Climate change and the need for more volunteers

Environmental charities are working hard each day to help save the planet. This is through lobbying of local and national governments as well as global organisations.

 

Many can support businesses and others to improve their practices so that their investments and organisational practices are helping the planet.

 

On the frontline these charities are also involved in vital environmental work, including developing scientific solutions to saving the planet.

 

At the same time, they are fundraising and promoting their work, as well as ensuring it is robustly evaluated to attract further funding and interest.

 

But they can’t do it alone and an army of thousands of skilled volunteers is needed to help in all aspects of their work, from marketing and strategic planning to tech support and tree planting.

 

We look at what support is needed from this volunteer army and how, through reciprocal arrangements, volunteers can receive help from green charities in return.

 

 

The need for climate change volunteers 

 

Charity Pilotlight surveyed just under 300 environmental charities and social enterprises to look at their strengths and weaknesses, with a particular focus on where they need support.

 

Those who took part work in areas including biodiversity, sustainable communities, climate change, and social and environmental justice. This found that just under two thirds are actively looking for professional support from skilled volunteers.

 

Given there are around 16,000 charitable organisations working for a sustainable future Pilotlight estimates that based on its research there is an immediate need for an additional 100,000 skilled volunteers.

 

Over the next five years more than four in five green charities need support with their marketing and fundraising, while three quarters need help with their evaluation.

 

Help tackling diversity is another area where green charities need expert support, cited by seven in ten.  According to recent figures just 7% of environmental sector workers are from an ethnic background, half the proportion of all UK professionals. 

 

Pilotlight says that a lack of diversity among staff contrasts with figures showing that those who volunteer with the support of their employer are twice as likely to be from the global majority than the wider population (23% compared to 12%).  

 

Around two thirds of charities need help with strategic planning and their information systems. Three in five are looking for support for the people management and human resources.

 

One respondent told researchers: “We need to go through a significant digital transformation over the next few years”.

 

Another said: “We are aiming to increase our impact tenfold to 2030 and marketing and fundraising will be crucial in getting there.”

 

Other areas where support is needed include financial management, organisational design, governance, and legal support.

 

Need for volunteers is greatest for smaller charities, especially with strategic planning and measuring impact. Half of these smaller charities have no business plan, while a third have no way currently to evaluate their work.

 

Expert support is also needed planting trees, which is typically thought of as unskilled work. Pilotlight points out that “there are downsides if not done with skill and expertise”, as trees need to be planted in the right places and properly cared for “otherwise saplings may not survive”.

 

 

Reciprocal arrangements for climate change volunteers

 

Among the best places to find volunteers is through work based schemes and employers are being urged to encourage their staff to volunteer and offer their expertise to green charities.

 

This can be particularly advantageous when reciprocal arrangements are used, where firms and their staff can also learn from green charities, which have their own distinct expertise to share.

 

Seven in ten environmental charities surveyed by Pilotlight cited engagement and outreach work as an area of expertise they can share with employers. Two in five highlighted their leadership skills as another area that can be used in reciprocal arrangements.

 

Pilotlight is looking to boost such arrangements through a pro bono programme, calling on employers to support staff to volunteer.

 

Benefits for firms that take part include contributing to their net zero action, learning and development, and improving employee engagement and wellbeing.

 

According to Pilotlight one in six employees in the UK are suffering from “eco-anxiety”, rising to a third among 18- to 34-year-olds.

 

“This is a simple and compelling idea, that businesses like ours who want to take action on climate change can enable staff to flex their workplace skills in order to help environmental charities and social enterprises,” says Matt Sparkes, Sustainability Director of Linklaters LLP, which is among firms backing Pilotlight’s call.

 

Pilotlight Chief Executive Ed Mayo adds: “Charities are a catalyst for action and are full of innovations for turning climate ambitions into reality. But as our research shows, they lack the capacity, skills, and resources to do so.

 

“We have found there is a clear appetite and call for skilled climate volunteers to close the skills gap.”