Skills-Based Volunteering

Recently, Cisco’s Connected Asian Affinity Network (CAAN), an employee resource organization (ERO) that focuses on cultivating more Asian leaders, sent several of its members to Beijing, China to work with the Green and Shine Foundation, a non-governmental organization (NGO) that focuses on scholarships, donating educational materials, and providing training to teachers in rural areas.

When Common Impact’s clients ask me what events they should attend to understand the next generation of CSR, employee engagement and for-purpose business, I always point them to the Shared Value Initiative (SVI). SVI held its annual summit this past week in the (finally sunny!) downtown NYC, where hundreds of business, investment and social sector professionals met to hear and discuss the latest in driving a social, environmental and financial bottom line at once.

The Pro Bono Sweet Spot framework asks companies to consider four key factors – unique at each company – that will affect their programs’ impact. A company’s pro bono sweet spot is the area where the social impact they want to have, their available skills and expertise, the business objectives that matter most to them, and any contextual information or constraints overlap. This approach has the power to take corporate pro bono to the next level.

The education world is dense with data. And all those numbers can be numbing, especially for nonprofits trying to make a difference. One day each year, Fidelity Investments invites those groups to its complex near Grapevine Lake to help make sense of it all.

Newark, New Jersey, is experiencing a revival. Graduation rates are climbing, economic growth has risen, and the city has become increasingly prosperous and vibrant. Since its founding in 1875, Prudential has contributed immensely to this progress through significant investments in local infrastructure, organizations, and people. As one of Newark’s anchor institutions, Prudential’s commitment to the city has included a focus on pro bono service: a powerful tool for strengthening local nonprofits that, in turn, greatly benefits society.

How do you ensure that employees are encouraged to make a difference and take the opportunity to volunteer through their workplace all year round?

In this Twitter chat recap featuring Prudential Financial, TELUS, Volunteer Canada and Realized Worth, Benevity shares highlights and key takeaways aimed to support giving and volunteering throughout the entire year.

Project HOPE honored Jahn Moeller, a registered nurse from Queensland, Australia, as Volunteer of the Year, and Merck, as Corporate Partner Volunteer of the Year, celebrating a six-decades long partnership that has built health capacity worldwide.

Rebuilding Together, the leading home and community revitalization national non-profit organization, today announced the launch of [Re]Build, a grassroots movement to repair homes and revitalize communities across the country.