Globe and Mail

Last week I attended the TEDxLive talks via TEDxCalgary. The talks on crowd-sourcing and social change really perked my ears. It was exciting to hear people sharing their thoughts on things that I have been thinking about for a while and how they took my thoughts to a new level. Isn't that the whole point of TED - to make us think and dream bigger?

Guest blogger:  As a born and raised Torontonian, former San Franciscan, and new Calgarian, Pamela Karch is a critical and cultural theory junkie with a Masters in Communications, Bachelors in Media Studies, and Diploma in Print and Broadcast Journalism. Spending countless hours questioning the social construction of homogeneity, she is constantly searching for undefined ways of living.

Over the past week Occupy Wall Street has inundated news mediums all over North America with questions of direction, demands, and a clear message in an attempt to define the movement. This urge to focus on who and what the occupation looks like with headlines such as “Occupy Wall Street does not have a clear message”, “Wall St. Protest Isn’t Like Ours, Tea Party says”, “Who Occupies? A Pollster Surveys the Protestors”, and “The Demographics Of Occupy Wall Street” not only fails to investigate the roots of the issues, it also silences the questions about government, politics, capitalism, capital control and power, and social life that we should have been asking for the last 20 years. I use the term silence because many major news outlets have not included in their reports anything about the multitude of academic theorists and publications since the Bush administration that have outlined all the concerns brought to light by the Occupy movements. However, these questions that are now painted on cardboard signs in cities across North America are questions that have been circling the academy for years.

In an article written by Konrad Yakabuski entitled, The Kindness of Corporations in today's Globe and Mail, he shares his opinion of how CSR is not only about companies doing good.  My initial response was, well of course.  A company's key responsibility is to its shareholders.  The main purpose of a corporation is to generate revenue thereby giving a return on investment to those who have supported it financially.

 (Photo provided by: williamcho)

So how has CSR become so important over the past few years?  Is it the Al Gore effect?  This is what I think.  I think there is a value shift occurring in North America.  This value shift is playing out in the collective consumer consciousness.  Shareholders of corporations are part of that collective value shift so they are demanding changes in the boardroom.  Employees are part of that value shift and are looking for a more meaningful experience (the next promotion is not enough and nor is the pay).  I believe that consumers/clients of the corporation are the ones that are pushing the shift from the grassroots (see the book Mid-Course Correction by Ray Anderson).  And we cannot forget the vendors who are also part of the equation as their companies are going through the same pressure changes as the ones to whom they supply.

So what is happening with the charities in all this?  And the social enterprises that are seeking venture capital? How is government policy being affected by the corporate social responsibility movement?  I think that as a result of the CSR concept there are truer partnerships between charities and businesses.  Charities are using their corporate partners to help lobby government for social and environmental change (in Canada, charities are limited in the way and amount of lobbying they can do).  Businesses are using charities as a way to identify new markets, not just to "clean-up an image" or make face-time for a cause.  Government is rarely the leader of change.  They react to the voting public.  Policies are set because there is an undercurrent that is driving the policy.  It is somewhat oxymoronic to call government members leaders - they really follow in the grand scheme of things.  But that is neither here nor there.

Social enterprises are at an even greater advantage in today's market.  As the values of investors shift from simply looking for the next Oracle, these social enterprises can not only show how they are going to have a financial return on investment, they can also show that at the core of their business is community interests.  The direction that the business sector is shifting is one that CSR is not going to be an add on once the company is making money, but it will be an intrinsic part of developing a business plan. 

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.