Corporate and group volunteering

If you are an organisation that is thinking about taking part in corporate volunteering or a member organisation who may have suitable short projects for a corporate/group volunteering team please contact Anne on 9482 4333.

What is corporate volunteering?


Employee or corporate volunteering describes a recent development in volunteering, in which businesses support their employees to undertake volunteer work in the community. Many corporations and businesses now want to extend their level of community involvement through the implementation of such volunteering programs.

Larger companies especially are investing in corporate social responsibility (CSR) programs in response to public expectation that they will act in socially responsible ways. In a recent survey1 of Australian companies with volunteering programs, Volunteering Australia found that the average level of investment in their volunteering programs was $20 000 per year, excluding the value of the time given by staff who volunteer. 
 
The term ‘employee volunteering’ recognises that it’s not just large companies which undertake this type of activity: small to medium sized enterprises, which make up 95% of all businesses in Australia, are increasingly developing and implementing employee volunteering programs.
 

Benefits of corporate volunteering


Why should you get involved? Well benefits of employee volunteering – for businesses, employees and community organisations - are emerging2:
 
Businesses:
  • positive community profile and image
  • increased staff satisfaction & retention
  • increased productivity
  • increased product and brand awareness
  • regional focus
Employees: 
  • skills development
  • increased employee satisfaction
  • family community involvement
  • community awareness & involvement
  • attitudinal change
Community organisations: 
  • increased access to resources
  • community health & welfare
  • community economic development
  • directly address needs in the community
  • regional focus
  
1 Volunteering Australia, Corporate Volunteering Survey, Melbourne 2006
2 Volunteer South West, Edith Cowan University, Corporate Volunteering: A handbook for corporations and businesses, Perth 2001
 

Volunteering Opportunities