Millennials and EVPs

The article "How to appeal to the Millennial Workforce" in the Northern Colorado Business Report summarizes findings about working with Millennials. Of particular interest are findings that show these employees, born between 1980 and 2000, have a more positive reaction to their employers when their organizations offer strong employee volunteer programs:

The Deloitte survey reveals that those who frequently participate in their company's employee volunteer activities are:

• Twice as likely to rate their corporate culture as very positive (56 percent vs. 28 percent)
• More likely to be very proud to work for their company (55 percent vs. 36 percent)
• More likely to feel very loyal toward their company (52 percent vs. 33 percent)
• Nearly twice as likely to be very satisfied with the progression of their career (37 percent vs. 21 percent)
• More likely to be very satisfied with their employer (51 percent vs. 32 percent); and
• More likely to recommend their company to a friend (57 percent vs. 46 percent)

Create a Team for a Charity Walk

On July 17, the 25th Annual AIDS Walk in San Francisco raised over $3,000,000 for Bay area AIDS programs and services offered by the San Francisco AIDS Foundation, including, as outlined in the walk material:

• Benefits counselors help individuals understand and link into the complex private and public benefits systems, including the AIDS Drug Assistance Program, food stamps, Medi-Cal, Medicare, Social Security and private disability plans.
• The housing subsidy program provides rental assistance to more than 350 individuals. Through the work of our client advocates and the clients themselves,more than 95 percent of these individuals remain stably housed.
• The Speed Project works with gay and bisexual men who use crystal methamphetamine to assist them in understanding the connections between substance use and sexual health and well-being through education, peer support and alternative social activities.
• Black Brothers Esteem promotes the sexual health and well-being of AfricanAmerican gay, bisexual and same-gender loving men. Through weekly drop-in support groups, workshops, leadership-building retreats and other community-building activities, members learn to advocate for their own health and for their community.
• The HIV Prevention Project is a sterile syringe access program that distributes more than 2.3 million syringes annually, helping thousands of exchangers and their partners avoid HIV infection and hepatitis C. Staff and volunteers, nurses, and drug treatment counselors offer free, anonymous exchange and other vital services at 10 San Francisco locations.
• El Grupo, is one of the longest running bilingual support groups for Latinos living with HIV in the nation. Open to all HIV-positive Latino/as and their families, El Grupo provides a safe forum to share information on managing HIV and reducing isolation and stigma.
• The Stonewall Project is a counseling and treatment program for men who have sex with men (queer, gay, bisexual, transgender, questioning, or no label) who use crystal methamphetamine. Its website, tweaker.org, provides information about the use of meth to nearly 2,300 visitors a day.
• Magnet provides sexual health services, including HIV and STD testing and screening, in the Castro, the neighborhood with the greatest concentration of new HIV infections in San Francisco, and creates a space for gay men’s social events.
• BETA (Bulletin of Experimental Treatments for AIDS) provides in-depth treatment information and news on the latest advances in HIV care.

For non-profit organizations, teams are able to effectively raise money for causes, and NPOs like the San Francisco AIDS Foundation promote team formation and facilitate team effectiveness. I am quite amazed at the comprehensiveness of their manual for teams. One table they include is a list of the top 25 fundraising teams from 2010. (Go, Gap, Inc!) To me, this is brilliant. First off, it recognizes the strong performance of these teams and promotes a sense of appreciation. It also provides promotes the reputation of the organizations with teams in the top 25. Less obviously, it might spur healthy competition so the teams will strive for even greater donations for future walks.

Benefits to the non-profit organization, such as the San Francisco AIDS Foundation, are clear. In the Fall, walks to support charitable organizations abound. (The ones closest to my heart are the Walks for Farm Animals held across the to country to benefit the Farm Sanctuary; my dog and I also walk in the March for Animals to benefit the Tompkins County SPCA.) 

What is it, though, that organizations who provide the employees who populate the teams gain? As I mentioned, having teams participate in the walk can provide good public relations among the other walkers and the larger community. The organization can benefit in other ways from employee involvement in these teams. Employees usually have fun with other team members on the walk. They feel a sense of meaning from participating in a fundraising opportunity for a good cause. When the team has worked together to raise funds leading up to the walk, and when the team creates a special t-shirt for the team members to wear, cohesion among the team members increases. 

This is a very low-cost, low-risk strategy for organizations who want to promote SAW. Even better if organizations will match some or all of the funds raised to show a greater commitment to the cause and support of the employees who are walking.

Gap Inc.'s "Be What's Possible" Program

Gap, Inc. has a number of programs that allow employees to become involved in social action at work. The "Service Leadership" section of their corporate social responsibility report. In 2010, employees donated over 428,000 volunteer hours, primarily through skills-based volunteerism that leverages an employee's knowledge, skills and abilities to help local charitable organizations. The report explains: 

employees provide skills-based volunteerism that ranges from writing a competitive analysis for a women’s organization to creating a database for a workers’ rights group to providing organizational development for a family services agency. As an ongoing example, a team from our Legal department has been working with two youth nonprofits to provide the legal expertise they need to expand their services, acting similarly to an in-house counsel for these organizations.

To help associates identify the volunteer opportunities that best align with their skills, Gap, Inc. provides a website called "Be What's Possible." 

This site outlines the different social action programs available to employees, including grants for team-based volunteering, "money-for-time" (donations to non-profits when an employee volunteers a minimum number of hours), Camp Old Navy, board member match, and more. Gap, Inc. provides two different toolkits that help employees identify the intersection between their skills and their passions and provide advice for maximizing the impact employees can have on their chosen cause. Finally, the site outlines the target causes (those that "fit" with Gap Inc.'s social mission) and offers instructions for associates who want to take advantage of matching donations.

Gap, Inc. believes the opportunities for social action at work pay off with more committed employees:

We see a direct connection between our employees’ volunteerism and their commitment to Gap Inc.: engaged employees deliver strong business results. In a recent employee survey, nearly all respondents said it is important for them to work for a company that invests in the community.

TIAA-CREF Parnters with UNC Charlotte to Promote Financial Literacy

A recent press release outlines the planned initiatives of a partnership between TIAA-CREF and the University of North Carolina, Charlotte, to provide financial education to students and faculty in the Charlotte-Mecklenburg School district. One unique feature of the partnership is that members of UNC Charlotte will train TIAA-CREF volunteers on how to be better tutors and mentors to students. Additionally, the planned events are meaningful to the local community and take advantage of TIAA-CREF's core competencies. When social action at work is aligned with the values and strategies of the company, employees believe them to be more authentic, leading to better outcomes in terms of commitment and satisfaction (Ellis, 2008).

August 18, 2011 10:06 AM Eastern Daylight Time

NEW YORK--(EON: Enhanced Online News)--TIAA-CREF, a leading financial services provider, and UNC Charlotte today announced a partnership to provide educational support to over 4700 students and 500 faculty members at Governor’s Village schools. Opened in 1996, Governors Village is home to four Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools (CMS): John M. Morehead STEM Academy, Nathaniel Alexander Elementary, James Martin Middle, and Zebulon B. Vance High.

“We are proud to partner with UNC Charlotte and the Charlotte school system to adopt these four schools to ensure that the students and teachers have the tools they need to be successful.”

Working together with CMS to identify the specific needs of the Governor’s Village schools, TIAA-CREF and UNC Charlotte have partnered to develop a number of programs and initiatives that will take place throughout the school year, including:

Mentoring/Tutoring Programs – Starting in mid-September 2011 and running throughout the school year, TIAA-CREF and UNC Charlotte volunteers will provide tutoring and mentoring for students in Governor’s Village. UNC Charlotte faculty will provide training to all TIAA-CREF volunteers on best practices for being a mentor and tutor.

Governor’s Village Professional Development Conference – On January 23, 2012, TIAA-CREF will host, at the organization’s offices in Charlotte, a professional development conference for approximately 500+ teachers and faculty from the Governor’s Village schools. TIAA-CREF will provide financial services related topics for the conference, and the conference agenda will be developed jointly by TIAA-CREF, UNC Charlotte and CMS.

Job Shadow Event – In February 2012, TIAA-CREF and UNC Charlotte will host a job shadow event at TIAA-CREF offices for students in grades 8-12, in order to provide students with opportunities to gather information on a wide variety of career possibilities. Additionally, TIAA-CREF and UNC Charlotte staff and alumni will participate in Career Day at schools for students in grades 3-7.

Financial Literacy Employee Volunteer Program – In April 2012, to coincide with National Financial Literacy Month, TIAA-CREF employees will host financial education sessions with teachers, faculty and parents at the schools’ PTA meetings.

“TIAA-CREF is dedicated to education and committed to supporting the communities where we live and work,” said Charlotte-based Gene Flood, Executive Vice President of Diversified Financial Services. “We are proud to partner with UNC Charlotte and the Charlotte school system to adopt these four schools to ensure that the students and teachers have the tools they need to be successful.”

“UNC Charlotte has a long-standing relationship with TIAA-CREF and we’ve made Governor’s Village an important part of our community outreach priorities,” said Mary Lynne Calhoun, dean of UNC Charlotte’s College of Education “Through our combined volunteer time and resources, this partnership is about removing educational barriers to help deserving students achieve their full potential”

“We are grateful for the partnership and commitment from TIAA-CREF and UNC Charlotte,” said interim superintendent Hugh Hattabaugh. “Our students in the Governor’s Village can benefit tremendously from this initiative.”

TIAA-CREF also announced that it had donated approximately 500 personal computers to the Governor’s Village schools. The donated computers support TIAA-CREF’s belief that students should have access to technology and information for educational development and learning purposes.

In addition, TIAA-CREF donated school supplies for the Governor’s Village schools in the company’s annual “Backpacks and Knapsacks School-Supply Drive”. TIAA-CREF's "Backpacks and Knapsacks" program is a school supply effort championed by employees to support education through their donation of pencils, paper, backpacks and crayons for local schoolchildren.

Additionally, in advance of the start of the school year, dozens of TIAA-CREF and UNC Charlotte volunteers assisted in the beautification of the Governor’s Village schools campuses to prepare for the arrival of faculty and schoolchildren.

About TIAA-CREF

TIAA-CREF (www.tiaa-cref.org) is a national financial services organization with $469 billion in assets under management (as of 6/30/11) and is the leading provider of retirement services in the academic, research, medical and cultural fields.

TIAA-CREF Individual & Institutional Services, LLC, and Teachers Personal Investors Services, Inc., members FINRA, distribute securities products.

Herman Miller's Better World Report

Herman Miller is one of the companies that inspires me the most. They are extremely conscientious in their product design and marketing as well as in operations, but they are careful not to over-promote their sustainability to avoid greenwashing. It doesn't hurt that their products are of exemplary quality and are cleverly and beautifully designed.

Herman Miller also supports employees' social action at work. Employees are allowed 16 paid hours a year to work with the charitable organization of their choice. As a whole, the company has a goal of providing 10,000 volunteer hours to the community. That employees can chose the organization for which they want to volunteer allows them to create significant meaning through SAW. Additionally, there are team-based volunteer opportunities which allow employees to interact and network while doing good work. Recently, a team worked on a LEED (!) Habitat for Humanity home. Around 100 employees volunteered time to build a playground in an economically depressed area of a local community. For the third year, 40 women participated in Women to Women International. Moreover, the company matched donations to the Herman Miller Foundation, with the funds going to hurricane ravaged Haiti.

Community Service - A Better World Report - About Us - Herman Miller

McGraw Hill: Why We Volunteer

McGraw Hill's company blog, The Virtual Watercooler, describes the motivation behind the organization's employee volunteer program and details the efforts they made as part of their eighth annual "Global Volunteer Day" (GVD). They write:

This year’s GVD really did have a global reach, especially in helping the lives of children. In the U.S., 90 of the 157 projects focused on helping children. In India, team leaders volunteered at over 50 schools across the country which impacted approximately 9,400 students. In Melbourne, Australia, team leader Marg Slesser said “We had an incredibly inspirational day with our project. Everyone came away from the day feeling they had contributed to the lives of the special people we spent the day with and feeling very humbled by our experience. The Melbourne City Mission people were very grateful for the opportunity to take such a large group and enjoy a day’s outing partaking in an activity that so many of us take for granted.” These are just a few highlights of the impact we had in 58 cities around the world.

McGraw Hill's latest Corporate Social Responsibility Report.

Academy of Management Blogging

I'll be blogging for the Academy of Management during the annual conference this year. About 9,000 management scholars and practitioners along with the staff who make the meeting possible have converged on hot and humid San Antonio, Texas.

Check out my first entry here!

Adopt-a-Garden

Gardens provide environmental benefits, but they also help with mental health. At Cayuga Medical Center, employee volunteers maintain gardens around the hospital's campus.

Ford Rogue Factory

Visiting Dearborn's Ford Rogue Factory, where the car maker's F150s are produced, was such a treat. I enjoyed seeing the production line and watching the employees as they interacted with each other (or not) and completed their tasks. I was also thrilled to see the environmental-friendly features of the LEED Gold factory. One highlight is Ford's living roof, the largest in the world. Vegetated roofs have several advantages, including better use of water, longer life span of the roof, improved heating and cooling, reduced urban heat sink, and aesthetic qualities. Ford has large cisterns that capture rain water and runoff to use in the plant. The factory was also designed for efficient air flow, natural light, and porous pavement.



I was surprised, and pleased, to know that Ford also gives attention to wildlife and has been designated as an official wildlife habitat. They also have a colony of bees on site that are cared for by an employee volunteer.



Many of these initiatives are only successful through the efforts of Ford employee and retiree volunteers. Learn more about the program at the Ford Volunteer Corps website.

Johnson & Johnson employees promote organic farming - - GMA News Online - Latest Philippine News

Johnson & Johnson employees promote organic farming - - GMA News Online - Latest Philippine News

ExxonMobil: Employee Volunteerism and Giving

ExxonMobil reported recently on their employee volunteerism and giving for 2010:

"In 2010, more than 24,800 ExxonMobil employees, retirees, and their families worldwide donated more than 779,500 volunteer hours to 5500 charitable organizations in 43 countries through company-sponsored volunteer programs. Of this, 12,500 participants donated more than 179,400 hours to more than 1200 organizations in countries outside the United States.

Employees and retirees donated $38 million through ExxonMobil’s matching gift, disaster relief, and employee giving programs. When combined with corporate donations, ExxonMobil—together with our employees and retirees—contributed $237 million to community investments around the world."

PRESS RELEASE: Microsoft Corporation Creatively Leverages Tech Expertise and Software for Social Good

ALEXANDRIA, Va., May 6, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Today, United Way honored Microsoft Corporation with two Summit awards for the company's generosity and for innovative technology and software programs focused on improving education.

"Microsoft is maximizing all its resources, from financial to software to employee expertise, to improve education and help young people and communities," said Brian Gallagher, president and CEO of United Way Worldwide. "Their innovation, creativity and commitment set them apart as a leader and exemplary corporate citizen that is taking measurable steps to create a brighter future for all of us."

In 2010, Microsoft donated $603 million in cash and software to charitable organizations around the world, including $14.3 million in cash and software to United Way, the number-one recipient of Microsoft employee gifts and corporate matching funds.

Microsoft and its employees also creatively leveraged technology and expertise to improve education by:
Providing TownHall software and assistance to create an online forum for community conversations around education, raising awareness around United Way's goal to cut the dropout rate in half.

Helping fund the creation of InterroBang, an interactive online game for students that teaches problem solving by giving kids missions to complete in the real world. Microsoft volunteers plus nearly 500 students and parents helped launch the game by creating videos, songs, stories and dances using Microsoft technology at the 2010 United Way Thanksgiving Halftime Show in Detroit.

Helping United Way of King County drive an expansion that will ultimately triple the scale of its Parent-Child Home Program, which prepares low-income 3- and 4-year olds for later success in school. Microsoft General Counsel Brad Smith co-chaired United Way of King County's $111 million annual fundraising campaign, of which $8.6 million will be used to expand the program.

Creating and supporting countless STEM and tech-focused programs, including the Microsoft Math Partnership, professional development for teachers; EduConnect, where employees teach math and tech in schools; Imagine Cup, a creative technology competition for students; Students in Business training; and DreamSpark, free student downloads of software.

Volunteering more than 72,490 hours toward education projects and 363,000 hours overall. Since 2006, Microsoft has doubled the number of employees volunteering plus provided $23 million in matching grants, with a $17/hour donation for employees volunteering 10 or more hours.

"At Microsoft, we have a long and proud partnership with United Way that goes back to our first formal community efforts in 1983," commented Pamela Passman, Corporate Vice President, Global Corporate Affairs. "They are an important part of our commitment to helping create opportunities and solve local challenges in communities across the country and our partnership continues to grow. In 2010, Microsoft and its employees donated more than $14.3 million in cash, software, and in-kind contributions to United Way organizations worldwide, including $3 million in direct employee contributions, plus over 5,000 employees volunteered during the year. We look forward to continuing this valued partnership to help those in need across the United States."

In addition to campaign donations, Microsoft employees got creative when it came to fundraising, with a companywide charitable auction plus creating and selling a book of original photography to benefit United Way. The tech giant also provided more than $1.7 million in software to the Mary M. Gates Learning Center at United Way Worldwide; the center was named after Bill Gates' mother, a long-time United Way supporter and board member and is being used for global education and training.

The Spirit of America and Summit Awards program, now in its 24th year, is United Way's highest national honor for a corporation, recognizing the United Way Global Corporate Leadership company with the most comprehensive commitment to improving lives and strengthening communities. Applicants are evaluated by corporate peers, labor representatives and local United Ways.

About United Way
United Way is a worldwide network in 40 countries and territories, including more than 1,200 local organizations in the U.S. It advances the common good, creating opportunities for a better life for all by focusing on the three key building blocks of education, income and health. United Way recruits people and organizations who bring the passion, expertise and resources needed to get things done. LIVE UNITED® is a call to action for everyone to become a part of the change. For more information about United Way, please visit: LIVEUNITED.org.

About Microsoft
Microsoft (http://www.microsoft.com/citizenship) believes that technology can accelerate change to help solve some of society's most pressing issues. Microsoft supports programs and organizations that address the needs of communities worldwide through monetary grants, software and curriculum donations, technology solutions, and employee volunteer hours. Since 1983, Microsoft and our employees have provided more than $4.6 billion in cash, services and software to nonprofits around the world through localized, company-sponsored giving and volunteer campaigns.

SOURCE United Way Worldwide

IBM Bolsters Employee Volunteerism During Centennial Year - WSJ.com

IBM Bolsters Employee Volunteerism During Centennial Year - WSJ.com

Helping Big Cats

For a community project, a local Starbucks crew donated their time to paint a perimeter fence at Big Cat Rescue in Tampa, Florida. On their Facebook page, Big Cat Rescue writes:

Big Cat Rescue would like to extend a big ROAR of gratitude to our friends at Starbucks. These wonderful folks recently volunteered their time to visit the sanctuary to conduct a community service project that included painting the sanctuary's new perimeter fence. A purrrfect Starbucks green we might add!

Happy Earth Day

On their Facebook site, So Delicious announced a new "Green Office Program: for employees:

Happy Earth Day! We've been hard at work developing systems to help reduce our environmental impact, and we believe all of our employees can contribute toward the goal of becoming a more sustainable company. Today we're announcing the launch of our Green Office Program that rewards the conservation of paper, electricity, and other resources, and incentivizes green actions. While we recognize we have a way to go, we realize that small changes can make a big difference over time, so we’re excited to be doing our part to be good stewards of our natural resources.

I'm excited to follow this program and will provide more information about it as soon as it is available.

How Do You Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle?

Our local Wegman's has a display encouraging customers to share ideas about how to engage in the 3 Rs. The mosaic is made of plastic and metal bottle caps.

Can Apple's Employees Drive CSR?

apple-computer-csr from triplepundit.com - StumbleUpon

Dylan Kendall: Hooray for Hollywood: Finding Joy in Doing Good

Dylan Kendall: Hooray for Hollywood: Finding Joy in Doing Good

Kohl's Go Green Event

MENOMONEE FALLS, Wis., Mar 31, 2011 (BUSINESS WIRE) --

Kohl's Department Stores (NYSE: KSS) is sending tens of thousands of its associates to volunteer in communities nationwide during the company's second annual Kohl's National Go Green Event (NGG) in celebration of two April events - National Volunteer Week and Earth Day. Through Kohl's associate volunteer program, Associates in Action, Kohl's volunteers will support youth-serving nonprofit organizations by participating in an environmentally-based activity, and Kohl's will match those efforts with corporate grants. Through this initiative, Kohl's will donate $2 million in grants to nonprofits nationwide for the second year in a row.

"Showcasing Kohl's ongoing commitment to environmental leadership and volunteerism, we are proud to once again announce that Kohl's associates will be out in communities across the country to give back and go green," said Julie Gardner, Kohl's executive vice president and chief marketing officer. "Last year's inaugural Kohl's National Go Green Event in honor of National Volunteer Week and Earth Day was extremely successful - resulting in thousands of volunteer hours and more than $2 million in grants for local organizations. This April, we are excited to again make a meaningful difference for kids, further environmental progress and have a powerful financial impact on local organizations."

In April, groups of Kohl's associates will be volunteering coast to coast for events including:

• Lending a hand at the Growing Power headquarters and urban farm in Milwaukee, Wis.
• Pitching in to clean up area beaches with the Surfrider Foundation in Los Angeles, Calif.
• Helping out in the garden at Hobbs Community Farm in Centereach, N.Y.
• Participating in the Earth Day cleanup and river restoration with the Nature Consortium in Seattle, Wash.
• Year-round, Kohl's volunteers support a range of youth-focused nonprofit organizations. Kohl's then matches volunteer efforts with $500 grants to the organization. During the NGG initiative, Kohl's increases the grant amount for each event which will result in $2 million in grants for community organizations nationwide.

Committed to Giving Back

Kohl's strives to be an active member of each community it serves. Part of Kohl's community partnership is the Kohl's volunteer program. Since 2001, Kohl's associates nationwide have participated in volunteer activities that support children. When associates form teams of five or more to support a local youth-serving charity, Kohl's supports the team's participation with a corporate grant given directly to the charity. Since 2001:

• More than 385,000 Kohl's associates have volunteered
• Kohl's has executed more than 64,000 volunteer events
• More than 1.25 million volunteer hours were completed
• More than $35 million was donated to local nonprofits

The Kohl's Associates in Action volunteer program is part of Kohl's overall philanthropic platform, Kohl's Cares(R), which is committed to supporting children's health and education initiatives nationwide. Since 2000, Kohl's has raised more than $180 million through its Kohl's Cares program.

SOURCE: KOHL'S DEPARTMENT STORES

Original Press Release

Adidas' Green Teams

Adidas utilizes employee Green Teams as part of their sustainability effort. Theses teams promote environmental initiatives and help motivate other employees.

Adidas' 2010 Sustainability Report, Performance Counts, the company outlines some of the projects spearheaded by global Green Teams:

• In Portland, one-way cups and dishes were a big problem. Now there are reusable mugs for sale at all coffee shops at this location and no one-way dishes available in the kitchens around
• the buildings. This reduces the amount of waste significantly.
• The Mattapoisett green Team has started a great recycling and reuse programme with plastic and glass recycling as well as recycling empty toner cartridges and buying re-manufactured ones.
• In our office in Bangkok, Thailand, where many employees regularly visit factories, the Green Team introduced a carpooling scheme to reduce the number of trips made by car to each particular factory.
• Our French colleagues in Landersheim have successfully had solar panels installed to heat the water used in all showers and in the staff restaurant.
• In our Istanbul office, the green Team managed to reduce water consumption by 14%, compared to 2009. They also saved energy by only using those appliances which were really needed.
• In Amsterdam, the green Team worked mainly on the tough task of changing people’s habits. They organised special awareness-raising events such as the ‘Tour de Commute’ month which coincided with the Tour de france and was aimed at getting people to take the bike to work instead of their cars. Altogether, they rode 5,334 km in that month.
• These and other locations participated in earth day celebrations on April 22 to raise awareness of and to engage people for a clean environment. The green Teams came up with great ideas to support the spirit of the day. At our headquarters in Germany they organised a paper road and a rubbish mountain to show how much waste we produce. Additionally, old mobile phones were collected and sold to a company which specializes in refurbishing them. The proceeds from this went to a charity.

Macy's: Partners in Time

Macy's Inc. employee volunteer program, Partners in Time, was founded in 1989, and has been recognized for its excellence, receiving an "Award for Excellent in Workplace Volunteerism" by the Points of Light Foundation.

In 2009 alone, Macy's Inc. employee volunteers gave almost 100,000 hours to community organizations, with the largest percentage devoted to projects benefiting children.


Partners in Time also spearheads the annual "Bag Hunger" campaign conducted all across Macy’s divisions, has contributed an equivalent 58 million pounds of food, or 45 million meals, for hungry families throughout the United States.

Weyerhaeuser: Making WAVES

Weyerhaeuser's Making Waves program, administered through the Weyerhaeuser Company Foundation, promoted employee volunteerism throughout the organization. In 2009, 1,017 employees worked on 89 projects and contributed 10,714 volunteer hours. Through this program, grant monies -- almost $4 million since 1998 -- are also made available to local non-profit organizations, municipal agencies, and schools.

At their March 8 Spirit of Caring Celebration, the United Way of King County recognized the Making Waves program as the 2011 outstanding Employee Volunteer Program. According to their statement, "employees identify a need in their community and work with a nonprofit or school to develop a project" with Weyerhauser providing support and training to company volunteers.

According to the Making WAVES website, recent projects completed by volunteers have included:

• Building low-cost homes with Habitat for Humanity
• Beautifying local schools, parks and streams
• Rebuilding communities in the Gulf area following Hurricane Katrina
• Working with youth as mentors and tutors
• Collecting donations for local food and clothing banks
• Participating in fundraising events such as the American Cancer Society's Relay for Life and the March of Dimes Foundation's WalkAmerica
• Providing nonprofits with business expertise in areas such as strategic planning and technology
• Planting trees or restoring and enhancing native ecosystems
• Mentoring youth on sustainable forests practices

United Way of King County 2011 Spirit of Caring Winners

Bayer: Making Science Make Sense

Bayer's "Making Science Make Sense" program was foreshadowed 40 years ago when employee volunteers started helping students and their teachers learn about science they way it was done in actual research laboratories. They describe the MSMS, which was officially launched in 1995 as follows:

As a science- and research-based company with major businesses in health care, nutrition and innovative materials, Bayer Corporation has a strong stake in helping to improve science education and to insure that all individuals are scientifically literate. Bayer demonstrates this commitment with its national award-winning Making Science Make Sense® (MSMS) program, a company-wide initiative that advances science literacy across the United States through hands-on, inquiry-based science learning, employee volunteerism and public education.

On March 18, MSMS launched a Facebook page to promote science and math education. Although many MSMS resources are available online, the program is driven by committed employee volunteers.

Making Science Make Sense on Facebook
About Making Science Make Sense

Herman Miller Relief Efforts

Natural disasters demand immediate, drastic response from businesses, especially those that can provide needed services or supplies. At the same time, these responses are often removed from most employees since the decisions are often made at top levels with a speed that precludes involvement from all levels. Herman Miller's multi-pronged response to the tragedy in Japan allows employees to feel involved in the process. Herman Miller not only donated to Japan relief efforts, they are also matching employee donations. Additionally, they are donating 5% of online sales to the American Red Cross Japan Disaster Relief Fund.

Wal-Mart Workers Aid Operation Homefront

Wal-Mart employees volunteered to help Operation Homefront, an organization in Clarksville, Tennessee, that assists families of deployed soldiers. Because Wal-Mart's EVP matches volunteer hours with organizations, the NPO received a $4,000 donation.

Article Link

Expedia Employees Help Green Tourism

Expedia, Inc. Press Room - Press Releases

(From 2009)

Bottom Line Impact of Employee Volunteer Programs

Common Impact and Capital One to Address Bottom-Line Value of Volunteering at Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) Performance Summit

ThedaCare's Helping Hearts volunteering program boosts aid to charities | postcrescent.com | Appleton Post Crescent

ThedaCare's Helping Hearts volunteering program boosts aid to charities | postcrescent.com | Appleton Post Crescent

Sterling Reports 2010 Employee Volunteer Hours

Sterling Reports 2010 Employee Volunteer Hours

Realizing Your Worth: Why Nobody (really) Cares How Many Hours Your Employees Volunteered

Realizing Your Worth: Why Nobody (really) Cares How Many Hours Your Employees Volunteered

Corporate Volunteer Programs: Encouraging & Engaging Employee Volunteerism

Corporate Volunteer Programs: Encouraging & Engaging Employee Volunteerism

Kraft Promotes Service as Park of MLK Observation

KRAFT FOODS’ NATIONAL SPONSORSHIP OF MARTIN LUTHER KING JR. DAY HONORS KING’S LEGACY AND MOBILIZES VOLUNTEERS

Lakeland Bank CSR

Lakeland Bank, operating in Northern New Jersey, encourages its employees to become involved in community initiatives. CEO and President Thomas J. Shara said,

As a community bank, we want to be as involved as possible in the communities we serve. We encourage volunteerism as part of our corporate culture. Not only does the bank make contributions on the corporate level, but our employees commit thousands of hours and dollars each year to make our communities better places to live. Together, we are making a difference.

In 2010, Lakeland employees gave 16,000 volunteer hours to local non-profit groups, worked on a Habitat for Humanity build, visited with children to promote good financial habits, and sponsored sporting events to benefit local charities. Additionally, employees and the bank gave contributions to a number of local charities.

Lakeland's Press Release

Mercy Housing

Mercy Housing Lakefront, a nonprofit organization working on affordable housing opportunities in Illinois and Wisconsin, cultivates relationship with corporate partners. They report the reaction of one volunteer:

“I just love to volunteer”, said a Harris Bank volunteer, “we sit at desks all day so it was wonderful to be outside and know we are making a difference.”

Volunteerism begins with employees' on-the-job attitudes - macombdaily.com

Volunteerism begins with employees' on-the-job attitudes - macombdaily.com