Link UP Newsletter - Exciting Events Coming Soon...

Good afternoon to our wonderful Link UP Community,

The air is crisp, the leaves are changing and the nights are drawing in - Autumn is here and we're reflecting back on some of the exciting things that we've been up to over the last few months...

In the last year, Link UP has gone from strength to strength, channelling more value into the community by September than in 2020 in its entirety. Our Skilled Volunteering Projects in 2021 are investing skills worth, on average, £1,300 per project. The valuable skills of our Volunteers are ultimately priceless for the charities, social enterprises and community groups that we work with who, due to a lack of resources, would not have accessed them otherwise.

The depth of support from our Skilled Volunteers isn't the only way we've grown. Link UP has also grown in breadth!! As of last week, we have now started projects in 16 boroughs of London, with Croydon the latest borough to begin accessing our talented pool of volunteers!

This chart gives a quick overview of the skills that have been matched to Social Good Organisations so far this year! We have a great spread and as we grow across London, we're looking for more awesome people who want to donate their time and expertise!

Read on for the latest news in Skilled Volunteering including the reasons why you should get your company involved with Corporate Volunteering, things to consider if your organisation is looking for a volunteer and finally, OUR FIRST IN PERSON EVENT SINCE 2019!! (hopefully, fingers crossed, please please!) - don't miss our Community Quiz in November.

At the beginning of 2020 we were working hard to match much needed skills with charitable organisations in Wandsworth and Lambeth. Just 18 months later, we've supported more than 100 organisations in 16 boroughs on 219 different projects with Skilled Volunteers.

We know many SGOs have faced a huge spike in demand for their services as need has grown; communities are up against increasing unemployment and homelessness, rising mental health issues, a surge in domestic abuse and a growing digital divide, to name just a few of the challenges. Poverty and income inequality continues to grow faster in London than in other regions of the UK and the effects of Covid-19 has exacerbated this trend.

At Link UP, we understand the value of small. Small SGOs are the bed-rocks of our communities. They have an in-depth knowledge of the real issues being faced in society and offer support, advice and much needed services to local people. These organisations are severely under-resourced, with limited financial and skilled support.

Over the coming year we will continue on our mission to cultivate social change across all 33 boroughs of London. We are so excited for what's to come and can't wait to share this journey with all of you - Our ChangeMakers!

Even if you don't have time at the moment to do a Skilled Volunteering Project, there are a number of ways you can help us make a difference in communities across London. Word of mouth is one of the most effective ways to reach new people. By telling your friends and sharing our news on social media, you help us reach a wider audience. The more volunteers we reach, the more charities we can help and the bigger impact we can make in our communities.

Please help us by sharing our work with your network.

Earlier this month we held our 6th online Flash Consulting Event where we connected Communications, Marketing and Storytelling professionals with a group of London's Children and Youth organisations from all over London.

Special thanks to the Young People's Foundation Trust for partnering with us on this event to help us reach more Social Good Organisations in their network in need of support.

These events are a fun and efficient way for charitable organisations to access industry experts for a one-hour FREE consultation usually based around a specific topic. However, sometimes, one hour just isn't enough and the Social Good Organisation comes to us to turn that consultation into a full Skilled Volunteering Project so they can put some of their plans in to action.

A perfect example of this was when Marketing expert, Adeline, was matched with Ignite Youth at a Flash Consulting event in June. During the virtual one-hour consultation, Adeline shared several useful suggestions including how to design and structure a newsletter, increase the mailing list, and how to monitor and adapt the content to improve open rates and continuously drive engagement.

Ignite Youth was excited about Adeline’s suggestions that they requested that she join them for a short-term, structured Skilled Volunteer project...

Perhaps some of the most exciting news of this week is that our Link UP team has grown!

Please join us in giving a very warm welcome to our newest team member - Akash Khosla

Akash brings a wealth of knowledge about the charity sector and a passion for being part of the change as we continue on our mission to impact the lives of people in need across London. He joins the team as Skilled Volunteer Officer and will be working closely with Will Foreman as the demand for Skilled Volunteering Projects continues to grow and we reach more communities.

"My experience working with volunteers came from my time as a Volunteer Coordinator, working with Hertfordshire Mind Network and the Complex Needs Service. I found this role and the volunteers I worked with inspiring. It was incredible to see the efforts people will make to support those in need within our communities. After moving on, I knew that I wanted to work in the charity and volunteer sector and contribute to social good.

This experience showed me first-hand how much of an impact skilled volunteers can have on local services. I believe local services are the experts in identifying needs and harbouring positive social change in our communities. If my time as a teacher taught me anything, it was the importance of sharing expertise and the mutual benefits of this collaboration.

When I learned about Link UP London and their mission to build stronger communities by harnessing professional skills for good, I knew this was a project I wanted to be a part of. I am so excited to be working with Link UP and those they support, and I look forward to doing my utmost to help them achieve their goals! Can't wait to meet all of you soon."

IMPACT REPORTING

SenTalk: Operating in South London, Sen Talk is aimed specifically at children and young people with less ‘visible’, hidden disabilities such as autism spectrum conditions (ASC) and attention deficit disorders (ADD/ADHD).

Project: Support the development of a new Impact Report. SenTalk has seen tremendous growth over the last 6 years and as their service users have increased their programmes have diversified. The role will require collaboratively pulling out narratives from data and helping to structure a powerful impact report.

https://linkuplondon.org/impact-reporting/

THEATRE PROGRAMME DEVELOPMENT

Wimbledon Civic Theatre Trust: Empowers young people in Merton to express their creativity and fulfil their potential. Their Young Actors Company provides high-quality acting training, giving young people a safe space to create exciting and challenging theatre on a professional stage.

Project: Guide the relaunch of the youth theatre in Autumn 2021. The focus is on how best to restructure their youth theatre model and find a sustainable way to operate across the next six months, as a result of changes since March 2020.

https://linkuplondon.org/wctt-theatre-programme-dev/