This paper was inspired by conversations arising from CSR Asia’s Community Investment Round Table (CIRT). The CIRT is made up of companies who share best practices and challenges concerning strategic community investment and are committed to measuring their impact in this area. Skills-based volunteering (SBV) is an area of growing interest and CIRT members at various stages of their SBV ‘journey’ were keen to understand more about how to maximise its effectiveness.

This paper aims to address the ways in which SBV can be most effective, focusing on the practicalities of engaging volunteers in programmes and initiatives that have positive impacts. Following the publication of this paper, we will continue to collect and share SBV-related tools and templates by way of resource for those embarking on their own journey. You can access these materials in the Strategic Partner area of the CSR Asia .