Volunteers in the Community
21st October 2007, 2:08 pm
The introduction of the Community Interest Companies (CIC) was intended to provide a way for people to get involved in social enterprise projects intended to benefit local communities. A CIC can be setup and grow safe in the knowledge that what is built for the benefit of the local community will remain in that community.
There is one other factor that distinguishes a CIC from most other organisations. That is the need for people within a community to get involved in the projects. Most people would not volunteer to help a company which has it’s shareholders as it’s primary focus!
But a CIC is different. Volunteers can get involved and help knowing that what they create is for the benefit of their community.
We need volunteers in our local communities. The charities have always needed people to help and the Community Interest Companies will not succeed without people from the community getting involved.
Explosion Entertainments is a CIC with a difference. We provide a way for volunteers from local communities throughout the UK to help their local charitable causes with their fundraising.
We have entertainers of all levels of skills and talents registering on our website making themselves available to help on a voluntary basis. Yes they get publicity for themselves, yes they get a chance to perform in public (all aspiring entertainers need that), but the primary purpose is to help the charitable cause so that it can benefit the local community.
I must add that Explosion Entertainments does not charge anyone for registering, or using entertainers from the website, or anything. We ourselves are volunteers and our primary purpose is to help charitable causes. What we are building is not for ourselves but for the community.
All local communities need volunteers! Find a cause that you are interested in or who need your particular skills and expertise. Offer to help, a few hours a month is better than nothing.
Be a volunteer. Your community needs you!
October 21st, 2007 at 8:50 pm
This is a powerful way to activley support charities across the UK.
People skills and time on a voluntary basis are the ingredients to making a difference in the world.
Viva Explosion Entertainments
The only Community Interest Social Enterprise that connects volunteer entertainers to suitable charity events
November 8th, 2007 at 10:57 am
Anybody trying to inspire people to give time to their communities should visit www.volunteergenie.org.uk- it’s free and gives some good information on how Community Interest Companies and not-for-profit organistions can recruit volunteers using the media.
The site provides media guides, lots of tips, and a round up of all the latest research with links to external resources. The site is packed with real volunteer recruitment campaigns from the likes of Samaritans, TimeBank, National Blood Service, Home-Start, Special Constables, ChildLine, Contact the Elderly, Crime Concern, VSO and many more.
December 7th, 2007 at 12:05 pm
The idea of CICs seems great and I and a friend are in the process of setting one up, Positive Action East, which aims to support the development of Black and Ethnic Minorities in gaining professional employment in the housing and other public sector in Essex. The problem we have is that the process is very bureacratic, with so many hoops to skip over. It is offputting, particularly for minority organisations who are stressed out and lack capacity or resource to get professional expertise to help us in setting up. We keep getting our papers sent back for not completing properly etc. It takes to long and is not at all a simple process.