1. Improving Employee Volunteer Programs A view from both sides Hayley Hext 2006 Research supported by:

2. 2 Introduction  Why this research?  Participants  Questions

3. 3 5 Themes 1The role of volunteering in establishing and maintaining significant long term multi- dimensional partnerships 2Written agreements and setting expectations

4. 4 5 Themes 3Finance and resource issues 4Finding suitable volunteering opportunities 5Employee motivation and education of non-profit aims

5. 5 Challenges to nonprofits (1)  Finding volunteering opportunities and matching the needs of both organizations  Continuously developing opportunities that will interest volunteers and benefit clients  Deciding and predicting if the investment of time and effort in organizing volunteering opportunities is worth the outcome  Articulating what the non-profit needs and saying no to offers of help that are not needed or beneficial

6. 6 Challenges to nonprofits (2)  Managing expectations of community service managers and non-profit clients  Negotiating who will pay for the costs involved in volunteering  Calls from a corporate who want large numbers of employees to volunteer on the same specific day at short notice – unrealistic expectation  Finding motivated volunteers who want to be there – quality not quantity

7. 7 Challenges to nonprofits (3)  Having enough time and resources to manage volunteers and ensure that projects run smoothly and are successful  Volunteers not turning up on the day - resource costs involved and disappointment of recipients  Corporates offering volunteers as an alternative to financial contributions is a backward step for the non-profit sector.

8. 8 Challenges to corporates (1)  Finding volunteering opportunities that match the needs of both organizations  Continuously developing opportunities that are new and relevant that will interest employees and benefit non- profits  Having enough time and resources to organize volunteering opportunities and ensuring that projects run smoothly and are successful

9. 9 Challenges to corporates (2)  Motivating employees at all levels to participate  Driving a culture change to enable all levels of staff to embrace the concept and support it  Managing expectations of employees of what types of activities are available and achievable within non-profit organizations

10. 10 Challenges to corporates (3)  Managing the costs of volunteering with limited or no budgets  OH&S and insurance issues  Creating good policies and procedures to protect employees and ensure the success of the volunteer programs.

11. 11 What can be done? (1) Nonprofits said…  That both non-profits and corporates need to understand and appreciate the difference in each others cultures  Both need to put their agreements in writing to articulate clearly what is going to happen  Both sides need to have one person as the main point of contact to avoid confusion and misunderstanding

12. 12 What can be done? (2) Nonprofits said…  That there needs to be an equal dialogue between the two sectors  Nonprofits need to make employee volunteering just one element of a multi- dimensional partnership in order to gain return on investment  Non-profits need to obtain and manage well a small number of quality multi- dimensional partnerships rather then trying to manage lots of one off and short term relationships poorly

13. 13 What can be done? (3) Nonprofits said…  That corporates need to provide quality volunteers, not large quantities  That volunteers need to stop withdrawing from a volunteering activity at the last minute  That they would like corporates to provide financial assistance for volunteering to ensure there is no cost to them

14. 14 What can be done? (1) Corporates said…  Both non-profits and corporates need a good understanding of each others business, their challenges and needs  Both need to know what they want, what they can offer and why they are forming relationships with each other  Both need appropriately skilled staff to manage relationships and organize volunteering activities

15. 15 What can be done? (2) Corporates said…  Both need to be open and flexible in order to find a way of working together that meets both needs  Both need to manage expectations through good communication and planning  Both need to realize that non- profit/corporate relationships and the nature of volunteering is constantly changing and evolving as both sectors learn from their experiences

16. 16 What can be done? (3) Corporates said that nonprofits need to …  Educate their colleagues, senior managers and boards on how corporate/non-profit relationships have changed and are not necessarily about fundraising  Say “no” if the volunteer help offered by a corporate is not going to benefit them  Be more selective when deciding which corporate to work with

17. 17 What can be done? (4) Corporates said that nonprofits need to …  Do their research on the corporates values and motivations before accepting any assistance  Change their mindset in regards to “playing the victim”  Adopt a business mentality and look for a relationship that provides equal benefits

18. 18 What can be done? (5) Corporates said that …  Nonprofits need a more strategic approach to managing their organizations in order to remain sustainable  Non-profits could obtain pro bono business managers/consultants to help them identify their organizations needs  Corporates need a central budget to help cover the costs of volunteering.

19. 19 Conclusions  Mixed responses reflects diversity of programs and the motivation and experience of participants/organisations  Different cultures and needs leads to difficulties  Key finding - important that both have a clear understanding of what they want, what they can offer and why they are forming relationships.

20. 20 What’s next?  Publish literature  Focus groups  Further and future research

21. 21 The End Thanks!