US Corporates Pledge to Build NFP Capacity
28 September 2012 at 2:38 pm
A year-long campaign for corporates to raise over a billion dollars to support Not for Profits in the United States has so far raised US$1.8 billion in pledges from almost 500 companies.
The ‘A Billion + Change’ campaign was launched last November in Washington D.C with the intention to mobilise skills-based and pro bono volunteer services to help build the capacity of Not for Profits to effectively meet community needs through Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR).
A study from True Impact highlighted the importance of CSR, reporting that the value of skilled support in areas such as general operations, technology and professional services for Not for Profits can be 500 per cent greater than the value of traditional volunteering.
The report also showed a benefit for corporate workers who engage with CSR. Skills-based volunteers from these organisations are 142 per cent more likely to report job-related skills-gains than traditional volunteers, and 82 percent more likely to report that volunteerism generated new recruits for their company versus traditional volunteers.
Chairman of the ‘A Billion + Change’ campaign and United States Senator Mark Warner has encouraged more organisations large and small to become involved with the CSR project.
“From helping nonprofits with job training programs or with improving access to health or education services, to providing support for IT infrastructure and board development, skills-based volunteering is still about workers giving time to their community,” Warner said.
Deloitte, a founding member of the A Billion + Change Leadership Committee, announced that its commitment to pro bono services would rise to $110 million by 2015.
IBM volunteers have provided more than 3.2 million hours of service in more than 5,000 skills-based projects in 2011. They are working with social challenges such as economic development, education and transport in locations such as Nairobi, Singapore and in Washington D.C.
Chief executive of the Points of Light Institute, which manages and houses A Billion + Change, Michelle Nunn said that skills-based volunteerism helps companies build the human capital of their workforce and invest in their communities.
“We have been overwhelmed by the initial enthusiasm for A Billion + Change. Volunteers nationwide served 8.1 billion hours in 2010, yet only around 16 percent of all companies make it a regular practice to offer their employees skills-based volunteer opportunities,” she said.
A Billion + Change initiative aims to create business value through strategic alignment of philanthropy and business goals, providing a platform for enhanced internal collaboration, leadership development and community visibility.
