If we make one resolution for 2023, it could be this: to keep up the level of generosity that we have shown over the Christmas period.
One million Brits volunteer over Christmas. The number of people giving money to charity also goes up towards the end of the year and the value of individual donations rises as well.
It is this generosity, a re-embedding of us all into common cares and common purpose that makes the festive season such a happy time.
Can we keep this festive spirit going?
The cheering news, from our research, is that there are around nine million employees who are interested in using their skills to volunteer for charities.
What holds people back is when they struggle to find time (69%) or need guidance on how to volunteer (38%).
These are two barriers that employers are able to lift, particularly if they see business benefits in terms of staff development in doing so. Of those currently involved in skilled volunteering, 79% believe that businesses themselves benefit from the practice.
There is good evidence that working out can bring benefits in terms of staff well-being, accelerating a sense of meaning and purpose at work.
Providing opportunities to work out also improves staff retention, with a positive correlation between those who say that their company has a strong culture and those employees who stay at the company.
This is also good for a more inclusive society. We know that those who volunteer with the support of their employer are around twice as likely to be People of Colour as the population at large (23% compared to 12%).
So, can we make 2023 a year of generosity?
There is a compelling cause in the work of charities right across the UK. From food banks and credit unions to shelters and safe spaces, charities are often the first line of response or a last point of hope for people who are vulnerable and in need.
In the UK, charities were first to develop support for mental health, first to tackle loneliness, first to champion action on climate change. When I look at the 160 charities that we work with, I see a window into a better world.
Do you remember the famous charity advert, that ‘dogs are not just for Christmas’ (Dogs Trust)? Well, the same holds true for charities as well – for all the benefits of a season of voluntary generosity, we need them all year. Our slogan can be ‘Charities are not just for Christmas’.
You can give money, but as we know, you can also give your skills.
One place to start is therefore in the workplace. Rather than leave it to employees to take action on their own, the majority staff view in our research (60%) is that employers should be taking steps to help employees around options for volunteering.
Whether that is through Pilotlight at the national level, with our focus on helping charities to be more effective, or through charities local to where you are, it is practical and relatively straightforward for business to facilitate this.
In the language of social research in modelling the effects of increased generosity, this is a ‘non-zero sum game’. The benefits flow not just to charity, but also to both employer and employees.
With the evidence of so many more people giving and volunteering over the Christmas season, the call to help out doesn’t have to be a pipedream of ‘new year, new you’. It just needs to be the best of the you that we already see.
So why not make ‘stay generous’ your new year’s resolution?
