Furlonteer: Why you should volunteer if you've been furloughed

Sam Tasker-Grindley, an associate director based at the Leeds office of accountancy firm RSM, was himself placed on the Government’s Job Retention Scheme.

He has teamed up with the co-founder of Hello Fresh, Hamish Shephard and Rosie Shephard, founder of Luxury Communications Council, to launch Furlonteer.

The platform, which looks to match furloughed workers to voluntary organisations according to skills requirements, went live last week. It has already seen over 1,300 people sign up.

Speaking to The Yorkshire Post, Mr Tasker-Grindley said: “There’s only so much watching TV, DIY or gardening that you can really do.

“We’ve had an amazing response to this very quickly but I think even more people are going to start to realise that the novelty of being furloughed and having nothing to do is going to wear off quite quickly.”

He added that there is also a mental health issue with people losing their routines and feeling a lack of purpose.

As a result, Furlonteer teamed up with Sheffield-based mental health organisation Champion Health.

Mr Tasker-Grindley said: “They are giving out their online mental health training for free. “Anyone who signs up to Furlonteer, we point them in the direction of this mental health training while we’re trying to find them a match with a good cause or charity.”

Despite being placed on furlough himself, Mr Tasker-Grindley is looking at the positives saying that he understood the business case for the decision.

He said: “What anyone who has been put on furlough has got to realise is that at least you still have a job.

“I suppose it’s a bit of a jolt but I very quickly saw it as an opportunity to do a load of things that I’ve always told myself I didn’t have time for. Rather than look at the negatives, I looked to the positives.

“You’re not being made redundant. You’ve got this opportunity to go out and make a difference.

“There are thousands of charities and good causes who really need support now. They’ll remember you reaching out forever.”

Furlonteer is attracting volunteers from all over the country and Mr Tasker-Grindley says that it is also open to those that have not been placed on furlough.

The idea for Furlonteer came about while Mr Tasker-Grindley was having a curry over a video chat with Hamish and Rosie Shephard.

He said: “I jumped at the chance to help launch this because I think it’s an amazing opportunity for people who have been furloughed to keep their skills fresh, maybe learn something new, but also to do something really good.

“Coronavirus will hopefully be a one off but it’s definitely a point in history and we get this feeling that people are going to look back on this moment and remember what they did.”

In demand online

Some of the most in demand skills are online marketing and finance, according to Sam Tasker-Grindley. However, he added that there is a wide range of skills required by charities.

Mr Tasker-Grindley said: “You might not realise that you’ve got transferable skills. We have chefs that have signed up who have amazing organisational skills and they are really good at leading a team.”

He believes that there is scope to keep Furlonteer going post-coronavirus.

He said: “I do believe that people’s mindsets towards volunteering will change.”

To volunteer or to register as a charity or cause, visit https://www.furlonteer.com/ or email [email protected]

Editor’s note: first and foremost - and rarely have I written down these words with more sincerity - I hope this finds you well.

Almost certainly you are here because you value the quality and the integrity of the journalism produced by The Yorkshire Post’s journalists - almost all of which live alongside you in Yorkshire, spending the wages they earn with Yorkshire businesses - who last year took this title to the industry watchdog’s Most Trusted Newspaper in Britain accolade.

And that is why I must make an urgent request of you: as advertising revenue declines, your support becomes evermore crucial to the maintenance of the journalistic standards expected of The Yorkshire Post. If you can, safely, please buy a paper or take up a subscription. We want to continue to make you proud of Yorkshire’s National Newspaper but we are going to need your help.

Postal subscription copies can be ordered by calling 0330 4030066 or by emailing [email protected]. Vouchers, to be exchanged at retail sales outlets - our newsagents need you, too - can be subscribed to by contacting subscriptions on 0330 1235950 or by visiting www.localsubsplus.co.uk where you should select The Yorkshire Post from the list of titles available.

If you want to help right now, download our tablet app from the App / Play Stores. Every contribution you make helps to provide this county with the best regional journalism in the country.