Celebrating Volunteering Week

Last year Society colleagues donated over 1600 hours to charities and organisations within our communities. Flagship Branch Manager, Sally Williams leads on our Colleague in the Community initiative. She told us more about the work the Society is doing to support local communities.

Hi Sally, can you tell us more about what Colleague in the Community is?

The Colleague in the Community programme is about being visible in our community and making a difference. 

The initiative supports colleagues to volunteer within work time and also to commit their own time to make a difference in the community.

The Society provides colleagues two days annual paid volunteering leave, to use for volunteering opportunities. These opportunities are a great way for teams to get together and meet people within their communities.

Last year 69 of our colleagues volunteered through 392 volunteering sessions, donating a total of 1622 hours in total.

Even a small amount of time can make a huge difference to a an individual or group. It’s something the Society do for the communities we serve, and it’s one of the reasons I took this job.

Why does the Society support volunteering?

There are lots of answers to this question but, for me, it is about putting our values into action. We talk about wanting to be part of our wider community and the best way to do this is to interact with groups on our doorstep and use the time to enhance the brand.

Monmouthshire Building Society started out over 150 years ago with a community goal of building houses to support each other. We continue to carry these values through the Colleague in the Community programme.

What kind of initiatives do the Society support?

Since its inception in 2021, we have helped so many charities, non-profits and local groups through our Colleague in the Community initiative. Colleagues have participated in a range of opportunities, including mock interview skills through Careers Wales, litter picking in Bute Park, supporting All Creatures Great and Small, Pedal Power with the charity SightLife and tree planting with Coed Caerdydd. My personal favourite has been the hours donated to City Hospice when we sorted donations for their shop. Not only did it make us feel good that we were supporting such a worthwhile charity but we were able to see the end result of the goods in the shop being sold.

What do you think colleagues gain from the programme?

The programme allows colleagues to donate time to causes that matter to them. We believe that time spent doing something that matters to you gives you a real sense of achievement. It gives colleagues chance to meet new people, gain confidence, and of course time away from your desk is always beneficial!

What does the Society gain from the programme?

This scheme is not just a tick-box exercise. By offering this up to our colleagues, the Society strengthens its community connections, boosts morale within teams and raises awareness of our brand.

And what do our communities gain from it?

Volunteers are integral to any charity. By inviting us in they have the opportunity to find out more about us but can also concentrate on doing other important jobs within the charity. We’ve made some really helpful connections with charities through the scheme, where we’ve not only been able to support them but also been able to benefit from their knowledge and expertise to help us in our work.

If you know of a charity or community group that would benefit from our Colleague in the Community initiative, please email community@monbs.com for more information.