A year of giving back
Ten months ago, we both joined Sapio’s charity committee.
Since then, we’ve taken part in a mix of committee-led and independent volunteering, and the year’s left us with a rounded view of what these activities actually involve.
Through the committee, we helped organise our station at Hestia‘s Big Day Out, where we spent the day decorating tote bags and pencil cases alongside the women and children Hestia supports.
It was one of the most rewarding parts of the year, because supporting a cause in person hits differently from reading about it or donating from a distance.
Outside of committee duties, we also spent a Green Day volunteering with Bankside Open Spaces Trust, working outdoors on the site: clearing paths, picking litter, mulching beds and generally helping the space stay usable for the people who rely on it.
A world away from tote bags, but just as satisfying, not least because the results are immediate.
Seeing a cleared path or a tidier green space by the end of the day is hard to beat.
Separately, one of us also joined a Christmas volunteering session with Hestia, visiting a shelter for women and children.
The day was split across two activities:
🎄 Decorating the Christmas tree and the house
🥮 Baking and wreath-making sessions for anyone who preferred something more hands-on
It ended with gifts for everyone who’d taken part, and a genuinely warm atmosphere in the room.
Hestia’s digital Christmas card to thank the team
for everything we’ve done
What the last ten months have taught us
Before joining the committee, volunteering meant showing up on the day and getting stuck in. Being on the committee has shown us everything that happens before that: agreeing what an activity should achieve, sourcing materials, and thinking through details that never crossed our minds as volunteers, from how many people might want each activity to what we’d do if materials ran short.
What this year had in common, across every activity, was how much it reminded us why charities matter, and how much volunteers and supporters can genuinely add when they show up and get involved. Hands-on time, whether at a planning table or on our knees clearing mulch, gives us a different kind of appreciation for the work charities do every day.
It’s also highlighted something we’ve both noticed: however well an activity is run, charities are often working with far less insight into their audiences than they’d like.
Research is often the first thing to go when budgets are tight, yet it’s exactly what would help charities understand who they’re trying to reach and where their limited resources would have the greatest impact.
That’s the gap we wanted to help close, which is why we’re proud to run our Charity Giveaway Campaign again this year.
One charity will get access to research they might not otherwise have the time, budget or expertise to carry out themselves, giving them a clearer view of their audience and a stronger basis for the decisions ahead. Having given our own time this year, we’ve a clearer sense than ever of what that kind of support can mean.
Previous winners include
