The Globe and Mail recently ran an article by Jonathan Drew on the selfishness of altruism.  His article entitled, "This is Good You can be Selfish and Altruistic - Employer-supported volunteering programs prove rewarding to communities, volunteers and companies" comes at a fitting time.  Trends indicate that volunteerism across Canada is down and just as there is discussion on donor-fatigue there is also discussion around volunteer-fatigue. 

More and more people are looking for the quick volunteer opportunities.  Companies use volunteer projects as team building exercises.  But how does this impact the organization on the receiving end of the one-off volunteer?  Many organizations rely on multi-day, longer-term volunteerism.  That is how committees work, board's work and consistency is maintained.  In fact, I would argue that one of the biggest challenges is the fact that organizations struggle with the corporate volunteer program when it is only one day out of the year. 

Enter the NEW WORKFORCE... The new workforce is demanding time from work to make community an integral part of their lives.  Several companies, of all sizes are giving employees one-day-per-month leave to participate in community activities. This approach to corporate philanthropy is building stronger communities and it is providing non-profit organizations with a consistent volunteer body. 

So how do you integrate a volunteer program in your company or small business?  Organizations like Volunteer Calgary can help.  Most major cities have similar type agencies working with individuals and businesses to identify volunteer opportunities. 

What does a Volunteer Program look like?  A successful program will take into account the number of employees that are going to participate in the day, the type of organization you want your company to associate with, the number of hours/year (or month) that you can contribute, the cost of lost labour for that day as it compares to the retention cost and a happy work environment (a key question... what will be my return on this investment), and your area of professional expertise (many organizations are looking for people to donate their business acumen). 

The same thing applies for individuals and families who want to get more engaged in community.  Before you accept any volunteer project, ask yourself some basic questions:

1. Do I have the time to make this commitment?

2. Is this an organization I want my name affiliated with?

3. Who else can I engage in the activity?

4. How does this organization reflect my overall value system?

5. How will my time be best utilized?

Several companies have adopted a volunteer program.  One such company is Suitcase Interactive.  Each month staff members donate their time to a local soup kitchen and once a year the entire staff go to Mexico to build playgrounds.  Their foundation, Project Smile, was the creation of CEO - Ryan Gill.

This is only one of many such companies.  Does your company have a volunteer program?  Email me and I will highlight it in a future posting.

For more information on creating a volunteer program in your business please contact me at .  I will be happy to facilitate an introduction with a Volunteer Centre in your community.