• Nearly 62 million Americans, or 26.4 percent of the population, volunteer on an annual basis. Among employed persons, 34% of full-time workers and 28% of part-time workers have participated in volunteer activities.^i.
• When asked how important is it to them that the company where they choose to work is socially and environmentally responsible, 49% of U.S. consumers said "extremely/very important," 36% said "somewhat important," and only 15% said "not important." ^ii.
• When asked how important supporting employee volunteerism is to their company’s role in society, 70% of senior executives said it was either "critical," "very important," or "important."^iii.
• 62% of employees prefer to work for a company that provides opportunities for them to apply their skills to benefit non-profit organizations, but only 39% actually work for a company that provides such opportunities.^iv.

Business Issues: In these tough economic times, there is a growing interest in volunteerism as many companies see a new value to volunteerism programs. But volunteerism today is changing, and is more than the fundraising walks/runs or one-day clean-ups of the past. How is volunteerism adapting in response to changing workforce demographics, demand for skills-based donations, and the expansion of community involvement programs beyond U.S. borders?

This KnowlEdge Series is targeted at a cross-functional audience: Human Resources, Employee Engagement, Talent Management, Corporate Citizenship, Community Involvement, Corporate Affairs.

1. Current Population Survey, December 2008, Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor

2. BBMG 2009 Conscious Consumer Report

3. The State of Corporate Citizenship in the United States 2009, The Hitachi Foundation and Boston College

4. Deloitte 2007 Volunteer Impact Study

Series Host

	John M. Gibbons Program Director, Employee Engagement The Conference Board John Gibbons comes to the Conference Board with more than 15 years in the field of Human Resources management. His career has spanned a number of industries, including financial services, consumer products, health care, international logistics and... Full Bio
	Carolyn Cavicchio Former Senior Research Associate Global Corporate Citizenship Carolyn Cavicchio was a senior research associate for global corporate citizenship for The Conference Board Center for Corporate Citizenship and Sustainability. With 20 years of experience in the field, Carolyn is a national expert in corporate co... Full Bio

Corporate Citizenship through Employee Volunteerism (Part 1)

PART 1: Changing Content: Skills-Based and Capacity-Building Volunteerism

05 November, 2009 | (01 hr)

As corporate philanthropic budgets shrink, companies are increasingly looking for other ways to provide value to nonprofit partners. Human Resources Departments are also looking for ways to provide developmental opportunities to both high-potential and operations-level employees. Skills-based and capacity-building volunteerism programs can address both these needs.

Key Points to be covered:

• Identifying "pro bono" skills and services that can best serve nonprofit partners
• Recruiting and managing employee volunteers
• Measuring the impact for the company and the nonprofit partner

Speakers

Tabatha Stephens Field Advisor, Community Programs, Global Citizenship FedEx Services A member of the Global Citizenship team at FedEx, Tabatha serves as the lead for the company’s national hunger relief program called FedEx Feeds. She also manages FedEx community outreach programs in Boston and New England. Prior to joining FedEx ... Full Bio

Corporate Citizenship through Employee Volunteerism (Part 2)

PART 2: Changing Demographics: Volunteerism to Engage a Younger Workforce

12 November, 2009 | (01 hr)

Data from the U.S. Department of Labor shows that persons age 35 to 44 are the most likely to volunteer, while persons in their early twenties are the least likely. For companies that employ a significant number of young adults, this data presents a challenge. How do younger workers differ from their older counterparts when it comes to volunteering? How can they best be engaged?

Key Points to be covered:

• Demographic data on current and future workforce
• Benefits of engaging younger workers
• Types of volunteer initiatives most likely to engage younger workers

Speakers

Gail Gershon Director, Employee Engagement Gap Foundation, Gap Inc. The Gap Foundation is the community investment vehicle for all Gap Inc. brands (Gap, Old Navy, Banana Republic, Piperlime, and Athleta). In current role, Gail leads Gap Foundation’s global employee engagement programs, which are designed to ... Full Bio

Corporate Citizenship through Employee Volunteerism (Part 3)

PART 3: Changing Borders: International Volunteer Programs

19 November, 2009 | (01 hr)

Recent data from The Conference Board indicates that U.S.-based companies spend, on average, 24% of their contributions budgets outside the U.S., and that those investments are largely driven by the size of the company’s workforce in local markets. Volunteer participation rates by employees outside the U.S., however, lag far behind their U.S. counterparts. For global companies committed to truly global programs, how can non-U.S. employees be more engaged in the company’s community involvement efforts?

Key Points to be covered:

• Creating a global corporate culture
• Redefining U.S.-centric volunteer programs
• Managing programs across borders, cultures, and time zones
• Benefits of global volunteer programs

Speakers

Regina K. McNally Assistant Vice President, Community Affairs State Street Corporation Regina McNally is responsible for the management of State Street’s employee volunteer program globally including the Global Outreach Advisory Committee, the leadership body which oversees the Global Outreach program, as well as its subcommit... Full Bio