July’s Volunteer of the Month is Sophie Hinder-Walbank, Marketing & Communications Manager at TH Real Estate, nominated for leading a brilliant workshop during July and for her ongoing commitment to CSR activity.

On the 18th July Sophie hosted a Professional Visit and Presentation Preparation Workshop for young people from the National Citizens Service. She recruited a team of volunteers from different areas of the business and played an active role in the facilitation of the session. Sophie went the extra mile, providing the visitors with refreshments and taking them on a tour of the TH Real Estate offices.

As a Marketing and Communications Manager, CSR activity does not fall within Sophie’s job description, however, over the past year she has taken it upon herself to mobilise TH Real Estate volunteers and work alongside ELBA to create a range of volunteering opportunities which enable TH Real Estate employees to support east London communities. Sophie does all of this on top of her day job and so is being recognised for her outstanding commitment to volunteering.  

Why did you volunteer?
I’ve not always been the Mother Theresa type. I remember the first time I ever volunteered was back at my Catholic primary school, and the nuns made us do a ‘trolley round’ at a local hospital. I was pretty traumatised as it was the closest I’d ever been to ‘people in need’. The next time was about 12 years later when I started my Graduate Scheme at the Royal Bank of Scotland, and by coincidence I was signed up to run their UK volunteering programme. By the end of my six month placement, I was singing from the rooftops about how everyone should take time out of their busy schedules to volunteer. If it could turn my heart of stone, then it must be worthwhile! I then moved to my new job, spotted a volunteering gap, and soon after set up our Employee Volunteering Programme in London with the fantastic support of our Executive Leadership Team. That was in 2014 and I’m delighted to say that, as of this year, we are now running a global programme which encompasses our colleagues across Asia-Pacific, the US, and Europe!

Why is volunteering important?
Giving back to your local community is important, wherever you are in the world. However, working in the financial district of one of the wealthiest cities in the world, and being in such close proximity to communities who have so much to offer yet not all the opportunities to prosper, acts as a constant reminder to support the communities in which we live and work. Our skill sets and the networks in which we operate can be utilised easily with the help of charities such as ELBA. I also see volunteering as a two-way dialogue. I have seen it work in real life as a huge education piece – for both volunteers and the beneficiaries – in learning about different cultures and attitudes within our society. It’s a great channel to help get you out of a mental rut! Finally, for companies such as TH Real Estate, there is an increasing expectation from investors for us to be investing responsibly. Corporate volunteering is one of many ways in which we can meet these requirements.

Would you recommend volunteering to a colleague?
Absolutely. Like I said, I’m not a saint, and have definitely been in that scenario where you can always find an excuse not to find the time to volunteer – I’ve got deadlines, I’m in too many meetings, I’m on holiday next week, yada yada yada. But I promise that even the most scrooge-like individuals will come away after a day of volunteering with a warm, fuzzy feeling. You can’t beat doing something for someone else! And don’t worry folks, those emails aren’t going anywhere…