Staff Volunteering Scheme Pilot

• The Staff Volunteering Scheme Pilot aims to make volunteering easier and more flexible.
• The next wave of the pilot runs between October 2025 and March 2026 with applications opening soon.
• Volunteering aligns closely with the University’s commitment to strengthening connections with its communities.

Earlier in 2025, the University launched a new Staff Volunteering Scheme Pilot, with two waves of participation. We are now reaching the end of the first wave and are about to open applications for the second wave. 

When is the next wave and how does it work?

The pilot allows eligible staff to take up to 22.5 hours of paid time off between October 2025 and March 2026 to volunteer with local charities and community groups. There are two different pathways for volunteering. Either staff can apply, knowing what they want to do as their volunteer activity, or we can support matching staff with volunteer opportunities based on their background and interest.

If your department is eligible and has agreed to participate in the pilot, you will receive a link to apply to participate from your department’s Head of Administration and Finance shortly.

What is the Staff Volunteering Scheme Pilot and why are we doing it?

It’s important for the University that we deepen our connections and build bridges with communities across the city and the county. This is why we are committed to improving our local engagement. We outlined our overall objectives in our first-ever local engagement report, Beyond Town and Gown, earlier this year.

One way we can deepen connections is through volunteering in the community; it involves doing something you love while contributing to society. Many of our staff already volunteer, whether in schools, sports clubs, charities, community organisations or faith-based groups, often giving up time on weekends or outside of work hours.

Our colleagues are often trustees, mentors, coaches, teaching assistants or helping hands, sharing their talents in ways that make a difference. They might volunteer close to the University, close to home or online for organisations around the world.

We already have a Staff Volunteering Policy. However, it is quite restrictive in terms of the types of organisations you can volunteer with and how the three allotted days can be used. We want to make it easier for staff to volunteer.

The two waves of the Staff Volunteering Scheme Pilot will allow us to learn about what works and what doesn’t. The intention is to use insights from the pilot to develop a proposal for a scheme that works well for staff, their departments, and receiving organisations. The pilot expands the types of volunteer activity staff can undertake and enables them to allocate the total number of work hours available for volunteer time more flexibly.

What has been the impact of the first wave?

The benefits of volunteering are widely recognised, both to the organisation and to the individual. These include well-being and health benefits, as well as the sense of esteem and social connection that come from sharing time and talent. One of our key insights from the Pay & Conditions Review is that staff value the opportunity to volunteer.

The first wave of the pilot ran between June and September 2025. Staff have been involved in a wide range of activities.

Watch this video to hear from staff involved in the pilot

Further details about the pilot 

• You can find out more details about the scheme and how it works on the Staff Volunteering Scheme Pilot webpage