Business in the Community

Placement service

Contact: Sheila Large, Director - ProHelp and Community Enterprises

137 Shepherdess Walk
London N1 7RQ

Telephone: 0870 600 2482
Fax: 020 7253 1877

Email: sheila.large@bitc.org.uk
Website: www.bitc.org.uk

Region : Targeted Action Areas in London, and some other regions - phone for details.

Individual clients: Experienced professional and business people.

Organisational clients: Organisations based in London, or whose area of benefit is local, borough- or city-wide.

Business in the Community is a national voluntary organisation linking business and professional expertise to community based organisations. It operates through a regional network of offices (including Wales and Northern Ireland). Business in the Community encourages people from business and the professions to become involved with voluntary organisations either professionally or voluntarily at a strategic or board level through its ProHelp network.

Professional firms are offering time and expertise for specific pieces of professional work and people with professional skills are becoming increasingly interested in getting involved in a board in a personal capacity. Both types of support are co-ordinated through the Pro-Help network.

In London, ProHelp offers voluntary organisations access to both types of support, namely professional services and strategic support at board level. In the latter case volunteers from business are recruited to explore ways in which their skills and experience can add a new dimension to the business of governance. In a number of cases the volunteer is interested in joining as a board member following a period of familiarisation.

Volunteers are primarily recruited from top City firms and businesses and are encouraged to support an organisation for at leas a year. Community organisations can register onto the programme by completing a registration form and submitting background documentation including a job description for management committee members.