Live Q&A: SMEs and community action, Tuesday 6 December, 1-3pm

Small and medium sized businesses (SMEs) are the backbone of the economy - 60% of all employees work for 4.8 million companies . Every community has SMEs, and more and more of them are looking for ways to help support community action in their localities - by providing facilities, volunteers, advice, money or a combination of all of them. In this live Q&A, we'll explore how local charities and neighbourhood groups can work with SMEs to make their areas more sustainable, safer and more prosperous places to live and work. In the Q&A, we'll look at: • How SMEs are helping local community groups and charities • How to find the right charity or SME partner • Managing risks for both sides You can leave your questions in the comments section below, or come back to join the discussion live from 1pm to 3pm on Tuesday 6 December. If you'd like to join our experts on the panel, email Kate Hodge . Expert panel Peter Horner - policy officer, National Association for Voluntary and Community Action (NAVCA) Peter has been involved with local voluntary and community organisations for over 20 years, either as a volunteer or employee or both. He has a wide variety of experience in working with local SMEs as funders, supporters, providers of volunteers and partners. Peter has previously worked for a local council and now works as a policy officer at NAVCA. Twitter: @navca / @navcanews Jonathan Gill - corporate advisory manager, CAF Jonathan is a corporate advisory manager for CAF. He works with corporates to develop CR strategy and community investment programmes. CAF provide a range of services, including financial services, consultancy support and training for charities, companies and individuals Twitter: @cafonline Agathe Suzanne - partnership broker, Business In The Community (BITC) Agathe is a partnership broker within BITC's London regional team. Her role is to broker relationships between voluntary sector/community groups and local businesses in London (with a particular focus on volunteering). Twitter: @BITC1 Elisabetta Ognibene - progressions manager, Street League Street League changes lives through football by working with some of the most disadvantaged young people in the country. Street League engage them in structured football and educational programmes with a view to progress them into work, mainstream education or training. As progressions manager at Street League, Elisabetta finds creative ways in which businesses can work with the charity, for example by volunteering or providing job opportunities for the participants. Twitter: @ElisabettaPS Heledd Jenkins - research associate, The ESRC Centre for Business Relationships, Accountability, Sustainability and Society (BRASS) Heledd is a research associate at the ESRC Centre for Business Relationships, Accountability, Sustainability and Society, based at Cardiff University. She has been researching corporate social responsibility in SMEs for ten years and is the author of several academic publications and reports as well as a practical online guide- The ABC of CSR for SMEs . Heledd is currently researching the community and environmental practices of UK football clubs. Alex Mitchell - head of influencer relations, Institute of Directors (IoD) Alex works part time at the IoD and sits on the external advisory board of vinspired as well as the Chairman's Committee of Young Enterprise. Alex is also the founding member of the G20 Young Entrepreneurs Alliance and a member of the Commonwealth Secretariats Youth Programme Steering Committee. Twitter: @AlexDMitchell Dawn Newton - employee volunteer coordinator, Time & Talents for Westminster Time & Talents for Westminster specialise in employer supported volunteering. They work with companies of all sizes in Westminster to enable their staff to volunteer and share their skills to help local communities. Time & Talents arrange introductions and provide ongoing support for both sides, providing flexible opportunities maximise the impact of skills-sharing in the community. Twitter: @timeandtalents Danielle Cohen - head of CSR, Better Bankside Better Bankside is a business improvement district (BID) that seeks to enhance the the local area to improve commercial activity. Danielle helps connect local Bankside businesses (mostly SMEs) to local charity partners. Twitter: @BetterBankside Ellie Thouret - communications manager, APS Group APS Group provide responsible solutions to support marketing and communication activities. APS group work with some of the world's biggest brands, finding marketing solutions that are sustainable and generate long-term business value. Twitter: @aps_group This content is brought to you by Guardian Professional. To join the voluntary sector network , click here .