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| Path: Main Street > Resources/Library > Research Articles > Feature Article |
How one company gets employees volunteeringby Bruce Raymond
July 2, 1997; Canadian FundRaiserVoluntarism increasingly seen as key element in managerial development I have been calling upon some fifty Toronto-based companies, most of them the head offices of international or multi-national organizations. The purpose of my calls was to build up a data base of donations policies for a particular charity with which I am involved.
I got the information I was going after, and learned a lot, but not only about donations policies. I learned that many companies not only have a donations policy; they also have a volunteer policy designed to encourage their employees to become volunteers --- not later when they are well established senior officials --- but early in their careers when their lifestyles are still being formed.
One such company was the Toronto office of The Boston Consulting Group, which calls itself a "strategy consulting group".
BCG goes after university graduates and tries to reach these potential employees through its page on the World Wide-Web. The BCG web site, naturally, extols the career opportunities of working with the company. This is neither unusual nor particularly original, but what is original and, to me, unusual is the effort BCG makes to point out to job-seeking graduates that if they work with BCG, they not only will have excellent career opportunities, but they also will have the chance to develop voluntarism experience.
Once inside the organization, BCG's new recruits are made quickly aware of volunteer opportunities by regular communications from management. In addition, lists of multi-service organizations, specific charities by subject area - children, environment, health and so on, and resource and referral services on voluntarism are all made available.
Regular Community Committee Breakfasts are held at which employees discuss the various charities with which they want to become involved as volunteers or team members at specific events. And BCG matches employee charitable donations up to-preset limits.
BCG's Toronto office (one of 41 worldwide) has about eighty employees, of whom 70% are-volunteers! I found that to be inspiring news.
Bruce Raymond has been active as a volunteer leader in the charitable sector, most recently serving as president and then chairman of the Variety Children's Charity. This article is based on material from his forthcoming book, "Seven Golden How-To Rules for Volunteers, or How to get the most out of doing for nothing what you wouldn't do for money". For more information, call (416) 485-3406, or fax (416) 487-3820.
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