Twice the Impact: Nada’s experience of giving and receiving support with Link UP London

Impact Story by Skilled Volunteer | Sophia Mobbs

When Nada Savitch talks about LinkUP London, she doesn’t hesitate: “LinkUp literally saved my life.”

After decades of working in the charity sector—spanning charities large to small, and even co-founding and running the Community Interest Company Innovations in Dementia—Nada found herself in a very different position: caring full-time for her mother.

“I felt really like I’d been running lots of different projects and doing lots of exciting things and I was, you know, my own boss. And then suddenly I was a carer and my life… sort of ends up feeling very, very small. It sort of implodes on you.”

That was when she stumbled across Bright Side magazine and read about Link UP’s flexible Skilled Volunteering projects. At first Nada was worried that she didn’t have the flexibility needed to get involved; “I spoke to the Link UP team and said, ‘Yeah, but you don’t understand, I can’t leave home because I’m looking after my mum – so I can help, but it can only be for a little while when I can co-ordinate other carers…’. They were really good, and said, ‘No no, you don’t have to come in – you can do it all from home.’

With the assurance that she could get involved whilst keeping a handle on her personal life, Nada jumped in – and what followed was a reawakening, both professionally and personally!

Nada’s first skilled volunteering project was with Citizens Advice Wandsworth in late 2017, conducting interviews with stakeholders for their annual review. Then in 2018, she joined Paul’s Cancer Support Centre to help produce a brochure for their 35th anniversary, capturing voices from volunteers, staff and service users. She later returned to Paul’s to support work on service user involvement and newsletter production, and in early 2019 she joined Welcare to guide their website redesign – developing detailed user personas and testing journeys to create a better digital experience.

Traditional volunteering, with fixed hours or physical presence, wouldn’t have worked for Nada. But Link UP’s model- matching professional skills to clearly scoped, time-limited projects – gave her room to contribute on her own terms.

“I couldn’t have done traditional volunteering when you have to go every week or every month. They were like, ‘okay, we match you then off you go, you work out what you need from each other and how to do it – just come back and tell us what’s happened.’ And that worked so well for me. You’re treated like the professional that you are. Being valued in that way is just fantastic.”

Fast-forward to 2023, Nada found herself on the other side of the equation. Now working as a Digital Project Manager at Carers Support Merton, she urgently needed help creating short videos for Merton’s new website. These videos were imperative to help time-strapped carers access support, but Nada didn’t know where to get started with filming this kind of content – or have budget to hand to hire a professional.

“I wanted to have videos, but I didn’t want to use charity money doing it…I needed advice about equipment for us to do our own stuff. I need advice about what a spec would look like if I was going to tender it…I reached out to LinkUP and said, ‘I need a volunteer.'”

Soon, Nada was matched with a volunteer and experienced the other side of the skilled volunteer project! Happily, she found it just as rewarding:

“My volunteer gave just superb advice…They were brilliant, and exactly how I hoped I have been for other people. I was so pleased to have seen both sides.”

One particular benefit that Nada remarked on from the organisation’s POV was having the assurance of receiving unbiased, trustworthy assistance:

“It was very much like having your own pet consultant – except one who hasn’t got their own agenda!”

Today, Nada continues to thrive in the Link UP community. Since late 2023, she’s been helping write impact stories – bringing other people’s experiences to life, just as she once helped charities tell theirs. You can read her stories using the links at the end of this story.

Wrapping up, Nada reflects on how these skilled volunteering projects often deliver unexpected, intangible value for organisations;

“It’s not just about ‘Here, I’ve delivered this bit of work on time for you’. Just as important is playing almost a consultancy role, using your expertise to ask, ‘Have you thought about this? What about your plan for that?’ This really helps charities expand their thinking.”

And on the volunteer end, Nada says the impact is clear and simple: “It made me feel valued again. I absolutely loved doing it.”

Whether you’re a skilled professional or a for-good organisation, get in touch today to get matched on a skilled volunteering project of your own, and see the impact for yourself!

Nada’s Stories: 

Impact Story: Strengthening IBAA and Evelyn Oldfield Unit

Impact Story: Building Partnerships – Clothing Collective’s Success with Skilled Volunteer

Impact Story: Donna John of Ignite Youth: Skilled Volunteers Elevated Our Annual Review

Impact Story: Nicola & Emma’s Digital Marketing Drive at Yes to Life

Impact Story: Empowering Futures with the Abdul Mageed Educational Trust

Impact Story: Skilled Volunteer Cheree Tackling HR Processes at Football Journeys