Through EV your company can have a positive effect on the community, creating sustainable partnerships with local organisations. We promote equal partnerships in an effort to move beyond the traditional donor/beneficiary relationship and support all partners in creating relationships.
3. What are the benefits of promoting volunteering to our staff?
Employee volunteering encourages team spirit and organisational loyalty by motivating the workforce. It can also help with attracting high calibre recruits as graduates increasingly look for a good reputation when choosing a company to work for. Volunteering can aid staff training and skills development within the existing workforce both for individuals and teams. We aim to integrate employee volunteering into corporate culture from the top down and bottom up.
4. How many staff would we have to put forward?
Volunteering is an individual choice, we would never suggest that it should be prescribed to employees. We are on hand to help you create an individual policy that relates to your core values, communicate it to your staff and support your employees.
5. Who is Paddington Waterside Partnership (PWP)?
(PWP) was launched, as Paddington Regeneration Partnership, in 1998 to drive the creation of London's newest commercial, residential, leisure, retail and health quarter. The Partnership comprises the major developers, landowners, commercial occupiers and transport operators in the Paddington area. A Developer Forum and an Occupier Forum drive the direction of the Partnership's vision and activities through the Pride of Place programme. All members of the Partnership subscribe on a voluntary basis.
6. Who is Volunteer Centre Westminster (VCW)?
(VCW) aims to enable, encourage and promote partnerships in volunteering in order to respond creatively and effectively to the changing needs of our local community. Formerly Westminster Volunteer Bureau, the service operates from high-street offices in Paddington, running a drop-in information point for the general public which is open four days a week (Mon-Thurs) and an evening (Wed until 5.30pm). VCW has volunteering opportunities with over 250 local voluntary and public sector organisations on our database, totalling some 400 different volunteering vacancies.
FAQs for voluntary and community organisations
1. Why should we get involved with companies?
Voluntary and community organisations can benefit in many different ways from involvement with the private sector. Organisations can gain access to skills, knowledge and resources that are normally cost prohibitive. Your organisation will benefit from a new audience with a wider public awareness of local issues - volunteers can be excellent ambassadors for your organisation. You will also gain an understanding of the new companies moving into Paddington Waterside which will contribute to the creation of an integrated community.
2. How can my organisation benefit from Paddington Waterside Volunteers?
Time for Paddington aims to match real community needs with volunteers’ skills. Your organisation could benefit from ready-made teams of highly-motivated volunteers who can plan and carry out major tasks or from an individual prepared to come and help out with your service provision. We cannot promise to address every challenge but if you contact us to let you know what you need, we will do our best to help
3. Can Time for Paddington get funding for us from companies?
Time for Paddington is not a fundraising project. There can be economic benefits to organisations who work with companies, but we do not actively search for funds for organisations, we aim to access other means of support such as skill sharing.
4. My organisation has never worked with companies before, where can we find information about it?
At Volunteer Centre Westminster we have a library of information to support your path to involvement with companies. Please contact Catherine Conway on 020 7402 0300 or email catherine@wvb.org.uk to arrange an appointment.
Still have a question?
Contact Kate Wilcox on 020 7402 0300 or email kate@volunteercentrewestminster.org.uk.