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Frequently asked questions
Before you get started, you might have a few questions about how our corporate volunteering offer works, what the Impact Stack does, or how it fits into your HR, ESG or CSR strategy.
You’ll find the answers here.
About the Impact Stack
What is the Impact Stack?
The Impact Stack is our end-to-end volunteering system to assist businesses in embedding volunteering into their culture and strategy. It combines strategy, seamless access to verified opportunities, impact reporting, and ongoing support, helping organisations maximise and measure the outcomes from their volunteering efforts.
Why does volunteering matter for business performance?
Research shows that employee volunteering can improve wellbeing, engagement, and retention. When fully utilised, volunteering time can also unlock productivity gains –estimated to be worth over £5,000 per employee - while creating meaningful impact for your business and in the communities you support.
Who is the Impact Stack for?
The Impact Stack has something for every mission-driven organisation – from large enterprises to SMEs. If you want to tap into volunteering as a strategic asset for improving performance and increasing impact, the system will help reach your goals - whether you’re starting from scratch or scaling an existing programme.
Getting started
How do we begin working with Royal Voluntary Service?
Start by booking a no-obligation call with our team. We’ll learn about your goals, employee base, and ESG, CSR and/or Social Value priorities, then match you to the right combination of Impact Stack services.
What information do you need from us?
As a starting point, we’ll ask about your employee base, current volunteering hours and activities, CSR or ESG priorities, and any existing charity partnerships to assess your support requirements.
What does a typical partnership include?
We take a flexible, tailored approach - because impact looks different for everyone. Impact Stack modules are designed to complement each other or stand strong on their own, and our experts will work with you to recommend the best fit.
Our services
What services do you offer?
We offer a flexible suite of services under the Impact Stack, including:
- Consultancy – build a high-impact volunteering strategy aligned with business goals with our consultancy and Diagnostic Tool
- Platform – digital access to verified opportunities and impact data through the GoVo volunteering platform
- Curation – bespoke volunteering initiatives for your teams.
Are there costs involved?
We offer different partnership models depending on your needs - from consultancy and tailored volunteering to the platform or full Impact Stack range. Every penny of profit goes back into Royal Voluntary Service’s work supporting communities and the development of GoVo.
GoVo
When will GoVo be available for businesses?
GoVo will launch at the end of 2025 for business use.
What is GoVo?
GoVo is a new digital volunteering platform. It connects businesses and their employees with ready-to-go, quality-checked volunteering opportunities and provides tools to track and report impact.
What types of volunteering opportunities are available through GoVo?
There are a wide range of opportunities across the UK, from micro volunteering and remote roles to skills-based placements; there’s something for everyone.
What is micro volunteering, and how does it work?
Micro volunteering makes it easy for employees to give back in small, meaningful ways - from a few minutes to an hour - so even the busiest employees can still make an impact.
How flexible are volunteering opportunities on GoVo?
Flexibility is at the heart of GoVo’s design. Activities are available year-round, at different times of the day, remote and in-person, so every employee can find something that works for them.
What features will be available on GoVo?
GoVo offers impact dashboards, volunteer tracking and an intelligent search function to filter opportunities by cause type or location. It’s built to make management simple, reporting effortless and engagement rewarding. GoVo will be constantly evolving and improving to meet user needs.
Does GoVo support Single Sign-On?
Yes. GoVo supports secure Single Sign-On to ensure a seamless experience for all team members.
Do you have volunteering opportunities where our employees are based?
With hundreds of local and national charities on board and thousands of opportunities, GoVo can connect employees with volunteering roles across Great Britain wherever your teams are located.
Consultancy & Diagnostic Tool
Can consultancy help us improve engagement in our existing programme?
Yes. Our expert team of consultants will review your current activities, identify barriers to participation, and recommend improvements. We also provide best-practice guidance to boost employee involvement. The advanced consultancy package also includes our Diagnostic Tool, a data-led review of your employee volunteering approach to identify untapped value and opportunities for greater alignment with business and ESG goals.
What outcomes can we expect from working with RVS consultants?
Our consultancy is designed to deliver measurable business value, providing all you need for your volunteering programme to succeed, including:
- Development of a strategic vision & business case.
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Employee volunteering programme design (scope, access and role types).
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Frameworks for policy & governance.
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Communications and employee engagement campaigns.
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Third‑party partnerships & brokerage.
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Measurement and impact reporting.
Measuring Impact
Can volunteering count towards ESG goals?
Absolutely. Volunteering is a measurable social contribution that supports the “S” in ESG – supporting communities and also your people. Yet without data, volunteering is just a good story. The Impact Stack will support you to build robust evidence of real outcomes and meet stakeholder expectations.
Can we benchmark performance?
Yes. Our Diagnostic Tool allows you to benchmark your programme against best practice and track progress over time.
How can we increase employee participation?
Participation is highest when volunteering is easy to access, visible and recognised across the business, and there’s options to suit different working patterns or job roles. This is how the Impact Stack can help, creating a volunteering system that works for everyone.
What’s the social value of using the Impact Stack?
The Impact Stack helps unlock untapped social value already within your business by turning underused volunteering hours into measurable community benefit. By engaging employees in meaningful action it strengthens social infrastructure, builds resilience in communities, and demonstrates your organisation’s contribution to a better Britain.
Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR)
Can I include the volunteering in my CSR policy?
Yes. Impact Stack services will support you to embed volunteering directly into your CSR or ESG strategy. We will provide the structure, data, frameworks you need to use employee volunteering as a driver to support your impact goals and commitments and evidence the outcomes.
What aspects of CSR/ESG does volunteering cover?
Volunteering supports the social pillar of your CSR and ESG framework, while also contributing to wider governance and wellbeing outcomes. The Impact Stack helps you:
- Strengthen community relationships and meet social value targets.
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Boost employee wellbeing and engagement through purposeful action.
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Provide robust impact data for CSR and ESG reporting.
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Align corporate purpose with outcomes that matter.
Contact us
Need tailored advice or want to talk through your options? Our team is here to help.
We’ll help you find the right approach for your business and employees and make it simple to start making a difference.