Edgefolio’s head of marketing, Hannah Smith, shares her experience with professional skills volunteering.

During the COVID pandemic, I read a tongue-in-cheek article in The Economist about the high-earning lawyers spending their time baking sourdough – and the economic reasons against this. (See: Sourdough economics: no need to knead). Their journalist argued against this pastime for two reasons: first, the resulting loaves of bread were of a low standard compared to those baked by professionals. Second, the economics of (for example) a highly-paid lawyer making sourdough didn’t make sense. A sourdough loaf made by a New York lawyer could cost as much as $400 based on their billable rates. They would do better to work a day and then buy the hundreds of loaves this income equated to. 

Now of course this doesn’t account for the fact that free time will always be spent doing things that are not revenue-generating. This is the very definition of a hobby, and fun cannot be measured in pounds, dollars or euros. Nonetheless it got me thinking about charity work and volunteering. If this same New York lawyer were to donate say five days a year to charity, would this be best spent digging holes and planting trees? Or could their coveted and expensive professional skills be of greater value?

At Edgefolio, we are very fortunate to receive five volunteer days per year as part of the Edgefolio4Good scheme. We are actively encouraged to spend this time supporting a charity either as part of an Edgefolio-organised event, or through opportunities we source independently. 

I am not a New York lawyer, but I have worked in marketing since the outset of my career, and wondered if I had skills which could be valuable to a charity. I used a platform called Reach Volunteering, which connects professionals with charities to do what’s known as “professional skills” volunteering. That is to say, volunteering in a capacity which draws on your professional skills. 

 

 

In my case, I connected with the events team at Great Ormond Street Hospital (GOSH) – one of the world’s leading children’s hospitals located in London. They run a busy schedule of auctions throughout the year, raising money for the vital work they do – and need a copywriter to write up the prize descriptions. These items – ranging from a week in a luxury villa in Bali to a jumper from an independent clothing store – are generously donated, but do not always arrive with comprehensive descriptions. So I spend my volunteer days researching the prizes, and writing them up in a way that speaks to the people bidding. 

The shift in pace compared to my day job was delightful. I spend my volunteer days looking at wonderful and sometimes jaw-dropping auction items. My role was entirely ringfenced to the task at hand, without any of the distractions or anxiety almost everyone faces in their real jobs. There is a long list of items to get through in a day, and this often spills into the evening or weekend but it was truly relaxing and fun. 

I have been lucky enough to use half of my 2024 volunteer days with GOSH so far, and hope to use more as they ramp up their activities into the festive period. I am a tiny (tiny) cog, helping to support the tireless fundraising machine that supports the tireless medical work they do. 

I would strongly encourage anyone who has a skill that a charity might find useful to consider professional skills volunteering, if they have the time and inclination. Even large charities like GOSH rely on volunteers to ensure they can focus all funds raised on the charity’s mission. There were also lots of very small charities on Reach Volunteering looking for people to manage their social media, design a new logo, or help with their website. If this is something that interests you, take a look – I am certainly very glad I did.