Corporate volunteering has come a long way from when companies organized a day out occasionally for their teams to feed the poor, spend cheer at a cancer hospital, or take a monthly class for village kids.Today, companies have transformed corporate volunteering, making it bigger and better than before.
The evident benefits of volunteering for all the parties involved — be it corporates, their employees, or the socially disadvantaged groups and non-profits — have made the dynamically evolving space more organized, action-based, result-oriented, and an integral part of CSR for most businesses. Thanks to corporates, volunteering today is all about innovation, sustainability, and positive outcomes.
Abhishek Humbad, Founder and CEO of Goodera talks about the role corporates have played in revolutionizing the volunteering space.
- Big volunteering teams equals big results
An increasing number of small and large corporates are ramping up their volunteering programs as a result of which more employees are engaged in empowering the economically weaker sections of the society. By designing strategic, tailor-made, and innovative in-house volunteering programs, corporates have ramped up participation with enthusiastic teams waiting eagerly to sign up for the next program. And of course, the results are just as big!
- Consistent action
Gone are the days when corporates ticked off their CSR to-do list by organizing a one-day volunteering activity. By engaging a large part of the workforce in carefully curated programs, volunteering takes place continuously over a few days or even months until the desired result is achieved. Some corporates even engage employees in batches, so that fatigue does not set in and the teams are motivated to reach the finish line.
- Millennials make the impossible, possible
The millennials are better informed and more likely to make a difference for causes that they care strongly about. They drive volunteering programs, push boundaries, and leave no room for failure. They are willing to share their time and effort generously, and even drive corporates to be more responsible,socially. For example, the Bajaj Electrical Ltd. volunteering program ‘Empowering Himalayan Communities’ was driven by a team of volunteers who took up the responsibility of setting up solar micro-grids for remote villages in the upper reaches of the Himalayas.
- Virtual volunteering has brought the world closer
Technology has played a big role in changing the volunteering landscape for corporates, more so in the post-COVID era. The world is more connected now (albeit virtually) than it has ever been, and initiatives undertaken by corporate volunteers can contribute to causes across borders.
- Volunteering is a business challenge for companies
Corporates today plan, strategize, and implement their volunteering initiatives as they would for any other business project. They set a goal that aligns with their values and then designs a volunteeringprogram around that goal. Through technology, they can track budgets and measure the progress and results- enabling data-driven decisions that directly impact their bottom line. Measuring the impact of CSR budgets allocated to nonprofits is also so much easier.
Today, corporate volunteering has gained traction thanks to the combination of a data-driven approach, proprietary technology, and result-oriented activities. Companies have found increasing engagement among employees who are aware and passionate about making a difference with their volunteering work. Productivity levels have gone up directly impacting bottom lines. In the future, more communities are set to benefit from large-scale, long-term volunteering aimed at making the world a better place.
