Voscur Skills Bank is a Bristol-based development charity with over 500 member organisations from the voluntary, community and social enterprise sector.  As part of its work to support this vital sector, it runs a ‘Skills Bank’ which enables highly skilled volunteers to connect with organisations who need their support the most. For example, there are a wide range of marketing projects its members need support with, including marketing strategies, branding, web development and social media.

Jessica Langton, Partnerships and Skills Coordinator at Volunteer Bristol, VOSCUR explains; “These days, small organisations are under more pressure to communicate effectively across a variety of mediums, but often resources are tight. This is where a little input from someone with professional experience can make a world of difference - some advice can really go a long way”. 

Once you have joined the Skills Bank, Voscur will send you any opportunities that might be of interest to you.  Currently, one volunteer Jim, a marketing professional with a wealth of experience gained through working internationally as a marketing consultant, has been able to give time to a couple of projects, most recently supporting the Bristol Area Stroke Foundation to design and implement a marketing strategy and plan for a rebrand.

Jim says; "I found the volunteering very flexible and really enjoyed working with the people involved with the project”, he added; "theyt are a great crowd”. As well as sharing his skills, Jim got the opportunity to meet and collaborate with a range of different people, both staff and service users, and saw first-hand how his support was benefitting local people. 

 The work Jim did created a major shift in BASF's thinking about marketing and branding. The initial work and strategy he created formed the basis of a successful funding bid to do a full re-brand, build a new website and implement a communications strategy. In the longer term, this will raise the organisations profile and make them more fundable. 

Join the Skills Bank 
Voscur is looking for marketing professionals in the Bristol area who have at least two years’ workplace experience and who have around 8 plus hours per month to volunteer. 

If you are interested in joining the Skills Bank and hearing about local volunteer opportunities (both short and long-term), Jessica would be delighted to hear from you. Please email Jessica, the Partnerships and Skills Coordinator for a registration pack or if you have any questions.