Every day, Debbie Mason is asked the question, “How can we give back?”
As the president and chief executive officer of the United Way of North Central Florida, she has the answers.
Businesses are collectively banning together to join the culture of corporate volunteerism, as they find unique ways to roll up their sleeves, volunteer in-kind donations and extend their expert services.
More than 80 percent of Fortune 500 companies support volunteering within their organizations, Points of Light research reported, while even smaller mom and pops are progressively making it a priority in their business plans. And, it’s happening right here in the community.
So, why – aside from the obvious notion of performing a good deed – are so many companies making it a precedence to give back?
“Corporate volunteerism is a unique opportunity for the individual volunteer and the company,” Mason said. “Employers who have a sense of time philanthropy as well as financial philanthropy are much more likely to have better employee retention and better employee morale. It’s also an opportunity for companies to train and strengthen internal skills, while employees represent them in the community.”
Building a Reputation
Volunteering and Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) establish more than 40 percent of a businesses’ reputation, Reputation Institute’s 2011 Pulse Survey found.
Many charitable organizations have thousands, even millions, of people who work for, support or have some affinity with its cause. Partnering with those organizations gives companies the opportunity to not only expand general awareness, but to also gain potential clients and/or recommendations.
“Volunteering in the community definitely makes our company and staff more visible to the public,” said Jon Thomas, Vice President of Forest Meadows Funeral Homes and Cemeteries. “We encourage our staff to join and be active in a service club of their choosing. As long they remain active in the organization, the company pays for all of their dues.”
Jon, along with his parents who run the family owned business, are members of the Gainesville Rotary Club, and many of their employees are active in other service clubs like the Kiwanis Club of Gainesville.
One of the funeral home’s most known events in the area is its fish fries, where 100 percent of the proceeds go toward local nonprofits like the Doug Johnson Reeling for Kids Tournament (benefitting the Boys and Girls Club), Haven Hospice, Girls Place, Stop Children’s Cancer and the Southern Scholarship Foundation. It also hosts around 600 guests each year for a Memorial Day ceremony honoring veterans at its east cemetery. Following the ceremony is a free barbecue, with all donations benefitting the Gainesville Fisher House.
“Last year, Dad [Jon Thomas Sr.] won the Rotary Club of Gainesville’s Ethics in Business award,” Thomas said. “For only being in Gainesville for eight years, I think that speaks volumes.”
Shariq Siraj, president of StorterChilds Printing Company, Inc., said having employees serving on a number of local committees has not only helped those workers to learn more about the area they serve, but it also facilitates as a major networking opportunity. Siraj currently serves on the board of directors and the executive board for the Gainesville Area Chamber of Commerce. Previously, he served on the YMCA board and was president of Kiwanis Club. In addition, Dave Hendrix, a StorterChilds senior sales consultant, serves on multiple committees around town, while Katie Osterhout, director of sales, works on committees and is a member of the Junior League of Gainesville and the Adfed of Gainesville.
Through a collaborative effort, the team helps build the reputation of the printing company by serving the community—and not just through committees. “We’ll set up booths at different events like golf tournaments, where we give away sponsorships,” Siraj said. “People come by and look at our booth and learn more; it has helped our name be known more out in public.”
StorterChilds is also known in the community for contributing substantial free printing to a number of organizations each year, like the Children’s Home Society and the American Heart Association. “Everybody needs printing when they do a charity event. They need posters, fliers, tickets—we try to support as many as we can,” Siraj said. “Monetarily, we don’t support as much because we don’t have the resources, but we do essentially the same thing through printing and in-kind donations.”
Companies with specialized services like StorterChilds – which offers traditional and digital printing, complete bindery, fulfillment and shipping – can directly donate services and skills from its employees to benefit an organization.
“There are so many organizations, and they all deserve to get help,” Siraj said. “We look at every one and say, ‘let’s help this one this year, because last year we supported that one.’”
On the other hand, one of the leading hindrances businesses face is narrowing their selection down to just one or a few charities. United Way’s new software, “Volunteer Select,” which Mason described as the “match.com” of volunteerism, helps companies find the most suitable beneficiary to its donation. Running directly off the United Way website, the software connects individual and company volunteers to organizations that need their particular help—be it gently used office furniture or equipment, in-kind donations, time, assistance, etc.
The service, Mason said, will speak to individuals as well as businesses. “A lot of small businesses say, ‘I’d love to support the community, but I can’t afford to let people off once a week— but once a quarter we could take off to do a three-hour activity.’”
Pairing organizations with businesses – even those with little flexibility or specific offerings – is what United Way prides its matching service on.
“We want this to be the volunteer hub for the entire community—to match nonprofit needs with any individual, group or organization that wants to help the nonprofit community,” Mason said. “At United Way, it’s our job to facilitate these kinds of connections—to make sure the business and nonprofit communities are working together.”
Strengthening Morale
Not every banker juggles children’s books in between appointments, but the employees of Bank of America visit the Alachua County schools each week as members of United Way’s ReadingPal program. The company includes the time taken to volunteer into employee pay to boost community involvement.
“It increases employee morale, and it gives them a sense of pride to know the company is willing to invest in them,” Mason said. “They also get the enjoyment of interacting with a child they can watch improving.”
In addition, the bank employees regularly help organizations like Habitat for Humanity and Catholic Charities.
“Bank of America supports the passion and commitment of its employees to help improve the lives of customers, clients and communities,” said Deborah P. Pierson, Bank of America Community Market Manager. “In order to extend community impact, many of our volunteer activities are aligned with the company’s focus on addressing needs related to housing, jobs and hunger.”
Nationally, studies show that companies are finding corporate giving is a win-win; the business volunteering can benefit as much as the organization receiving. What some managers initially fail to consider is how an employee’s satisfaction exudes into his work ethic and overall professional outlook.
“Employees who volunteer throughout the workplace are happier and more productive,” Mason said. “They also have greater pride and loyalty in their employers.”
The staff at Nationwide finds corporate volunteerism as an opportunity to directly collaborate with employees they might not work with every day. Throughout the year, volunteers deliver meals on wheels every Monday through Friday; they prepare meals at Ronald McDonald house each month; they collect donations for the Annual Thanksgiving basket drive and help about 90 children in the Adopt an Angel Christmas gift program. In partnership with Big Brothers, Big Sisters, volunteers participate in the annual Littlepalooza event for children, and through ElderCare, the employees deliver meals to seniors. Associates also visit Catholic Charities every Wednesday to fill backpacks for the Weekend Hunger Backpack Program.
“We have associates from many business units working side-by-side to make a difference in our community and strengthen our own teamwork,” said Thomas Clark, Nationwide Southeastern Regional Vice President.
All together, the team forms “days or caring,” where they privately knock out an entire service project at a local school, neighborhood or agency.
“Our associates have embraced the United Way’s Day of Caring for several years,” Clark said. “Last year, more than 100 of our associates volunteered and worked at four or five locations, painting, landscaping and reading to children or organizing library books.”
The idea of giving back and helping to create strong communities is built into the character of the company, where “associates repeatedly say they are proud to work for Nationwide because of its corporate citizenship efforts.”
Additional Training
One of the most overlooked perks of corporate volunteering is the prospect for workers to build new or existing skills. According to Deloitte, 91 percent of Fortune 500 Human Resource managers said, “Volunteering knowledge and expertise to a nonprofit can be an effective way to cultivate critical business and leadership skills.”
The Alachua County Tax Collector’s staff has “received excellent hands-on training and practice at minimal cost to our organization,” said John Power, chief deputy tax collector. With the help of tax collector volunteers, United Way evaluates its partner agencies utilizing results-based analyses.
“Our volunteers are exposed and analyze balance sheets, organizational development plans, process improvement and industry best practices, just to name a few,” Power said. “For the volunteers this is an excellent exercise, especially for mid- to upper-level managers.”
Dependent upon which cause a company invests in, its employees have the potential to become acquainted with an entire pool of new skillsets. In addition to the expert services nonprofits want, less-targeted needs can introduce employees to tasks they might never be assigned to on the everyday job. By merely serving as a team captain on a project, an employee is developing skills in management, negotiation, budgeting, project and event planning (employee schedules, supply needs) and resource distribution. Mason said some volunteers also lead time experiments over a period, where they track results, analyze data and present results back to the team.
Exposing employees to a new atmosphere, with a different set of problems and challenges, provides a fresh spin and can even reenergize seasoned or wearied staff.
“After serving, our staff members are typically more energized, trained and experienced than prior to their volunteering,” Power said. “Often, they cannot wait for their next chance to volunteer.”
AvMed Health Plans strongly encourages employees to involve themselves in community leadership—for their own personal development and to represent the organization. In addition to coordinating United Way food and book drives and assisting various fundraising events like the American Heart Walk and the March of Dimes, employees serve on a number of boards like Junior Achievement, Girls Place, the American Cancer Society and the Chamber of Commerce, in addition to United Way.
“We try to encourage employees to volunteer on nonprofit boards to get external exposure and develop leadership skills,” said Kay Ayers, Senior Vice President of Member Services at AvMed. “One of the things it does is it allows employees to see how other organizations are run, and they can bring that broader view back to the workplace and to their own department and employees.”
“Employees who get to experience giving back to the community have much more of a sense of pride in their employer,” Mason added.
And the more engaged employees are, the more passionate about their work they become. Corporate volunteerism is in itself a reward, but there are positives for businesses, too.
Ultimately, everyone benefits from these efforts.
“Rarely do you receive training and meaningful hands-on experiences in the same process,” Power said. “Volunteering has proven to be an excellent return on investment for us. Our staff has gained meaningful skills and contributed a positive impact on local nonprofits in the process.
“Any way you look at it, volunteering is a solid win for our community.”