Pro Bono OR in the Third Sector

Please find details of a project with Form the Future and information on our next Third Sector SIG meeting on ‘Applications of Systems Thinking’. Form the Future Project summary: Project: Process improvement: Reviewing Form the Future’s two main service delivery processes, to help them move to an online system. Time commitment: approx. 4 days, though this will need to be checked by the volunteer in the light of information gathered at their first meeting Location: Cambridge, CB4 2HY. Mix of onsite and remote working Please read project scope  and if you feel you are able to offer your assistance please complete the application form and return to me along with your CV by midday on Wednesday 8th February. Information about the organisation: Charitable objectives: To help young people learn about the world of work and prepare them for employment Main activities of the organisation: Link schools and businesses to help young people understand the world of work. We run career and employability skil…

THIRD SECTOR SPECIAL INTEREST GROUPAPPLICATIONS OF SYSTEMS THINKINGFriday 17th March 2017, 14.00-17.00 (Arrival/registration/tea and coffee from 13.30) CAN-Mezzanine 7-14 Great Dover Street, London, SE1 4YR
Systems thinking is a powerful way of understanding the world, and accordingly, systems approaches can be powerful ways of addressing real-world problems. This half-day event is an opportunity to hear from people who are using systems approaches to address community and social issues, and to discuss the potential and the challenges of such approaches.
Speakers include Gerald Midgley, Professor of Systems Thinking at Hull University Business School, talking about resolving stakeholder conflict in a range of community settings; Miles Weaver from Edinburgh Napier University on how systems approaches have helped identify better ways for communities and socially responsible businesses to buil value; and Penny Lawrence, Deputy Director of Oxfam, on applying systems thinking to Oxfam’s chang…

Please find details of four projects below with Home-Start (Hampshire), Inclusion North (Leeds/Remote), Fulham Good Neighbours (Fulham), Partnership for Young London (Remote working) 
Please feel free to pass on the anyone who might be interested.
Home-Start Project summary: Project: Mapping the gaps: to explore available data on the needs of parents and children and on service provision. Time commitment: approx. 5 days. There is almost certainly scope for more if the volunteer wants to do more, so the volunteer should confirm scope, deliverables and time commitment at the initial meeting. Location: Hampshire RG24 8AG. Mix of onsite and remote working Please read project scope  and if you feel you are able to offer your assistance please complete the application form and return to me along with your CV by midday on Wednesday 18th January. Information about the organisation: Charitable objectives: The Home-Start in Hampshire consortium, in common with all individual Home-Start schemes, believes…

Happy New Year to all my readers.  

To start of the year I thought I'd share with you a couple of interesting articles I've come across.

'The rise of the arm chair volunteer' was published by Nesta.  Being able to offer more flexible volunteering opportunities that can be carried out remotely is something more charities are realising the benefit of.  88% of UK adults have internet access at home and most are likely to have a personal laptop or tablet from which they could carry out voluntary work.  Additionally the number of people working from home is increasing and is a trend that shows no signs of slowing.  Taking all this into account charities can benefit by tapping into this rise of  'arm chair volunteering'.

Here at Pro Bono O.R. we always look to identify if projects or parts of projects can be carried out remotely.  We have found this increases the volunteer pool, as volunteers are able to support charities not in their locality or even in their own count…