A view from both sides
Hayley Hext
2006
Research supported by:

Introduction

Why this research?

Participants

Questions
2

5 Themes
1 The role of volunteering in establishing and maintaining significant long term multidimensional partnerships
2 Written agreements and setting expectations
3

5 Themes
3 Finance and resource issues
4 Finding suitable volunteering opportunities
5 Employee motivation and education of non-profit aims
4

Challenges to nonprofits
(1)




Finding volunteering opportunities and matching the needs of both organizations
Continuously developing opportunities that will interest volunteers and benefit clients
Deciding and predicting if the investment of time and effort in organizing volunteering opportunities is worth the outcome
Articulating what the non-profit needs and saying no to offers of help that are not needed or beneficial
5

Challenges to nonprofits
(2)




Managing expectations of community service managers and non-profit clients
Negotiating who will pay for the costs involved in volunteering
Calls from a corporate who want large numbers of employees to volunteer on the same specific day at short notice – unrealistic expectation
Finding motivated volunteers who want to be there – quality not quantity
6

Challenges to nonprofits
(3)



Having enough time and resources to manage volunteers and ensure that projects run smoothly and are successful
Volunteers not turning up on the day resource costs involved and disappointment of recipients
Corporates offering volunteers as an alternative to financial contributions is a backward step for the non-profit sector.
7

Challenges to corporates
(1)



Finding volunteering opportunities that match the needs of both organizations
Continuously developing opportunities that are new and relevant that will interest employees and benefit nonprofits
Having enough time and resources to organize volunteering opportunities and ensuring that projects run smoothly and are successful
8

Challenges to corporates
(2)

Motivating employees at all levels to participate

Driving a culture change to enable all levels of staff to embrace the concept and support it

Managing expectations of employees of what types of activities are available and achievable within non-profit organizations
9

Challenges to corporates
(3)

Managing the costs of volunteering with limited or no budgets

OH&S and insurance issues

Creating good policies and procedures to protect employees and ensure the success of the volunteer programs.
10

What can be done?
(1)
Nonprofits said…



That both non-profits and corporates need to understand and appreciate the difference in each others cultures
Both need to put their agreements in writing to articulate clearly what is going to happen
Both sides need to have one person as the main point of contact to avoid confusion and misunderstanding
11

What can be done?
(2)
Nonprofits said…

That there needs to be an equal dialogue
 between the two sectors
Nonprofits need to make employee volunteering just one element of a multidimensional partnership in order to gain
 return on investment
Non-profits need to obtain and manage well a small number of quality multidimensional partnerships rather then trying to manage lots of one off and short term relationships poorly
12

What can be done?
(3)
Nonprofits said…

That corporates need to provide quality volunteers, not large quantities


That volunteers need to stop withdrawing from a volunteering activity at the last minute
That they would like corporates to provide financial assistance for volunteering to ensure there is no cost to them
13

What can be done?
(1)
Corporates said…



Both non-profits and corporates need a good understanding of each others business, their challenges and needs
Both need to know what they want, what they can offer and why they are forming relationships with each other
Both need appropriately skilled staff to manage relationships and organize volunteering activities
14

What can be done?
(2)
Corporates said…

Both need to be open and flexible in order
 to find a way of working together that meets both needs
Both need to manage expectations through good communication and
 planning
Both need to realize that nonprofit/corporate relationships and the nature of volunteering is constantly changing and evolving as both sectors learn from their experiences
15

What can be done?
(3)
Corporates said that nonprofits need to …

Educate their colleagues, senior managers and boards on how corporate/non-profit relationships have changed and are not necessarily about fundraising


Say “no” if the volunteer help offered by a corporate is not going to benefit them
Be more selective when deciding which corporate to work with
16

What can be done?
(4)
Corporates said that nonprofits need to …


Do their research on the corporates values and motivations before accepting any assistance
Change their mindset in regards to
“playing the victim”

Adopt a business mentality and look for a relationship that provides equal benefits
17

What can be done?
(5)
Corporates said that …

Nonprofits need a more strategic approach to managing their organizations in order to remain sustainable

Non-profits could obtain pro bono business managers/consultants to help them identify their organizations needs

Corporates need a central budget to help cover the costs of volunteering.
18

Conclusions



Mixed responses reflects diversity of programs and the motivation and experience of participants/organisations
Different cultures and needs leads to difficulties
Key finding - important that both have a clear understanding of what they want, what they can offer and why they are forming relationships.
19

What’s next?

Publish literature

Focus groups

Further and future research
20

The End
Thanks!
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