By encouraging employees to participate in community activities through company sponsored volunteer programs, a business contributes to building better communities. Corporate volunteering allows people to contribute skills and knowledge to a not-for-profit organisation and actively participate in the community. It makes people feel good.

Corporate volunteering can be a low-cost, short-term, low-risk, high-impact way of making the knowledge, skills and experiences of the business sector accessible to the not-for-profit sector while building understanding, employee skill and community goodwill. Corporate volunteering provides an opportunity for potential partners to experiment with a relationship by getting to know each other before embarking on something more complex. Corporate volunteering programs can be structured and formal or ad-hoc and informal.

A corporate volunteering program can start in numerous ways:

·         an employee volunteers with a not-for-profit organisation and subsequently asks for support from their employer

·         the employer makes information about volunteering opportunities available to employees for ‘self selection'

·         a not-for-profit organisation identifies volunteering opportunities and approaches a business with a formal proposal

·         the business establishes an employee volunteering program that it promotes to the not-for-profit sector

·         a business decides to support a particular organisation and invites employees to also contribute their time and skills

·         a business offers pro-bono (free of charge) services to one or more not-for-profit organisations

Most benefit will be gained for partners and participants if the program is planned, supported and given formal recognition. Many employees are already faced with stressful competition between work and routine family life. Many have been downsized, transferred, demoted, retrenched or casualised, or given more work for less job security.., and will probably only respond to a corporate volunteering program which is structured, supported and valued by both partners.

Once a community organisation has decided to investigate a corporate volunteering program, and has identified the areas where help is needed, a basic proposal should be outlined. Potential partners should be identified and approached. Then an agreement may be developed and documented. This follows the steps outlined to build a successful partnership.

Why corporate volunteering?

A number of corporations openly acknowledge the benefits of supporting employee volunteering. Companies need stable, healthy communities in which to prosper and many recognise that volunteers play a key role in developing and maintaining healthy communities.

UN Volunteers Ghana briefly  surveyed the Ghanaian not-for-profit organisations to measure their experiences of, and attitudes towards, corporate volunteering, and we found that there is overwhelming support for it. Organisations which had already used corporate volunteers found it positive and worthwhile.

Corporate volunteering gives individuals additional and transferable skills, increases companies' standing in the community and their workforce morale, and provides the community with motivated and skilled volunteers.

Companies which participate in corporate volunteering can expect to improve their recruitment and retention of employees, increase scope for staff development. They can also expect to increase their competitive advantage through improved corporate image and reputation.

Fundraising or sponsorship tends to be the main benefit sought by not-for-profit organisations, although assistance with service delivery, an ongoing commitment and technical or professional skills are also desired benefits. Other benefits identified in the  research include a raised profile and the potential for forming longer-term corporate partnerships in the future.

Mutually beneficial partnerships

Our research found that smaller organisations may believe they lack the personnel, infrastructure and/or funding to involve corporate volunteers. Some organisations were also concerned that the goals of many companies were incompatible with their own.

While it may be more difficult for smaller organisations to engage corporate volunteers, the experience will yield different benefits. Smaller organisations tend to be more flexible, utilise corporate volunteers more strategically, and have greater opportunity to retain them as longer-term volunteers.

Larger organisations are less likely to seek out professionally skilled volunteers, reflecting their capacity to employ their own staff with specialist skills. This means companies looking for skilled volunteer positions for their employees should seek out smaller organisations but recognise that they will probably require more support with the planning and preparation of the projects.

Ideally, a company providing volunteers will work in close collaboration with the not-for-profit organisation to develop volunteering projects which are meaningful and productive for both parties.

Models of corporate volunteering

Some companies support staff through time off, others encourage adoption of particular causes, while some provide recognition events or awards. The VA research found that a company that supports its volunteering staff throughout the process is more likely to achieve a beneficial outcome.

Corporate volunteering is a company-sanctioned activity and therefore should be formalised in company policy. UN Volunteers Ghana is currently undertaking research to investigate the different models of volunteering programs that Ghanaian companies are adapting. Preliminary findings should be available in early December.

 Corporate volunteering – what we offer

Not only do we run volunteering service in Ghana, we've also helped some of Ghanaian leading companies use corporate volunteering as an ongoing business strategy.

First, we sit down with you to discuss what particular business or brand strategies you'd like to put into practice by sponsoring volunteering.

Second, we can help you organise the size, composition and management of your volunteer team – and also liaise with your volunteer team to discuss their particular interests, aims or objectives.

Third, we use our service to help you find suitable volunteering opportunities. As the peak body for volunteering in Ghana, hundreds of not-for-profit member organisations use this service. Therefore, we can offer companies a wide range of volunteering programs to choose from.

Fourth, we talk with you to ensure your volunteering program is fulfilling the aims, interests and objectives of your company and your volunteer team