Skilled volunteering is on the rise, but how can companies large and small contribute to the third sector, and how can they rationalise – from a purely business perspective – taking the time and effort to work with charities?

A panel featuring Ed Mayo, the CEO of Pilotlight, Ann Campbell, People Lead, Wealth Technology at Barclays, Michael von Euw, head of infrastructure at Scottish Tech Army, and Fiona Burton, Managing Director at AND Digital, at the Tech for Good Summit 2023 at the Barclays Campus in Glasgow discussed the three-fold importance of skilled volunteering from the tech sector. 

Skilled volunteering is impact-centric, focused volunteering using professional skills to fill essential gaps in public services and the third sector. Much like solicitors doing pro-bono work for charities, tech workers can also use their essential skills to help in this space.

But, how can these tech workers actually help? What’s in it for them? And what would be the benefit for a company to encourage and enable tech workers to volunteer their talents. 

How can the Tech Sector Contribute? 

The panel consistently referred to the ‘blank wall’ cliche in volunteering – keeping a blank wall somewhere that companies can come in and paint in order to appear like they are contributing to the community. 

In an attempt to combat virtue signalling while meaningfully giving back to the community, skilled volunteering among tech companies is starting to pick up. 

Many companies in the tech sector can struggle to find their place in the world of volunteering – most ‘social media friendly’ initiatives don’t have a lot to do with the tech industry. 

Speaking at the morning keynote at the summit, Rhodri Davies, Founder and Director of Why Philanthropy Matters, said that tech can have a major impact on the third sector, but often in the most unsung places. 

The backbone work of certain charities – dealing with data, automating processes, increasing cybersecurity – are perhaps the most important places tech talent is desperately needed. 

“Even though it’s less glamorous,” Davies admitted, “it’s more likely to have a direct impact.” 

Despite the acknowledged importance of technological developments in the charity sector, 43% of charities say they are at best starting out when it comes to their technical skills and digital transformation. 

This can hamper their digital adoption capabilities, but also, as Davies pointed out, make them ‘soft targets’ for cyber attacks. 

The need for capable, talented tech workers to volunteer their skills and time in the charity sector is clear, but how can a company rationalise making this a priority? 

“When I think about why these programmes are important I see skilled volunteerism as a win win win,” Madeline Hutchinson, the newly appointed head of tech philanthropy at Morgan Stanley, said. 

A win for the Third Sector 

A win for non-profits? Certainly the more obvious benefit, but perhaps in more ways than is immediately apparent. 

Increasing automation for certain tasks, using data to better target areas most in need, and providing new technological solutions could not only help charities survive, but could potentially transform the charity sector as a whole. 

Charities are being ‘squeezed’ according to Davies, the pandemic and cost of living services only increased the demand on charities, while rising inflation, energy costs, and interest rates has depleted their resources and steepened their funding requirements. 

Increasing automation for certain tasks, using data to better target areas most in need, and providing new technological solutions could not only help charities survive, but could potentially transform the charity sector as a whole. 

There’s currently about six million people using their occupational or professional skills to support charities, with a further three million wishing to do so, according to Ed May, CEO of Pilotlight, a charity which matches professionals with volunteering opportunities which suit their needs. 

Ann Campbell, a people Lead at Wealth technology – Barclays, says that her teams “moved from more general opportunities to much more skill-focused ways of contributing.” 

For example, at Code Playground, tech professionals volunteer at local schools within their community to teach children how to code and programme as part of a growing effort to create a more inclusive tech sphere. 

“It’s definitely something we want to tap into as we continue to support the local community,” she said. 

Further, partnerships with tech companies may be the only way charities can gain access to certain technology, enabling the emergence of novel solutions. 

The collaboration between charity focused workers with tech experts can transform the way charity services are delivered, sparking innovation. 

But why would people want to spend their time doing unpaid work? And are there any benefits for the volunteers?

A Win for Tech Workers

According to the panel, this is another major win of skilled volunteering. 

When recruiting her team at Club Grace with AND Digital, Fiona Burton sat with her team to see what they wanted to do with their volunteer time. 

“We want to give back,” was the most common answer, she said.

Club Grace focuses on providing long and short term support to charities and third sector organisations through technology-based programmes similar to AND digital’s professional services. 

For Burton, she found that people were keen to use their skills and apply it to causes they cared about. 

“We know how hard it is to retain technical talent,” Burton said, “So let’s do something we’re passionate about.” 

And the ability to use their skills for good can have massive benefits for tech workers. 

Michael von Euw, head of applications at the Scottish Tech Army, urged listeners to appreciate all the good doing good can do for their workers. 

“Don’t underestimate the boost in self-esteem and confidence,” he said. “Depending on the organisation, depending on the volunteer, when we get to see their passions, we get to see them grow.”

Further, volunteering can push tech workers out of their comfort zone, teaching them new skills along the way. 

Developers may work as project managers, and taking a project all the way from ideation to delivery and outreach can be uncommon in early career stages for programmers and IT specialists. 

Real-world experience in problem solving, communication, team work, and leadership can build vital human skills, and a more client-facing role can help build the soft skills that can set a technologist apart from their peers. 

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“We’ve had people pass straight through their probation,” van Euw said, in large thanks to the opportunities offered through volunteering. “It helps them grow their skills and grow their passions.” 

So, you know it will benefit society. You know it will benefit employees.

But what about the company overall? 

A Win for the Company 

As GenZ and even younger generations enter the workforce, recruitment priorities have transformed. Buzzwords like ESG and Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) have quickly become must-haves for recruitment and retention of talented workers, who often have their pick of a swath of competing companies amidst a skills shortage. 

According to Hutchinson – who gave a crash course on how to present skilled volunteering to a sceptical board – said it’s not just a recruitment point for people already looking to get into tech, but volunteering itself can help promote a career in STEM. 

“We can use it as an opportunity to get in front of university students and kids and build [tech] as a career of choice,” she explained. 

Apart from easing recruitment challenges, volunteering can help with training and development. 

Building a business case needs to not just surround these buzzwords to really convince a board to take on skilled volunteering as a priority. 

A focus on learning and development can be key in convincing a board on the benefits of giving back. 

“The learning and development field is a really exciting area to build the business case,” Mayo said. 

The cross-training that comes with skilled volunteering permeates an entire company, strengthening soft skills and fostering innovation from the bottom up, rather than just the top down. 

“These types of initiatives make our employees stronger,” Hutchinson insisted, “and our businesses stronger.” 

Still, giving back does not always come naturally to every company. From large corporations to small start-ups, the argument for volunteering can be tricky to make amid an economic recession. 

Burton, however, says this mindset is holding companies back. 

“It’s a fundamental mindset, because either you are a visionary business who is thinking in the long term about growth and progression and attracting the right talent, or you are a short term business focused on numbers  – and at the end of the day, I know what company I’d rather be in,” she said. 

“Visionary boards, they’re already doing it,” Burton concluded. 

To the panel, it’s all about values. 

“If you’re starting with your values, not everything needs to be turned into pounds, shilling, and pence,” Mayo said. “If you’re leading with your values you can be doing the right thing and focus on giving back.”