Corporate volunteerism has gained significant traction over the last decade, and it is now rare to find a major company without a formal volunteer program. As volunteer programs have grown, so have the volunteer opportunities available to companies and their employees. With an increasing number of options to choose from, it can be difficult for companies to determine which opportunities best align with their community engagement strategy and employee interests.
To help companies understand the shifting landscape of opportunities, we have developed the following map. By analyzing the options based on who receives the service (organization versus individual) and the type of service (community versus professional), companies can develop a strategy that both meets the needs of their employees and makes a significant impact in their communities.
CORPORATE VOLUNTEERISM MAP
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Community Service
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Professional Service
(Skills-based)
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Service to Organization
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Preparing mailings, registration at events, data entry, etc.
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Business planning, executive coaching, website design, branding, CRM implementation, etc.
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Service to Individuals
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Painting a school, cleaning a park, serving meals, etc.
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Mentoring, medical treatment, teaching, financial planning, technical literacy, etc.
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Service Recipient
Organization
Volunteers serve an organization, but does not engage directly with community members (i.e. Volunteer --> Nonprofit --> Community).
For example, volunteering to help an after school program market to students enables that nonprofit to reach more students.
Individual
Volunteers serve community members directly (i.e. Volunteer --> Community).
For example, volunteering to serve as a Big Brother to a student in an after school program.
Type of Service
Community Service
Community service is what we traditionally think about when we define volunteerism. It is volunteering to roll up your sleeves and do what you can as a member of the community. For example, volunteering to clean up a park or register people at an event.
Professional Service
Professional service is when a volunteer uses their professional skills, the skills from their "day job," in service. For example, training students to use technology or providing a nonprofit with executive coaching.
All forms of service are vital to the community and serve different needs of companies and their employees. We hope that this map can help companies explore their options and educate their employees on the many ways they can make an impact.
© 2006 Taproot Foundation. All Rights Reserved.
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Our Charter
At the Taproot Foundation, we are working to help the nonprofit sector realize its potential and in turn enable our society to do the same.
It is our goal to make pro bono work an integrated part of the business community so all nonprofits have access to the services they desperately need.
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