Recognizing the Business Value of Volunteerism

Next week is National Volunteer Week so we are taking this time to reflect on the impact and added value our committed volunteers bring to Met Council and our clients. Every day we see the effect our volunteers have in furthering our mission to fight poverty in NYC.

But it is a reciprocal relationship! Volunteers and companies can benefit from donating their time and efforts, not only the non profit. However, not all companies realize the correlation and choose not to invest in their employee volunteer programs. This article featured in Forbes explains just why and how companies should reconsider why "Your Volunteer Program Won't Survive on Twigs and Berries."

The author really hits the point and emphasizes the organizational value of investing in corporate volunteerism when he states, "corporate volunteering and corporate giving programs not only help fulfill a company’s CSR mandate; they also offer workers a unique opportunity to participate in teambuilding efforts and develop job-related skills."

Volunteerism as a soft skills builder is even quite the bargain! " According to the Trends Of Excellence In Employee Volunteering Series by Points of Light Institute, a company will spend about $416 on each person that participates in an employee volunteer program. That’s significantly lower than the $1200 that it costs per employee for one training program."

We hope more companies and professionals will read into this article and rethink their company's contribution to volunteerism!