Corporate Philanthropy & Volunteering Blog

In the wake of the historic Oklahoma tornado - one of the worst in the past 20 years - disaster relief crews continued their efforts this morning, assisting residents of the ravaged communities in the suburbs outside Oklahoma City, the heart of “tornado alley.” The vast and catastrophic tornado that touched down Monday afternoon has levelled entire neighborhood blocks, destroying local schools, family homes and hospitals in its path.  Saddest of all, the death toll - which includes many children -  is now at 51 and counting.

The number of displaced residents, amount of property damage and scale of overall destruction is staggering, so the need for aid is immediate and will only continue to grow as members of these quiet Oklahoma City suburbs try to rebuild.  Many will do so without the help of adequate homeowners or business insurance policies to cover their costs, and renters may not have any insurance at all to lean on for support. 

It’s tough to read the headlines about the Boston bombings without feeling a blend of outrage, despair and resolve.  The attack fell on Patriots’ Day, a holiday commemorating the Battles of Lexington and Concord in 1775, the opening salvo of the American Revolution.  Patriots’ Day is a unique observance celebrated almost exclusively by the state of Massachusetts, but today is Patriots’ Day for the rest of the country.  We all stand united with Boston, offering our hearts...and tears.

As you know if you follow this blog, Causecast creates disaster relief campaigns to help companies mobilize their assistance to those in need.  Our ready-made campaigns help businesses quickly engage their corporate employees to support victims of hurricanes, floods, earthquakes and beyond.  

But Boston wasn’t a disaster; it was a tragedy.

While we won’t be issuing a formal corporate disaster relief campaign in this instance, we encourage you to seek out ways to help.

“Ask not what your country can do for you - ask what you can do for your country.”  

John F. Kennedy’s inaugural words will never ring as true than during National Volunteer Week, which this year falls on April 21-27.  First instituted in 1974 by President Nixon, National Volunteer Week is a time to celebrate the power and social impact of service.  This year’s theme is “Celebrating People in Action,” honoring those who take action to solve significant problems in their communities.  

According to the Corporation for National and Community Service, a federal agency that leads United We Serve, President Obama's national call to service initiative, Americans are volunteering more than ever.  2011 saw the highest number of U.S. volunteers in five years; 64.3 million Americans volunteered an estimated 7.9 billion hours with an estimated economic value of $171 billion.  Although the price of volunteerism is immeasurable, these estimates help organizations acknowledge the millions of people who dedicate their energy, talents and time to making a difference.    

Endorsed and supported by President Obama, Congress and other national and state leaders, National Volunteer Week is also recognized by corporations and nonprofit organizations in numerous events throughout the country.  Various corporations will exercise their corporate philanthropy nationwide in recognition of their employee volunteers.    

Most companies recognize that investing in employee engagement and development are vital to remaining competitive in a constantly evolving business world.  When companies spend time and money improving the skills of their employees, they send a message to workers that they want to invest in their future.  And in return, companies expect to see increases in job performance, organizational commitment and job satisfaction from their workers.  

Employee training and development often focus on hard skills; the basic proficiencies needed to perform one’s job duties.  But good employee training also generally also covers soft skills such as teamwork, leadership, problem solving and public speaking - the unquantifiable abilities necessary to give companies a competitive edge.  This doesn’t come cheap: according to human resources think tank Bersin and Associates, the average training cost per employee in 2010 was $1200, with most of that money going towards developing soft skills such as management and leadership abilities.  

So if soft skills are as vital as hard skills - and pricier to boot - where can employees acquire and cultivate these talents without breaking the bank?  One place to look: employee volunteer programs.

As evolving technologies keep us hooked to new and updated gadgets, and Americans now own (according to the Environmental Protection Agency) an estimated three billion electronic products, one inconvenient question lurks constantly in the shadows:

What are we supposed to do with all of our old gizmos?

While responsible businesses and consumers want to recycle their outdated technology equipment - and often think they are - the reality of the electronics recycling business is an eco-horror show.  Rife with misperception and abuse, the e-waste industry is notorious for cashing in on the good intentions of those who want to do right by Mother Earth and then delivering nothing but more problems for old mom.

Financial know-how is one of our nation’s most pressing issues. Efforts to support financial literacy already exist — including programs from banks, brokerage houses, technology firms, professional services companies and from at least 13 states which require personal finance coursework as a high school graduation requirement. Despite these efforts, however, only 35 percent of teens know how to manage a credit card and only 20 percent of teachers feel prepared to teach the subject. 

To help combat this critical social gap, corporate philanthropy initiatives of all shapes and sizes have been created.  Leading companies are working to empower people across the country (and world, in some instances) by putting their core financial literacy competencies to work. 

Your employees want to perform community service; they really, really do…but amidst their busy schedules they just can’t seem to find the time.

So how about making volunteering easier than ever by offering virtual volunteer opportunities?  It's just one more tool that savvy companies are using to sharpen their employee volunteer programs, and by extension, their overall corporate philanthropy complexion.  

Online or “virtual volunteering” allows people to help non-profits in a variety of ways, from web design and social media strategy, to translation, accounting, research, data entry and a host of other needs.  This kind of skills-based volunteering allows virtual volunteers to contribute as much or as little time as they can, all from the convenience of their computers or smartphones. When employee volunteerism includes online opportunities and fundraising, your employees can effortlessly donate their time and talents.  

I'll volunteer that I’m a big fan of the Taproot Foundation, an organization that's been an instrumental player in the pro bono movement in 2001 and has been steering the way ever since (matter of fact, I’m a new board member of the organization).  Through award-winning programs, groundbreaking thought leadership and partnerships with companies to develop and scale corporate pro bono programs, Taproot works to engage the nation’s millions of business professionals in applying not just their time, but their skills, in the service of the nation’s nonprofit community.

Now I’ve got another reason to salute my friends at Taproot; they’ve just announced the launch of a new platform that will serve as a one-stop shop for nonprofits and businesses engaged in pro bono work. 

Companies like financial services firm Ernst & Young understand that matching gifts programs aren’t just a perk for your staff. Indeed, Ernst & Young doesn’t see these programs as a perk at all: rather than a side project, their matching gifts program is an integral part of Ernst & Young’s overall strategy.

The matching gifts program at Ernst & Young has tight parameters, rewarding employees for donating only to an accredited nonprofit college or university in the United States. Small donations need not apply - the company only tracks donations over $25 (or $100 for more senior personnel), and the donations to a single college or university must be over $2,500 for a calendar year to be matched. Despite the restrictions, or perhaps because of them, the program has flourished, allowing Ernst & Young to maintain close connections with the accounting and business programs at top American universities.

Companies looking to create a matching program of their own are often at a loss for where to start. Even companies with long-standing matching gifts programs would do well to examine potential improvements. Ellen Glazerman, Executive Director of the Ernst & Young Foundation, the nonprofit that oversees matching donations for Ernst & Young employees, was happy to sit down with us and describe how her company’s matching gifts program has thrived.

Here’s Glazerman’s list of the five ways you can maximize the benefits of your own matching program:

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. believed that acts of service were the great equalizer.  “Everybody can be great,” he noted, “because everybody can serve.”  That’s why Dr. King’s wife, Coretta Scott King, once said that "the greatest birthday gift my husband could receive is if people of all racial and ethnic backgrounds celebrated the day by performing individual acts of kindness through service to others."  

Since 1986, three years after President Ronald Reagan signed the holiday into law, every third Monday in January is designated Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, a federal holiday that celebrates Dr. King’s life and work.  In 1994, Congress named MLK Jr. Day as a national day of service, and since then Americans have often celebrated the day through acts of service, dubbing the holiday “A Day On, Not a Day Off.”  This movement also aligns with President Obama's national call for all Americans to incorporate volunteerism and public service into their daily lives as a responsibility of citizenship.