Business Meets Community: Volunteering for Impact - SHOWCASE Event

Connecting businesses and communities across Hull and East Riding

We are excited to be launching Business Meets Community: Volunteering for Impact, a brand-new event bringing together businesses and community organisations from across Hull and East Riding to create meaningful local connections and real community impact.

Taking place on 2nd June 2026 as part of Humber Business Week, the event will connect local businesses with VCSE (Voluntary, Community and Social Enterprise) organisations to explore volunteering, skills-sharing, and partnership opportunities.

We are proud to be delivering this event alongside our friends and colleagues at Hull CVS as part of our Time2Volunteer partnership, helping to strengthen links between businesses and the VCSE sector across the region.

Businesses often want to give back to their communities. Many offer volunteering hours, team building days, or have staff with valuable skills they would like to share. At the same time, VCSE organisations across the region are looking for support, volunteers, and long-term partnerships — but making those connections can often be difficult.

This event has been designed to help bridge that gap.

Bringing businesses and communities together

The event will bring together around 30 VCSE organisations and 40+  local businesses in a relaxed, interactive format designed to encourage direct conversations and practical collaboration.

Rather than formal presentations, the session will work more like a networking or “speed matching” event, giving organisations and businesses the opportunity to explore:

• Team volunteering opportunities
• Environmental and community projects
• Skills-based volunteering such as HR, marketing, mentoring, or IT support
• Longer-term partnerships and CSR opportunities
• Employee engagement and wellbeing initiatives

Each VCSE organisation attending will come prepared with a clear “Volunteer Ask”, helping businesses understand exactly what support is needed and how they can get involved.

A focus on meaningful impact

The event is being developed with a focus on quality, local connection, and meaningful outcomes.

We are prioritising locally rooted businesses with genuine capacity to volunteer and support the sector, alongside VCSE organisations that can offer practical and engaging opportunities for volunteers.

This includes everything from environmental projects and community space improvements to mentoring, skills-sharing, and wellbeing support.

The aim is not simply to create one-off volunteering days, but to build relationships that continue beyond the event itself.

VCSE Organisations

For VCSE organisations wishing to book a space, please use the link below to express your interest.

VCSE – Business Meets Community: Volunteering for Impact – Expression of Interest

Places are limited and will be allocated on a first come, first served basis, ensuring organisations are able to offer suitable volunteering opportunities.

Businesses

For businesses interested in attending, please use the link below to register your interest:

Business Meets Community: Volunteering for Impact – Save the Date & Expression of Interest

Both forms include a short profile section which will help us match community volunteering opportunities with the interests, skills, and capacity of local businesses.

Why this matters

Volunteering and community partnerships create real benefits for both businesses and local organisations.

For businesses, supporting local causes can:

• Strengthen employee engagement
• Improve team wellbeing and morale
• Support social value and CSR commitments
• Build stronger local relationships
• Create meaningful team building opportunities

For VCSE organisations, partnerships with businesses can provide:

• Additional volunteer capacity
• Access to specialist skills and expertise
• Practical support for projects and events
• Increased visibility and local connections
• Opportunities for longer-term collaboration

Most importantly, these partnerships help create stronger, more connected communities across Hull and East Riding.

Further information will be shared week commencing 18th May with those who have expressed an interest in attending.

This will include event details, next steps, and guidance on completing your Volunteer “dating” profile to help us match businesses with the right community opportunities.