Local Volunteerism Meets Bush's Goals
By Doris Rubenstein, PDP Services
CityBusiness, March, 2002

Many Twin Cities companies already are on track with the agenda of President Bush’s proposed Freedom Corps. Some of them will be recognized on March 26, 2002 with the Minneapolis Regional Chamber of Commerce annual Quality of Life Award.

President Bush, in his State of the Union address, called on all Americans to devote 4,000 hours over their lifetime to volunteering. He sees these acts of human kindness as one way to improve homeland security. Indeed, it may well be one method to achieve that goal.

Most business leaders will not argue with Mr. Bush about the impact of volunteering on homeland security. Congratulations to the businesses who are the 2002 Quality of Life award winners: Colle+McVoy, Dorsey & Whitney, IBM Corporation, LaBreche Murray, and Valspar as well as the Central Community Housing Trust. Judging from the list of winners of the Quality of Life awards, I think that these leaders know that volunteering has effects that go far beyond security issues.

Winners of the Quality of Life awards have done more than put their money where their communities are. They have put the time and effort of their employees into the community. If time is money, how can they afford it?

These award winners have put volunteerism into their business plans. Other local companies, even those who haven’t won awards, have done the same.

Is there one best way to conduct an employee volunteerism program? Yes, there is one best way for each individual company, and it takes thoughtful planning to decide which one way is best.

Guidant, Inc. encourages its employees to volunteer with organizations of each employee’s choice. The company assigns a dollar value to each hour volunteered and matches the hours with cash donations to the respective non-profit. This shows Guidant’s respect for their employees as individuals and spreads their giving power to a wide range of needs in our community.

Datalink, Inc. has allowed for up to sixteen hours per year of paid release time to employees for volunteer activities. This release time is contingent upon the volunteer activity relating to the corporate citizenship program priorities of the company, particularly technology education and some areas of health. Even so, the options open in these fields are wide and can be loosely interpreted.

The law firm of Moss & Barnett, as well as many other businesses, bring together employees at all levels - from senior partners down to mailroom clerks - to work on Habitat for Humanity projects conducted on weekends and after-hours.

Even workaholics can find ways to become involved in volunteerism.

How many of us have been confronted with the problem of unused sick leave, vacation, or overtime compensation hours? Too often, if we don’t use it, we lose it.

Creative managers have found ways to turn these hours into cash donated to various charities. Or hours won’t be “lost” if used by the employee for volunteering on company time. The hours might even be pooled and contributed for other employees to use for volunteering on company time.

The Quality of Life awards highlight volunteerism’s main benefit: improving the quality of life in our community. Whatever you or your company appreciates about our community - our abundant and accessible arts, our year-round recreational options, the opportunities for formal and informal education, etc. - it can be reinforced and guaranteed for the future through volunteerism.

Quality of life is one good reason for supporting employee volunteers. But smart business owners know that employee volunteerism has additional benefits. Those benefits reflect back on the company and often on the bottom line.

When volunteers are out in the community, be it an individual coaching a Little League team, or sending out a group to Race for the Cure, when the employees are spotted sporting the company’s logo on a teeshirt or uniform, it sends a strong message of community commitment to all who see it.

Mentoring a parentless teen can open that young person’s eyes to whole new career possibilities - even one with your company!

When employees from different operational units management strata volunteer together, it can improve internal communication, employee morale and retention.

President Bush even proposed increased funding for federally-sponsored programs like the Peace Corps and Americorps. As progressive as President Bush’s proposals for the Freedom Corps may be, support for volunteerism in Minnesota was dealt a hard blow when Governor Ventura closed the doors on the State’s Office of Citizenship and Volunteer Services at the end of January. This leaves fewer resources for the Human Resource Directors and union stewards who often are the coordinators of volunteerism programs in their companies. Hence, the need for even more cautious planning.

All corporate who incorporate volunteerism into their business plans deserve our admiration. Volunteer employees also deserve our thanks.