Innovative programs to attract and manage volunteers
As donor-advised funds increase in popularity, the people who use them are poised to advance the practice of listening to the organizations and individuals they are trying to help. Part of a series produced for SSIR with the support of the Hewlett Foundation.
Three models for day of service programs, sometimes referred to as hackathons or flash consulting, can deliver community and business impact, while increasing employee engagement and requiring less initial commitment.
Employees are willing to make sacrifices to participate in social-impact projects, partly because they see them as opportunities for career advancement.
Everyone in the public and nonprofit sectors has a role to play in fostering volunteerism, and engagement can pay dividends for all.
With its professional management class and army of consultants, the nonprofit sector can sometimes seem isolated from the messiness of civil society, and a new Philanthropic Beltway may have sprung up. But it wasn’t always that way, and it may be time to reclaim an earlier identity as the “volunteer sector,” which is inherently democratic.
When Timberland began inviting its partners to join volunteer service days, the result was both good for local communities and good for business.
Employee-driven corporate social initiatives promise greater success than standard programs.
Companies that create a climate of volunteering can see benefits even among non-volunteers.
When the rights and benefits of formal organization became available to all, it unleashed a new social order and greater economic dynamism.
Without the proper planning, preparation, and long-term thinking, skills-based volunteers and the organizations that sponsor them can easily do more harm than good.
