Volunteer Centre Greenwich

What Volunteer Centre Greenwich does

Volunteer Centre Greenwich (VCG) is a registered charity (charity number 1081369) and company limited by guarantee (3832423) founded in 1999 and headquartered at Equitable House, Woolwich, in the Royal Borough of Greenwich. With 17 employees, VCG operates as a volunteer infrastructure organisation that connects local residents with volunteering opportunities, supports non-profit organisations to develop and manage their volunteer programmes, and delivers targeted community projects for vulnerable populations including adults with learning disabilities or autism, people experiencing loneliness or mental health challenges, NEET young people aged 16-19, and women seeking health support. The organisation is led by Chief Executive Michelle Martin and reportedly has placed 3,000 volunteers and trained 2,000 learners across 300 courses at an 80% pass rate.

VCG's service portfolio is built on a hybrid digital/physical platform architecture. Core technology assets include an online Volunteer Management System (vcconnectsystem.org.uk) for role posting, applicant matching, and volunteer profile management, the Community Referral Platform branded "Simply Connect Greenwich" (greenwich.simplyconnect.uk) hosting social prescribing and self-referral functionality, and a member portal for organisations. The structured training catalogue spans short workshops (safeguarding, equality and diversity, bereavement, dementia awareness, mentoring, professional boundaries) and multi-day accredited courses (Customer Service, Interpersonal Skills, Information/Advice/Guidance), alongside three-tiered consultancy packages (Gold/Silver/Bronze) for organisations developing volunteer programmes. Bespoke projects include the Supported Volunteering Project, Greenwich Young People's Project, and the March 2025-launched Women and Girls' Health Hub (funded by the Integrated Care Board).

VCG operates as a non-profit with diversified revenue streams: donations (preset amounts of £5/£10/£20 with a recurring payment option), training and workshop fees (many free for registered members, others at cost), consultancy packages (pricing not publicly disclosed), and grant/funder income from partners including the Integrated Care Board, Deloitte, and the Royal Borough of Greenwich. Go-to-market is a hybrid of community-led recruitment and direct-to-consumer engagement, distributed through self-serve digital channels and high-touch in-person touchpoints (Wednesday drop-ins at Woolwich Front Room, one-to-one appointments via Teams or in-person), targeting two primary segments: individuals seeking volunteering opportunities and not-for-profit organisations that recruit volunteers.

Name

Volunteer Centre Greenwich

Legal name

Volunteer Centre Greenwich

Website

https://vcgreenwich.org.uk

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Volunteer Centre Greenwich is a registered charity in the Royal Borough of Greenwich that recruits volunteers, provides training and consultancy to local organisations, and delivers community projects including befriending, supported volunteering, and health initiatives for vulnerable residents.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Community and Volunteer Services

NAICS

Social Assistance (624), Services for the Elderly and Persons with Disabilities (62412)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300), Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Community Centers & Neighborhood Support Services (BPAGAEAL)

Keywords

• Volunteer recruitment services
• Community referral platform
• Volunteer management training
• Befriending support services
• Social prescribing services

Headquarters

HQ city

Woolwich

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Donations: Charity relies on donations from supporters. Donation options include £5, £10, £20 or other amounts, with option for regular payments.
2. Training Services: Provides accredited and non-accredited training courses including workshops for volunteer management, professional development, and skills training. Some workshops are free for registered members, others have associated costs.
3. Consultancy Packages: Three-tiered consultancy packages (Gold, Silver, Bronze) to help organisations develop volunteering programmes with varying levels of support including policies, training, and dedicated support hours.
4. Membership Programme: Free membership for not-for-profit organisations providing access to volunteer management resources, training workshops, award nominations, and templates.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Volunteer Centre Greenwich recruits and places volunteers in the Royal Borough of Greenwich through an online volunteer management system and the Simply Connect Greenwich community referral platform. It delivers accredited and non-accredited training, three-tiered consultancy packages, and a portfolio of inclusion projects supporting adults with disabilities, adults experiencing loneliness or poor mental health, NEET young people, and women and girls' health.

Product overview

Volunteer Centre Greenwich operates as a volunteer recruitment and support organisation offering a unified service portfolio centred on volunteer management. The core offerings include an online volunteer recruitment platform with role search and appointment booking, a Community Referral Platform (Simply Connect Greenwich) for organisations to promote activities and manage referrals, and a comprehensive Training and Consultancy division offering workshops (Safeguarding, Professional Boundaries, Mentoring, Equality and Diversity, Bereavement, Dementia Awareness, Administration) and multi-day courses (Customer Service, Interpersonal Skills, Information/Advice/Guidance). Supporting services include Volunteer Management Workshops, three-tiered Consultancy Packages (Gold/Silver/Bronze), downloadable Templates and Factsheets, Recognition Awards for volunteer hours, and specialised projects including Befriending and Emotional Well-being Support, the Supported Volunteering Project, Greenwich Young People's Project, and the Women and Girls' Health Hub.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Simply Connect Greenwich: Community Referral Platform for activities, clubs and services across the Royal Borough of Greenwich.

Products and services

• Volunteer Recruitment Service Online volunteer recruitment service for individuals in the Royal Borough of Greenwich to register, search for roles, and book one-to-one appointments (Zoom or in-person) with VCG staff.
• Community Referral Platform (Simply Connect Greenwich) Online platform at greenwich.simplyconnect.uk where not-for-profit organisations can promote activities, services, clubs and training, and where residents can self-refer or be referred by health and key workers, supported by a quality-assurance framework.
• Services for Organisations Recruitment and programme-development support for organisations and statutory bodies promoting volunteering roles, including targeted recruitment, guidance, and information to help develop their volunteering programmes.
• Consultancy Packages (Gold, Silver, Bronze) Three-tiered consultancy packages (Gold, Silver, Bronze) that help organisations develop volunteering programmes through needs analysis, policy development, training, and dedicated support hours.
• Safeguarding Workshop One-day workshop covering forms of abuse, indicators, reporting procedures, and appropriate response for adults and children, aimed at staff and volunteers in caring roles.
• Professional Boundaries Workshop Half-day workshop teaching skills and techniques for maintaining professional boundaries, covering confidentiality and their application to volunteering roles.
• Introduction to Mentoring Workshop One-day workshop covering the mentoring relationship, boundaries, goal setting, action planning, communication skills, and ending mentoring relationships effectively.
• Equality and Diversity Workshop Workshop providing understanding of equality, diversity and inclusion concepts and their impact on organisational policy and anti-discriminatory practice.
• Understanding Bereavement When Working With Clients Workshop Workshop introducing bereavement concepts, stages of grief, cultural differences, listening skills, and support strategies for clients experiencing loss.
• Dementia Awareness Workshop Workshop for Adult Social Care workers covering dementia classification, symptoms, and care planning within health and adult social care systems.
• Introduction to Advice and Guidance Workshop One-day workshop introducing information, advice, guidance and signposting principles, client interaction management, and data protection considerations.
• Customer Service 3 Day Course Three-day course developing communication skills, query resolution, meeting customer needs, and handling complaints in customer-facing roles.
• Interpersonal Skills 3 Day Course Three-day course explaining interpersonal skills for work or personal relationships, ethical use awareness, and self-development.
• Information, Advice and Guidance 3 Day Course Three-day qualification developing knowledge and understanding of the key principles of information, advice or guidance and their application.
• Introduction to Administration Workshop Half-day workshop covering basic administration skills including filing, appointment booking, communication, customer handling, and information collation.
• Volunteer Management Workshops Best-practice Volunteer Management workshops (Part A and Part B) covering recruitment, rights, policies, equality, screening, support and supervision, plus supplementary workshops on redesigning the volunteer experience, legal considerations, difficult situations and impact measurement.
• Befriending and Emotional Well-being Support Service Telephone and face-to-face support service for adults in Greenwich experiencing loneliness, isolation, or poor mental health, including walk-and-talk sessions, coffee meetups, and wellbeing activities.
• Supported Volunteering Project Project supporting Greenwich adults with learning disabilities or autism to access volunteering, including 1:1 mentor support, an accredited mentoring qualification, and a Level 1 Employability Skills Course.
• Greenwich Young People's Project Project supporting NEET young people aged 16-19 in Greenwich with mentoring, volunteering placement, free training, and work experience in tourism and hospitality sectors.
• Women and Girls' Health Hub Health initiative launched in March 2025 providing physical and virtual hubs where women in Greenwich can access advice on heavy menstrual bleeding, preconception care, contraception, and menopause, in partnership with the Integrated Care Board and Oxleas Foundation Trust.

Quantifiable outcome

• 80% of participants in Supported Volunteering Project saw improvement in social, communication and life skills
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration9 records

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Oxleas Foundation TrustcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 March 2025Healthcare partnership for the Women and Girls' Health Hub, with Consultant Community Gynaecologist Dr Nele Dumpert providing clinical expertise.
• Deloitte Digital Connect ProgrammecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2023User-centred design research programme supported by Deloitte Digital Connect to understand barriers to volunteering for people with lived experience of mental health challenges.
• Volunteer Centre HackneyminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2023Collaborative partnership with Volunteer Centre Hackney as part of the Deloitte Digital Connect research project on inclusive volunteering practices.
• Lewisham LocalminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2023Collaborative partnership with Lewisham Local as part of the Deloitte Digital Connect research project on inclusive volunteering practices.
• Volunteer Centre BexleyminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2023Collaborative partnership with Volunteer Centre Bexley as part of the Deloitte Digital Connect research project on inclusive volunteering practices.
• Visit GreenwichcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with Visit Greenwich for the Young People's Project, supporting young people not in education, employment or training to find pathways to employment in tourism and hospitality sectors.
• Young GreenwichcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with Young Greenwich to deliver the Young People's Project supporting NEET young people (16-19) with mentoring and volunteering opportunities.
• Mayor of GreenwichcoreOthersRecognition Awards programme supported by the Mayor of Greenwich, with the Mayor presenting awards to volunteers during Volunteers' Week (1-7 June) for those completing 100 or 250 hours of volunteering.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Age UK: Large national charity addressing loneliness and wellbeing in older adults; overlaps with VCG's befriending and emotional wellbeing services but operates at much greater scale and brand recognition.
• UK Youth: National infrastructure body supporting youth organisations and NEET programmes; overlaps with VCG's Greenwich Young People's Project serving NEET 16-19 year olds with mentoring and volunteering.
• NCVO (National Council for Voluntary Organisations): UK-wide umbrella body for the voluntary sector that sets standards, advocates for the sector and provides training/resources to charities, overlapping with VCG's training, consultancy and good-practice work.
• Mind: UK mental health charity whose local Minds deliver befriending and peer-support services similar to VCG's emotional wellbeing and inclusive volunteering work for people with mental health challenges.
• Locality: National UK membership body for community organisations and charities; overlaps with VCG's non-profit membership programme, training and consultancy support to local organisations.

Emerging players

• Reach Volunteering: UK charity that uses a skills-based, board-matching approach to place professionals into trustee and volunteering roles; competes for the higher-skilled end of the same volunteer pool VCG serves.
• Do-it (Do-it.org): UK-wide digital volunteering platform from the NCVO family that enables self-serve volunteer registration and role search online; overlaps with VCG's online volunteer recruitment channel but at national scale.

Direct peers

• Volunteer Centre Bexley: Neighbouring borough volunteer centre collaborating with VCG on the Deloitte Digital Connect Programme; competes for the same pool of South East London volunteer-infrastructure contracts and grants.
• Lewisham Local: Lewisham-based community support and volunteering infrastructure organisation that partners with VCG on inclusive volunteering research and runs a near-identical portfolio of volunteer matching, training and community referral services.
• Volunteer Centre Hackney: Borough-level volunteer centre in Hackney offering directly comparable volunteer recruitment, training and organisation-support services; VCG explicitly partners with this peer on the Deloitte Digital Connect research project.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/VCGreenwich
• Facebookfacebook.com/volunteercentregreenwich
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/volunteer-centre-greenwich

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Volunteer Centre Greenwich