Corporate Volunteer Days

At TreeHouse, the power of volunteers has been central to all of our achievements. As the organisation has grown so have our opportunities for people to volunteer in the many aspects of our work. Our volunteers, their energy, enthusiasm, dedication and motivation, are vital in helping us work towards our vision of a society where all children with autism have access to education that truly meets their needs.

“The usual challenges of team working applied, but the context was different and we had to acquire new skills quickly. By the end of the day, we were muddy and tired but felt a big sense of achievement – we completed the task and the results were tangible and much appreciated. We’d helped a worthwhile charity and learnt something about ourselves.”

Corporate Volunteer from the Cabinet Office

Corporate volunteering

A diverse range of support from our corporate friends has played an important role in helping TreeHouse achieve so much in a short space of time. TreeHouse greatly values its corporate partnerships and has developed dedicated volunteer days to make a significant contribution to these partnerships. These volunteer days with our corporate friends are designed to benefit both TreeHouse and the companies that participate. Whilst the activities of each volunteer day are built around the objectives of our corporate partner and the needs of our organisation, TreeHouse aims to ensure that they are:

• fun
• highly motivational
• team building
• calorie burning
• relationship enhancing
• useful for TreeHouse and our pupils

For inspiration please read more on the Corporate Volunteers Hall of Fame.

Volunteering activities – work differently to make a difference!

We are always keen to use our volunteers’ skills and match them to the appropriate needs for TreeHouse. In order not to disappoint potential volunteers, we will always discuss ideas with our corporate partners before the visit so volunteers know what they are getting themselves into!

Volunteering with our school:

TreeHouse’s pupils have a special curriculum, designed to help them overcome the impairments of autism to live inclusive lives in their communities. In addition to traditional subjects, pupils have to be taught social skills and how to interact in creative ways. This creates fun and exciting opportunities for volunteering with our pupils, around the school and in the grounds. Previous corporate volunteers have enjoyed:

• Making pancakes on Pancake Day with TreeHouse pupils
• Digging out flower beds to enhance the landscape of the grounds
• Construction, general DIY, decorating
• Planting and decorating Christmas Trees

Please read the case study of Barclays Bank corporate volunteer day for more information

With our national development team and organisational staff:

In addition to opportunities to volunteer for our school, there are activities that support the work of our national office, its policy and campaigning work as well as the essential functions that support the organisation such as finance, fundraising, IT and administration. These areas have worked with volunteers on projects needing different levels of skill, including:

• Helping with collections at fundraising events
• Producing information packs
• Designing our first website
• Giving pro bono support

Not just a typical day

We feel it’s really important that all of our volunteers have a clear understanding of how they will spend their time here at TreeHouse, as we realise that this is not a regular day at work. In addition to liaising with companies to define and agree volunteering activities, TreeHouse will provide a daily schedule, for example:

08.45: Volunteers assemble at TreeHouse

09.00: Introduction to TreeHouse and safety briefing

09.15: Allocation of tasks and distribution of suitable clothing

09.30: Works commence

10.45: Coffee/tea – Provided by TreeHouse

11.00: Works resume

13.00: Lunch – provided by TreeHouse

14.00: Work continues

16.00: End of day briefing

Expenses

Holding volunteer days inevitably has some associated costs. We ask, that at a minimum, our volunteers cover the costs of their refreshments and the materials used during the day. Companies may raise funds for their expenses through holding events at their place of work prior to the volunteer day. Successful events have included raffles, quiz nights and dress down days.

A final word

All of our corporate volunteer days have been a resounding success both for TreeHouse and our corporate partners. Many staff have found spending time with us so highly motivational that they come back time and time again, building long term relationships with TreeHouse and our work. The final word goes to one of our volunteers:

"For me the day was a chance to discover a part of my local community. I live in the area and had often wondered what 'TreeHouse' was all about. Volunteering for the day gave me an insight into the charity and the kind of challenges they face teaching autistic children. I hadn't appreciated the amount of time and care that goes into teaching each child. To understand this and even help in a small way was really rewarding."

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