How Volunteer Cambs Helps Abbey People Grow Its Community Impact

We are a vibrant community charity in the Abbey Ward of Cambridge, improving the lives and wellbeing of Abbey residents.

We do this through targeted community projects, provision of general support such as a community Food Hub, supporting access to education and employment, projects to improve the environment, and by developing a culture of volunteering in the community.

We needed a platform with good exposure in Cambridge to help us reach people who want to volunteer. Volunteer Cambs has strong traffic and is well recognised as a go-to place for volunteering opportunities, which helps us promote what Abbey People does more widely.

Some roles are practical (such as litter picking, maintaining green spaces, helping at the Food Hub), and others are governance or strategic (trustee roles). We needed a way to advertise across both kinds of roles to the right audiences. Posting via Volunteer Cambs helps us reach volunteers interested in both hands-on community work and governance roles.

Instead of relying solely on our own channels, word of mouth, or local notices, using Volunteer Cambs gives us a central, trusted platform. It ensures that interested volunteers can find us alongside other local organisations.

We list each volunteering opportunity on the Volunteer Cambs website and those who are interested respond to the adverts. The platform is very simple and easy to use. 

Using the platform has allowed us to connect with a wider pool of volunteers - and this has had a ripple effect across our organisation.

With a strong volunteer base, we’re able to run our weekly Food Hub sessions consistently, collect and sort surplus food, stock the pantry, and offer additional support to residents. Because our Food Hub is so well supported by volunteers, staff can focus on developing new projects, applying for funding, and responding to emerging community needs. That flexibility and capacity means we can do more and do it better. Additionally, most of our staff started as volunteers of Abbey People.

One of the biggest benefits has been that volunteers initially sign up for a specific opportunity through Volunteer Cambs, and once they get started with us, many go on to get involved in other areas of our work as well.

By listing our roles on Volunteer Cambs, we’re not only recruiting volunteers - we’re also raising awareness. The more people who hear about Abbey People, the more likely we are to attract donations, supporters, and new partnerships that help us continue and expand our work.

Volunteer Cambs has become a valuable part of our outreach and recruitment strategy, helping us build the foundations that allow us to increase our impact locally.

Volunteer Cambs has been a fantastic tool for reaching a wider audience of volunteers and raising awareness of Abbey People’s work. It’s helped us connect with people interested in both hands-on community roles and strategic positions like trustees. Many volunteers who join us through the platform go on to support other areas of our work, creating a ripple effect across the organisation. It’s simple to use and has become a key part of our outreach and volunteer recruitment strategy.