10 Ways to Volunteer and Give Back this Winter

The winter months can be an especially challenging time for those who are already struggling. If you’re looking for ways for you and your team to volunteer this winter, there are lots of way you can get involved and give back whilst also having some fun!  

In this article, Georgia Symons, Pro Bono & Community Outreach Specialist at Clifford Chance provides guidance and 10 top tips for how to engage in meaningful community support during the winter months, during the holiday season and beyond. From helping local homeless shelters and food banks to organising charity fundraisers and donation drives, these top 10 ideas for volunteering are flexible and accessible, and can help businesses build team morale while making a positive impact in their communities. 

1. Homeless Organisations: volunteer at your local homeless shelter or with Crisis at Christmas – you can select the date and time you are available and the volunteering activity you would like to help with from cooking or serving a hot meal to decorating the dining hall to ensure it is full of festive cheer for the day!  As the weather gets colder it becomes increasingly important to ensure that everyone who needs it can have access to a warm meal. This often puts pressure on the small teams which are often staffed by volunteers- they always appreciate an extra pair of hands, and you might even be able to arrange for a group of you to go along together for some team volunteering and bonding. 
2. Food Banks: the cost-of-living crisis has meant that more people than ever are having to turn to food banks. The Felix Project, a charity fighting food hunger and waste has various opportunities to volunteer throughout London. 
3. Amazon Wishlists: make contact with a local school or charity to see if they would like you to create an Wishlist for Christmas presents to benefit disadvantaged young people, the elderly or those who would otherwise go without a gift. 
4. Run a Collection: warm winter clothing such as coats, jumpers, hat and scarves.  Ask employees to bring any unwanted items into the office and then send them off to a charity.  Remember to ensure that all the items are clean and are in a respectable condition before donating them to charity! 
5. Throw a Party: invite children from a local primary school or elderly people to your office for a party for some food, good conversations, music and singing! 
6. Telephone Befriending: Re-engage and  AGE UK both run programmes to help tackle loneliness in the elderly.  Commit to a weekly call of just 30minutes. 
7. Send Christmas cards: Prisoners Abroad run an annual scheme to help the many hundreds of Britons overseas who face spending the festive period alone in prison, many miles away from their loved ones.  The scheme aims to send at least one handwritten Christmas card to every prisoner they are supporting. 
8. Fundraise for a local Charity: lots of small charities are feeling the pressure and trying to cope with an increasingly smaller funding pot.  Arrange an old fashion bake sale which are always popular or a physical challenge such as a run.  Remember to check if your company runs a matched funding programme. 
9. Make a Donation: if possible, donate through your company’s GAYE provider to ensure it is tax efficient.  You can either make a one-off donation or set up a monthly donation of your chosen amount to a charity of your choice. 
10. Christmas Presents: when looking to purchase gifts try to ensure they are ethical and give back to charity- you can find a great list of food items here all of which use a proportion of their profits to support charities. Luminary Bakery creates amazing bakes to help disadvantaged women.  The social enterprise trains and employs women who have survived homelessness, domestic violence, abuse and trafficking. 

Clifford Chance is a valued Heart of the City ambassador and is committed to supporting small businesses to make a positive difference to people, places and the planet. 

If you would like to join a community of SMEs making community, people and environment a meaningful part of your business, find out more about our Foundation for Responsible Business programme here.