Volunteering Matters to make 12 redundancies as part of new strategy

23 Jan 2020 News

Volunteering Matters has said it will make 12 roles redundant and change the way it works to deliver more for communities, following a strategic review. 

The employee count with come down from 130 to 118 as a result. The decision to reduce staff has been taken as part of the strategy change and to “help fill a short-term financial deficit”.

The charity said that “consultations with those affected are underway” and that no services run by the charity will be closed.

The strategic review was carried out between September and December last year and full details of the charity's new strategy and ambitions will be announced later this year. 

According to the charity's latest accounts, its income fell by nearly £2m between 2017 and 2018, from £7.7m to £5.8m. 

Importance of work in local areas 

Volunteering Matters said that the review emphasised the importance of its work in local areas and that the charity is looking to create new partnerships with both local and national organisations. 

It will also focus on sharing learnings between different projects and areas to make its work more effective.

The charity said it will share the strategy in time for the new financial year, towards the end of March.

It also wants to transform its London office into a community hub that enables positive social change through collaboration and creativity.

'We have something unique'

The 2019 review identified the three areas where Volunteering Matters' volunteers have the biggest impact as “social isolation and loneliness” , “mental and physical health”, and “skills, confidence and opportunity” .

Paul Reddish, chief executive of Volunteering Matters, said: “We have something unique at Volunteering Matters. The fact that we tackle these big issues for so many people, in so many different communities is a real strength. So we’re changing the way we work so that we can build real change through communities.

“This charity can do wonderful things in the future, delivering amazing things for communities right across this country, at a time when inequality and division are major challenges. This country needs a strong Volunteering Matters to make this decade better than the last one for so many people.” 

Income falls 

In 2015 Volunteering Matters, formerly known as Community Service Volunteers, went through a rebranding process and restructure after a series of financial difficulties. Its income had gone from £33m in 2011 to £7.1m in 2015.

In February 2019, after the charity's 2018 accounts were published, it said it had “put in place a restructure plan” and that it hoped further redundancies would not be necessary.

The following month Volunteering Matters’ chief executive Oonagh Aitken announced her intention to retire. She was later replaced by Paul Reddish, who initiated the 2019 review.

For more news, interviews, opinion and analysis about charities and the voluntary sector sign up to receive the Civil Society News daily bulletin here

 

More on