More than a half of employers think voluntary work experience can be more valuable than that gained in paid employment, according to research published at the start of August for TimeBank, the national volunteering charity supported by the BBC. The survey of 200 employers also finds that:
• almost all (94%) think volunteering adds to the skills of their workforce – especially team work and communications, but also organisation, planning and negotiation;
• almost three-quarters of employers prefer to recruit people who have volunteered;
• well over half (60%) are more likely to promote and give pay rises to employees who have donated their time;
• a quarter (26%) say they offer paid time off.
TimeBank has also studied the profile of today’s likely volunteers and found young people will use new ways to get involved including online matching services. On July 24 it launched a network of ‘time banks’ in London using a point-style currency, whereby volunteers earn credits for helping in their local community, which they can trade in turn for reciprocal assistance. The research was carried out for TimeBank by Reed Executive during June 2001. Contact Helen Thompson, TimeBank, on 020 7401 5328 (http://www.timebank.org.uk
But is it working?
Research commissioned by the insurance group, CIS, for its social accountability report shows fewer than two in every five people (36%) in the UK took part in some kind of community activity last year. Moreover, three-quarters of the 2,009 people interviewed by MORI for the survey – published in early July – feel community involvement has declined over the last three decades. CIS says this is due in part to changes in the economy and in working practices, which is why employers have a responsibility to encourage volunteering. Contact Carolyn Hicks, CIS, on 0161 837 4912 (http://www.cis.co.uk)
Volunteering made easy.
Diageo is the first company to use a new IT product which enables employees to volunteer through the company’s intranet. Adhesive brokers links employees who wish to volunteer with causes that interest them, using technology for the matching process that complements the community affairs management brokerage. It can be customised to reflect causes in which the company takes a specific interest or organisations with which it already has relationships. Adhesive also supports on-line payroll giving. The product has been developed by the technology provider, Smartchange, which plans to increase the number of charities accessible through its database from 700 to more than 5,000 during the autumn. Contact Gareth Williamson, Smartchange, on 020 7401 5410 (http://www.smartchange.org.uk) or Amanda Bowman, Diageo, on 020 7927 5625 (http://www.diageo.com)
City guide to good practice and more giving.
Hiscox, Reuters, Ernst & Young, and Dresdner Kleinwort Wasserstein are among the City firms profiled in a new guide to community involvement. Published on June 27 by Heart of the City, an initiative to engage City workers and firms in the community, the guide provides a key stage checklist for achieving good practice when setting up a community programme. It also outlines potential community partners and intermediaries.
As part of the research for the guide, Heart of the City surveyed current community involvement by City firms: over 27,000 staff act as regular volunteers and community contributions totalled an estimated £337 million, in cash and in kind, for year 2000. This far exceeds previous estimates, as Directory of Social Change figures show around £400 million for the whole of the UK. Contact Bibi Haniff, Corporation of London, on 020 7332 3643 (http://www.theheartofthecity.com)
Companies show the UK cares.
The first weekend in June saw over five thousand employees from more than 200 companies around the UK joining in with this year’s National Cares Days. Participating companies included the BBC, One2One, Norwich Union, Dixons and McDonald’s. Co-ordinators, Business in the Community, estimate that the efforts of the volunteers – which ranged from renovating and creating play areas to staging street parties – contributed the equivalent of £500,000 of labour and materials for hundreds of local projects that help children and young people. The event forms part of BITC’s broader Cares initiative, a specialist service designed to link volunteers from the private sector with community organisations. In Northern Ireland, Belfast Cares Action Days attracted 130 employees from British Airways, BT Northern Ireland and Prudential. Contact Graham Bann, BITC, on 020 7224 1600 (http://www.caresinc.org.uk) or BITC Belfast on 028 9041 0410 (http://www.bitcni.org.uk)
Accountants volunteering overseas.
Arthur Andersen, the accountancy firm, is the latest company to join VSO’s Business Partnership scheme. Between five and 10 employees will undertake placements overseas, with the guarantee that a job will be awaiting them on their return. Projects last between six months and a year – shorter than the normal two-year period for a VSO placement. Other VSO business partners include UBS Warburg, American Express, McKinsey and HP Foods. Contact Kathryn Strong, VSO, on 020 8780 7427 (http://www.vso.org.uk)
RBSG gives cashback to the community.
The Royal Bank of Scotland Group’s latest project promoting staff volunteering has grown strongly since its inception in June. Nearly 900 employees are already holding cheques of up to £500 for local charities where they are regular volunteers or fundraisers. The bank has earmarked £2 million for the unique nationwide Community CashBack Awards scheme. The initiative builds on RBSG’s employee payroll giving scheme which matches every pound given with a £2 donation. The 10,000-plus staff involved in the scheme, which has been running since December 2000, are on track to give over £1 million during 2001, with a further £2 million from the bank’s Charitable Trust. Contact Jane McDonagh, RBSG, on 0131 523 0758 (http://www.rbs.co.uk)
Australians are good neighbours too.
Nearly a third of Australians aged 18 and over did voluntary work in 2000, according to a study released by the Australian Bureau for Statistics on June 20. Among business volunteers, there is a strong link to their paid employment: managers and administrators tend to do management and committee work, whereas professionals teach, and tradespeople do repairs, maintenance or gardening. Of the 4.4 million volunteers in Australia, over three-quarters donated cash, the survey found, and almost a third worked for more than one organisation. Those aged 35-44 are most likely to volunteer, as are those outside capital cities. Contact 00 61 2 9268 4909 (http://www.abs.gov.au/ausstats)
news in brief
• BUPA gave £50 for every event organised during its Get Active with BUPA Week, co-ordinated by Community Service Volunteers. Held July 15 – 22, it encouraged older people to volunteer in their local communities. Contact Sarah Green, CSV, on 020 7643 1338 (http://www.bupa.co.uk)
• The annual Whitbread Volunteer Action Awards, which close for nominations on September 28, include a new category this year for the company which does the most to encourage and support its employees to volunteer. Contact Samantha Sherratt, NCVO, on 020 7520 8908 (http://www.volunteering.org.uk/whitbread.htm)
• Up till December 2002, employees at Thames Water will get a monthly reminder on how to get involved in community groups and charities, courtesy of a specially designed desk calendar that highlights volunteering opportunities. Contact Andrew Boyd, Thames Water, on 0118 959 3396 (http://www.thames-water.com)
• Morgan Stanley and the Financial Services Authority are two new clients for a ‘matching’ volunteering service being run by the East London Business Alliance for City companies. The scheme brokers contact between companies and charities, and is being funded in part by a grant from the Isle of Dogs Community Foundation – set up by companies operating in East London. Contact Saskia Nelson, ELBA, on 020 8257 2257
Comment
In this, the UN Year for Volunteering, it’s nice to have some evidence from employers which makes the business case for supporting employee engagement, whether offering time off, matching gifts or brokering opportunities. In the UK, some community affairs managers have struggled recently to cope with the growing share of their budgets taken up with supporting employee initiatives. Almost by definition, employee activity is unstrategic in that it follows the personal priorities of the individual, rather than the chosen themes of the firm’s social investment policy (where the strong trend has been to move away from reactive scatter-gun charity). This does not diminish its value, merely reinforces the need for a business case argument, through meeting HR goals in staff development and motivation.
Outside the UK, especially in developing countries, employee involvement can be a very effective tool for making a really worthwhile contribution on issues which are highly relevant to the corporation. Often subsidiary companies are not big profit earners, so cash giving is limited, but they do contain skilled staff who can make a big difference. Good to see VSO is succeeding in adapting its normal placement model, to bridge the gap between developed and developing worlds – and making a business case for releasing key staff for a useful length of time.
COMMENT:
In this, the UN Year for Volunteering, it’s nice to have some evidence from employers which makes the business case for supporting employee engagement, whether offering time off, matching gifts or brokering opportunities. In the UK, some community affairs managers have struggled recently to cope with the growing share of their budgets taken up with supporting employee initiatives. Almost by definition, employee activity is unstrategic in that it follows the personal priorities of the individual, rather than the chosen themes of the firm’s social investment policy (where the strong trend has been to move away from reactive scatter-gun charity). This does not diminish its value, merely reinforces the need for a business case argument, through meeting HR goals in staff development and motivation.
Outside the UK, especially in developing countries, employee involvement can be a very effective tool for making a really worthwhile contribution on issues which are highly relevant to the corporation. Often subsidiary companies are not big profit earners, so cash giving is limited, but they do contain skilled staff who can make a big difference. Good to see VSO is succeeding in adapting its normal placement model, to bridge the gap between developed and developing worlds – and making a business case for releasing key staff for a useful length of time.
COMMENTS