Press release

Volunteering company Benefacto wins PM award

Benefacto, a company which has helped hundreds of people find rewarding volunteering work, has been recognised with a Big Society Award.

Benefacto is the latest winner of the Prime Minister’s Big Society Award for its work in providing volunteering opportunities for hundreds of people.

The community interest company is an innovative brokerage for booking employee volunteering. Nearly 11 million people in the UK are given paid time off to volunteer and Benefacto helps them find convenient, engaging projects to take advantage of it.

Its staff work with 35 London charities to provide volunteering opportunities which are really meaningful; make it easy for volunteers to get involved and help companies to build a culture of volunteering.

Benefacto has already helped over 1,500 volunteers from firms such as Accenture, AECOM and the FCA to give 2,667 days of valuable time to small charities – whether it’s providing vulnerable men with interview clothing and preparation at Suited & Booted, or helping the over-50s get to grips with IT skills at Hackney Silver Surfers.

Prime Minister David Cameron said:

It is fantastic that so many businesses now give their employees paid leave to volunteer their time and help the causes they support around the country. By bringing together companies looking for ways to make staff volunteering easy with charities that need their support, Benfacto helps even more people give something back to their local communities. I am delighted to recognise their work with a Big Society Award.

Linz Darlington, CEO and founder of Benefacto, said:

Benefacto is delighted to be recognised for our work promoting meaningful corporate volunteering. Our service has helped hundreds of talented professionals invest their skills in a wide range of charities across London; this award really emphasises the potential that effective partnerships between business and the third sector have for investing in our communities.

Published 18 November 2015