About Us

Our Story

Link UP cultivates social change by pioneering a new way to volunteer in the community.

We began very locally in Battersea as a way to connect people with skills to local causes. Our approach was based on the premise that charitable organisations are providing critical support to their communities but lack resources to bring in the expertise of top talent when it’s needed. These community champions do so much good in society, but people can’t be experts in everything. Why shouldn’t they have access to industry specific expertise to bring about the big changes they’re trying to make for people in their community?

Our co-founders had worked in the charity sector for years and have overseen volunteer programmes and been volunteers themselves. They set out to design an approach that bridged the gap and truly worked for charities and volunteers alike.

Our aim is to connect committed, socially-minded people and organisations to collaborate to bring about local level change throughout London. We tested in Battersea in 2016, grew throughout Wandsworth in 2017 and then into Lambeth in the summer of 2018. As a result of the Covid-19 pandemic our service moved online and opened up to organisations across all boroughs of London.

All of our volunteer engagements are designed to fit around modern, busy lives so each match is shaped with the needs of the organisation and the Skilled Volunteer’s in mind, to ensure that each side gets the most out of their experience.

What organisations and volunteers say

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THE PROBLEM

Communities are increasingly disconnected and struggle to make use of local skills and resources to overcome their distinct challenges.

THE SOLUTION

Link UP connects highly skilled professionals with meaningful opportunities that strengthen individuals, organisations and communities and foster connection.

Where to find us

We are working across London

We support local charities, social enterprises and community groups in: City of London, Barking and Dagenham, Barnet, Bexley, Brent, Bromley, Camden, Croydon, Ealing, Enfield, Greenwich, Hackney, Hammersmith and Fulham, Haringey, Harrow, Havering, Hillingdon, Hounslow, Islington, Kensington and Chelsea, Kingston upon Thames, Lambeth, Lewisham, Merton, Newham, Redbridge, Richmond upon Thames, Southwark, Sutton, Tower Hamlets, Waltham Forest, Wandsworth, Westminster.

Our Values

Make a difference every day

Human
Connections

Integrity

Growth
Mindset

Happy, Healthy People

What is Link UP Skilled Volunteering?

Many people are looking for a way to ‘give back’, however they are busy and can’t find a volunteering role that fits their lives. Our Skilled Volunteering programme offers people an opportunity to use their professional skills to support the capacity development of Social Good Organisations (SGOs) on short-term, structured projects with flexible time commitments.

Our projects are not designed to mobilise front-line volunteers, but rather build capacity of organisations, so they can do their work better and reach more people in their communities. The types of skills needed by SGO’s are wide-ranging, and include: Marketing, HR, Finance, Strategy, Legal, Governance, Organisational Development, IT, and much more.

Why are SGOs important?

While individuals make up the community, Social Good Organisations (SGOs) are the bed-rock of our community. They are based here, have in-depth knowledge of the issues we are facing and offer support, advice and much needed services to local people. These organisations, which often fill gaps and innovate approaches, hugely support communities to be stronger and more vibrant and provide residents a voice along with valuable support services.

At Link UP, we support these organisations to access high quality industry expertise in areas that support their ability to do their work better and have a greater impact. Our goal is to create authentic connections, underpinned by genuine relationships that open new and exciting possibilities for a stronger community.

Our Team

Kim Perlow

Founder & CEO

Will Foreman

Head of Programmes

Julia Gregory

Events & Outreach Manager

Akash Khosla

Skilled Volunteering Officer

Sarah Walkley

Fundraiser

Emma Ramsay

Communications Manager

Nicolle Brooks

Corporate Partnerships Manager

Sophie Bradley

Be Heard Programme Coordinator

Directors

Kim Perlow

CEO

Nancy Saichin

Strategy & Marketing

Susan Cummings

Legal

Christina Best

Human Resources

Stuart Dabb

Finance

Advisory Board members

Dagmar Ulrich

Gareth Dixon

Lalit Kalra

Harriet Dodd

Richard Clissold-Vasey

Thank you to all the amazing Skilled Volunteers who have supported Link UP directly with our growth over the years!

Diane Carrington

Case study development

Imogen Doughty

Search Engine Optimization

Richard Clissold-Vasey

Partnership development

Lalit Kalra

Organisational Development

Julia Gregory

Instagram

Amanda Hoffman

Finance

Sarah Johnson

Research

Jinu Joseph

Photography (Dew Dot Films)

Hannah Neill

Branding

Jo Ogilvie

Graphic Design (Sharp Pencil Design)

Madelaine O’Loughlin

Human Resource policies

Neil Patel

Visioning / Organisational Development

Stuart Serjent

Logo Design (Serjent Design)

Naomi Wilkinson

Marketing Strategy

Megan Taylor

Corporate Programme Development