Radical research into Volunteering in Community Businesses

October Books has recently been lucky enough to participate in a research project all about Volunteering in Community Business. The project was co-ordinated by Centre for Regional Economic and Social Research at Sheffield Hallam University and the Third Sector Research Centre at the University of Birmingham and was funded by Power to Change, an organisation who supported us in 2020 through the Community Business Trade Up programme.

The study involved interviews and focus groups with workers, committee members, members and volunteers and was undertaken earlier this year. We all enjoyed taking part and would like to share some of the outcomes of the work with you our members and customers and say a huge thank you to the research team.

The findings of the research will help October Books committee to shape and plan the future of the business. They found we are an organisation with a clear purpose and identity with the following descriptions being used by interviewees:

•         Radical bookshop: inclusive, educational, social change
  

•         Cooperative: flat structure, broad governance structures
  

•       Community business: finding alternative ways to do business
  

Going forward we want to use the radical, inclusive, educational and social change themes to form some simple metrics to help us with decision making and planning. We also want to be more active in promoting these aspects and the cooperative and community aspects of the business. We will be incorporating these themes into our plans to become a Community Benefit Society (for more see here)

Regarding volunteering, the research found that we have a renewed emphasis on community engagement and embeddedness and that energy and enthusiasm of new staff members, relocation to our new premises and the move from a workers co-op to a multi stakeholder co-op have all contributed to this. We were really pleased to know that our volunteers feel we facilitate and enable new spaces for volunteer involvement and that they can be involved throughout the organisation in range of roles, with more or less responsibility, and more or less of a ‘stake’ and a ‘say’ in how it runs.

There are more outcomes from the work and if you are interested we have a Powerpoint of the main findings that we can share. There will also be a written report to follow. If you have any questions or want further information please do drop us a line clare@octoberbooks.org.

Also, if you feel you would like to be part of this successful and flourishing community business and you feel the values of inclusion, education and social change are ones you aspire to, please do email us to request our volunteer application form.  

We are open:

Monday - Saturday

10am - 4pm

We are back open six days a week, with the whole store open for browsing. We will still of course be taking customer orders and you will still be able to buy food and cleaning products online through our online store. 

We are able to be open 6 days a week again because of your consideration and care whilst in the shop. Keep doing what you’re doing and leave that extra space, sanitise those hands and pull on that mask. We know you’re smiling underneath it :) 

You will see we have a QR code at the door, if you have the NHS COVID-19 app downloaded to your smart phone please scan this as you enter the shop.