Corporate Volunteering Programs Research Articles

Корпоративное волонтерство как инструмент внутренних и внешних коммуникаций организации

Nowadays, companies are actively introducing corporate volunteering programs at their enterprises. In this re-gard, there is a growing interest in this topic in scientific circles: there are more and more works devoted to the study of this phenomenon as a form of corporate social responsibility. However, more attention is often paid to the social and economic effects of corporate volunteering, and an equally important communication aspect remains undisclosed. This article is aimed at studying the phenomenon of corporate volunteering as a tool of corporate communications. It analyzes the image and reputation effects from the implementation of volunteer programs at Russian enterprises. The empirical basis of the analysis was the results of a study of the nature of information coverage of volunteer activities of a large regional pipeline company in the field of oil and petrole-um products transportation. Conclusion dwells upon the fact that corporate volunteering contributes to strength-ening the information presence of the organization and reinforcing the status of a socially responsible enter-prise.

Diversifying Large-Scale Participatory Science: The Efficacy of Engagement through Facilitator Organizations

Large-scale, scientist-led, participatory science (citizen science) projects often engage participants who are primarily white, wealthy, and well-educated. Calls to diversify contributory projects are increasingly common, but little research has evaluated the efficacy of suggested strategies for diversification. We engaged participants in Crowd the Tap through facilitator organizations like historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs), predominantly white institutions, high school science classrooms, and corporate volunteer programs. Crowd the Tap is a contributory project focused on identifying and addressing lead (Pb) contamination in household drinking water in the United States. We investigated how participant diversity with respects to race, ethnicity, and homeownership (a proxy for income) differed between participation facilitated through a partner organization and unfacilitated participation in which participants came to the project independently. We were also interested in which facilitators were most effective at increasing participant diversity. White and wealthy participants were overrepresented in unfacilitated participation. Facilitation helped increase engagement of people of color, especially Black and lower-income households. High schools were particularly effective at engaging Hispanic or Latinx participants, and HBCUs were important for engaging Black households. Ultimately, our results suggest that engagement through facilitator organizations may be an effective means of engaging diverse participants in large-scale projects. Our results have important implications for the field of participatory science as we seek to identify evidence-based strategies for diversifying project participants.

Employee Volunteer Hours Generate Donations

The Volunteer Management ReportVolume 28, Issue 4 p. 3-3 Corporate Volunteer Programs Employee Volunteer Hours Generate Donations First published: 10 March 2023 https://doi.org/10.1002/vmr.32052Read the full textAboutPDF ToolsRequest permissionExport citationAdd to favoritesTrack citation ShareShare Give accessShare full text accessShare full-text accessPlease review our Terms and Conditions of Use and check box below to share full-text version of article.I have read and accept the Wiley Online Library Terms and Conditions of UseShareable LinkUse the link below to share a full-text version of this article with your friends and colleagues. Learn more.Copy URL Share a linkShare onFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditWechat No abstract is available for this article. Volume28, Issue4April 2023Pages 3-3 RelatedInformation

Volunteering as a Principle Trend in Today’s World

Nowadays volunteer organizations are becoming more and more popular, which promotes building the trend towards socially oriented business by implementation of corporate volunteering programs. The growth in volunteer projects number fosters volunteer centers emergence all over the world and a serious impact of volunteer projects motivates a deeper study of this phenomenon. It should be pointed out that at present society is going through an active stage of passing over from situational volunteering to more systematic and deliberate functioning. The authors show that this fact is connected with the global development of culture of corporate social responsibility in our country and in the world and therefore, with introduction of standards and principles of corporate social responsibility in the in-company environment of organizations.

The double‐edged sword of boundary‐spanning Corporate Social Responsibility programs

AbstractResearch SummaryThis paper builds theoretical arguments and shows empirical evidence of the direct benefits and indirect costs of corporate volunteering in developing countries. Spanning corporate and humanitarian sectors to work in challenging environments should activate motivational and learning benefits for participating employees. However, results from a field study of a 10‐year partnership between logistics provider TNT and the United Nations World Food Program show that such boundary‐spanning corporate social responsibility (CSR) can be a double‐edged sword. Task interdependence with nonprofit peers while volunteering strengthens employees' partnership identification and institutional learning. However, institutional learning triggers identity strain (associated with attrition) when they return, unless firms foster a sense that they recognize CSR experiences as valuable. The findings inform the behavioral and micro‐foundations of the potential consequences of CSR.Managerial SummaryFirms expect to benefit from corporate volunteering programs in developing countries through employee motivation and new skill acquisition. This paper shows that task interdependence with nonprofit peers during such programs can strengthen employees' identification with a corporate‐nonprofit partnership and generate valuable institutional learning about operating in challenging environments. However, institutional learning can also trigger unanticipated costs in the form of identity strain (and, ultimately, attrition) when employees return, unless they feel their CSR experience is valued. Thus, firms should foster task interdependence during corporate volunteer assignments and CSR recognition to validate institutional learning when employees return.

Internal Barriers to the Introduction and Implementation of Corporate Volunteering Programs and Ways to Overcome Them

Internal Barriers to the Introduction and Implementation of Corporate Volunteering Programs and Ways to Overcome Them

“It is hard to say ‘no’ to someone who wants to help”: An exemplary model of corporate volunteer management and its challenges

AbstractDespite the growth and popularity of corporate volunteering, a small, albeit growing stream of studies representing the nonprofit's perspectives focus on either “why” or “triple win” outcome of the corporate volunteer programs, not much is known about the process of internal management and strategy development of corporate volunteering programs. This study aims to examine the understudied strategy and management process of nonprofits in corporate volunteer‐related partnerships. Based on interview and observation data collected from 2018 to 2019 from an Australian nonprofit organization specializing in food rescue, the authors investigate its exemplary corporate volunteering management practices and the challenges it faces. Findings reveal three dimensions of management imperatives and two sets of management challenges that have not been addressed in the literature. This study advances corporate volunteer management literature from the nonprofit's perspective by providing a promising model for designing and implementing an effective corporate volunteer management program. It also highlights the ensuing challenges this model might face.

Can Empathy Help Individuals and Society? Through the Lens of Volunteering and Mental Health.

(1) Background: Empathy affects an individual’s decision to participate in volunteering, and volunteering, in turn, influences mental health. Intriguingly, studies have been limited in exploring underlying mechanisms and boundary conditions for the relationship between empathy and mental health. Furthermore, volunteering studies have overlooked the multi-dimensionality of empathy. Therefore, this study seeks to contribute to extant literature by investigating the mediating effect of volunteering for the relationships between cognitive and affective empathy and mental health and the moderating effect of gender for the relationship between empathy and volunteering. (2) Methods; Data were collected using a survey in South Korea and consisted of 301 full-time employees who voluntarily engaged in their corporate volunteer programs. Furthermore, they voluntarily participated in the study. The hypotheses were tested with path analysis and a group comparison was also conducted. (3) Results: Volunteering was found to mediate the relationships between cognitive empathy and affective empathy with mental health. In addition, gender moderated the relationship between empathy and volunteering. (4) Conclusions: As the study found empathy to increase individuals’ engaging in volunteering activities which then improved mental health, the study supports extant theoretical frameworks on empathy and volunteering. Moreover, the study found gender differences on empathy and volunteering; thereby supporting and contributing to extant literature.

Do corporate volunteering programs and perceptions of corporate morality impact perceived employer attractiveness?

PurposeRather recently, corporate volunteering (CV) has become a relevant topic of academic research. Nonetheless, there is still uncertainty about several aspects of the relationship between volunteerism and the corporate realm and research on the relationship between CV and employer attractiveness is scarce. This study aims to attempt to fill this gap by studying the influence that the perceived importance attributed by prospective applicants to the opportunity of engaging in CV programs may have on employer attractiveness while also pondering the existence of an indirect relationship between CV and employer attractiveness mediated by the individual cognition of corporate morality (CM).Design/methodology/approachTo fulfill the objectives of this research, and test its hypothesized model, the authors opted to use a quantitative methodology via survey by questionnaire of Portuguese students who are close to entering the job-seeking process or are currently involved in it, either passively and actively. Data on 238 Portuguese students was collected mainly through social media channels such as LinkedIn and Facebook and was analyzed with the IBM SPSS Statistics 25 software and the IBM SPSS AMOS extension, using a structural equation model to test the hypotheses and obtain insight into the relationships between the variables.FindingsA theoretical model was elaborated based on the literature reviewed and was used to validate the existence of a positive direct relationship between CV and employer attractiveness, CV and CM and between CM and employer attractiveness. Finally, it was observed that CV could prompt an indirect effect on the socioethical perception of employer attractiveness, mainly due to the mediating mechanism of the individual cognition of CM.Research limitations/implicationsThis study has some limitations that should be acknowledged and considered in future studies, namely, the diversity of the sample, as it was essentially formed by students enrolled in the University of Porto and studying mainly in the areas of social sciences, trade and law. It is also worth noting that a global analysis of the employer attractiveness attributes was not considered, focusing instead on the social and ethical spectrum of employer attractiveness. Nonetheless, it is important to keep in mind that different individuals prioritize distinct attractiveness attributes.Practical implicationsThrough the present study, it was understood that CV programs constitute a desired and pertinent tool that should be adopted by firms (employers) to establish a strong position in the job market. These findings are particularly useful for the area of human resources management, which is in charge of finding the most adequate applicants in the job market. Furthermore, for the variable of CM, the authors noticed that there is a theoretical lack of measurement instruments. Consequently, the measure advanced in this study represents an important theoretical and methodologic contribution to the literature.Social implicationsCV is a concept that is yet maturing within the Portuguese business environment. As such, this study delivers useful insights regarding Portuguese applicants’ growing interest around CV, their concerns about the social, ethical and humanitarian attributes of firms and their beliefs regarding the morality of firms’ social policies and actions. Hence, it allowed us to comprehend that by developing a structured CV program, an employer may be able to enhance other essential concepts for Portuguese prospective applicants, respectively, employer attractiveness and CM.Originality/valueThis study corroborates the premise that corporate community involvement activities, namely, CV, hold a positive effect in terms of perceived employer attractiveness. Moreover, it is consistent with the idea that CV programs foment a feeling of intimacy between individuals and firms, consequently creating a perception of morality as part of the firms’ intrinsic traits. Finally, it corroborates and extends for the case of prospective applicants the conclusion that individuals may be relatively more concerned with the motives behind firms’ corporate social responsibility practices than with the content of such practices.

The antecedents and outcomes of corporate volunteering: an employee- and organizational-level meta-analysis

PurposeThe authors argue that many core findings are not as established as often assumed in the study of corporate volunteering programs, and they assess this possibility by reporting a meta-analysis of both organizational and employee participation that includes relations with antecedents and outcomes at both organizational and employee levels.Design/methodology/approachThe authors perform a meta-analysis of 57 sources, including 30 peer-reviewed articles, 16 theses/dissertations, 8 unpublished manuscripts, 2 conference presentations and 1 book chapter.FindingsOf the antecedents, organizational size only had a small relation with organizational participation, but the effect of corporate social responsibility orientation was very large on organizational participation. Demographic characteristics as well as personality traits had a small relation with employee participation, whereas the effect of volunteering attitudes was large on employee participation. Of the outcomes, organizational participation did not significantly relate to customer perceptions. Employee participation had nonsignificant or small relations with well-being, commitment, job satisfaction and positive behaviors; however, organizational participation also significantly related to all employee-level outcomes, and the effect was significantly stronger than employee participation for two of four outcomes.Practical implicationsOrganizations can better understand the true influence of corporate volunteering programs, aiding their bottom line and employee well-being.Originality/valueSeveral commonly assumed antecedents and outcomes do not relate to corporate volunteering participation, and future research should be redirected to more influential effects. The authors’ discussion highlights theories that may be particularly beneficial for the study of corporate volunteering, including social identity theory and role expansion theory.

Signaling and social influence: the impact of corporate volunteer programs

PurposeThis study aims to provide insight on how work–life initiatives impact employees. Using corporate volunteer programs as an example, the authors examine the role of coworker social influence in shaping the reactions of both employee participants and non-participants of the program. The paper further identifies several factors that may moderate these relationships.Design/methodology/approachThe authors surveyed employees before and after the implementation of a new corporate work–life initiative. 99 employees provided data pre and post. OLS regression and hierarchical linear modeling were used to test hypothesized relationships.FindingsEven in the context of low participation, work–life initiatives engendered positive organization-related perceptions among employees. These positive outcomes were due in part to coworkers' sharing of their volunteer experiences and were most prominent for employees in positions that afforded flexibility, and employees who reported close ties with coworkers.Practical implicationsThe study deepens our understanding of employee reactions to work–life programs and underlines the importance of these programs even when employee participation is low. The role of coworker influence as a determinant of employee reactions suggests there may be value in purposefully fostering participants' sharing of volunteer experiences in the workplace.Originality/valueThis study takes a unique approach to examining the role of coworker influence in shaping employee reactions to corporate initiatives.

Basics of macro to microlevel corporate social responsibility and advancement in triple bottom line theory

AbstractThe accounting framework of businesses massively expanded in the 1990s to triple bottom line (TBL) with consideration of social and environmental performance in addition to financial performance. To meet the challenges of expressing care to the environment as well as to internal and external stakeholders associated with society, research on investment of resources through corporate volunteering (CV) programs is accelerated in the current decade. Researchers have started using the philosophy of epistemology with the positioning of interpretivism explaining how the people participate in cultural and social life. Reintegrating the important fundamental and scattered concepts of corporate social responsibility (CSR) and TBL, this article highlights the motivational facet of employees of socially responsible companies, being termed as “Internal People‐Line” theory as the significant and nonidentical subset of TBL. With the ingredients of self‐determination theory, the internal people line (IPL) by relational, moral, and instrumental motivations would be useful for recognition, repeated participation in community programs, and managerial support. This research has two major contributions to the literature of society: (a) Identification of seventh P for the bottom line and (b) Development of IPL theory. It is found that effective utilization of the resources in CV programs largely depends upon the intrinsic motivation of IPL (employees). This article is the first to accumulate and interpret the strewn basic concepts of CSR (macro to microlevel) using holistic approach to advance the research model of TBL with the introduction of IPL theory.

Value creation in company–NGO collaboration in corporate volunteering

Purpose This paper aims to examine corporate volunteering as a form of social responsibility carried out by companies in relationships with non-governmental organizations (NGOs). Applying the value creation concept, the success of such relationships is based on value created between the focal company, its employees engaging in the volunteer work and the collaborating NGO actors representing the beneficiaries of the volunteer work. However, how to meaningfully engage employees and strategically manage company–NGO relationships in corporate volunteering has received less scholarly attention. The study hence asks the question: How is mutual value created in corporate volunteering collaborations between business organizations and NGOs? Design/methodology/approach Two qualitative case studies of company–NGO relationships involved in corporate volunteer programs for social benefit in Poland and Finland are analyzed. Findings Corporate volunteering offers value creation opportunities for each of the three actors in the relationships, namely, the company, the NGO and the employees who participate in the volunteer work. Particularly, employment and volunteering relationships appear to be catalysts for the creation of mutual value in the organizational relationship between a company and NGO. Originality/value The present study contributes to the current understanding of company–NGO relationships by emphasizing the role of individual employee volunteers in creating relationship-level value. The study adds also to existing research on corporate volunteering by identifying the way value is created in company–NGO relationships within corporate volunteering.

Signaling and Social Influence: The Impact of Corporate Volunteer Programs

Corporate volunteer programs present opportunities for employees to contribute their time and skills to further important causes and help communities in need. The programs not only contribute to a better world, but the literature suggests they benefit participants themselves with participation associated with increased happiness, reduced stress, and better job performance. Despite these benefits, the uptake of these programs by employees is surprisingly low. And little is known about the affective reactions of employees that do not participate. We draw on signaling and social influence theory to examine the effects of corporate volunteer programs on employees who take part in a volunteering initiative, as well as those who do not. In a longitudinal field study at a large organization in the Northeast, we find that even when employee participation in volunteering is low, there is a significant influence on employees’ organization- and volunteer-related perceptions resulting from social sharing among coworkers. These positive effects are most prominent when employees are in positions that afford flexibility, and when coworker ties are close. Understanding these effects of corporate volunteer programs on employee outcomes is important as firms seek to provide a more enriching environment for their workforce.

What makes employees participate in volunteering programs? The role of organizational support

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to identify some of the critical organizational support factors and efforts that facilitate better employee participation in corporate volunteering (CV) programs. There is a growing interest to understand the role of organization in enhancing better employee participation in volunteering programs. Design/methodology/approach The authors conducted an empirical investigation with (n = 461) employee volunteers, who participated in company sponsored volunteering programs. The authors tested the hypothesized relationship using structural equation modelling (SEM). Findings The SEM results indicate that cultural fit, organizational CV communication and implementation of CV programmes facilitate better employee participation. Research limitations/implications This study provides insights for organizations in terms of increased internal communication and alignment of organizational values with CV programmes to attract better employee participation in volunteering programmes. Originality/value This study contributes to the literature on the phenomenon of employee volunteering by examining various organizational efforts that facilitate better employee participation in volunteering programmes.

Organizational outcomes of corporate volunteering: the qualitative study

Purpose : The aim of this paper is to identify benefits of corporate volunteer programs gained on employee behaviors’ side. Specifically, the following research question is posed: what benefits of corporate volunteer projects are there observed by employees participating in them? Methodology/approach : The paper is based on a qualitative study conducted in the form of semi-structured in-depth individual interviews with employees participating in volunteer programs. Findings : The study shows that corporate volunteering leads to positive effects on employees, including increased work meaningfulness, competence development and strengthen interpersonal relationships at work. Simultaneously, the study suggests that work meaningfulness plays focal role in the overall process. Implications : Results of the study deliver practical implications for companies implementing corporate volunteering. Volunteer programs should be organized in a way giving employees full autonomy in crafting their projects. The programs should also support and intensify employee interactions and favor volunteer actions requiring wide range of skills. Originality/value: The study contributes to theory development in the field of both corporate social responsibility and organizational behavior. Specifically, it gives an insight on how responsible business practices may strengthen employees’ sense of meaningfulness of work and subsequently improve their competences and mutual relations.

The Public Service Motivated Volunteer: Devoting Time or Effort?

Non-profit organizations, corporate volunteer programs, and government workplace schemes are asking volunteers for their time and effort. But, with the changes in how people volunteer, such as episodic, micro, and cyber volunteering, those managing volunteers need to understand whether they should focus on encouraging volunteers to donate more time or effort. Using public service motivation to measure volunteer’s propensity to engage in volunteering, we compare three outcomes: time spent volunteering, frequency of volunteering, and volunteering intensity. In a sample of 411 volunteers, we find public service motivation is associated with more time spent volunteering, increased frequency, and higher levels of volunteering intensity. However, volunteering intensity explains the most variance. These findings suggest that how the individual perceives they exert volunteering intensity may be useful among public service motivated volunteers.

Корпоративное волонтерство как перспективное направление социально-культурного партнерства: особенности, преимущества и перспективы развития

We discuss the development peculiarities of corporate volunteering in Russia in the aspect of consideration of such forms as social and cultural partnership, cooperation. Corporate vo-lunteering is defined as the support and encouragement by an employer of employees engaged in community work on a pro bono basis. The system of encouragement of employees is characterized (paid leave, registration of creative business trips; use of the number of working hours in accordance with the approved regulations for participation in socially significant events; grant support). The main approaches to the development of corporate volunteering (integration, innovation) are characterized. We define the main directions of development of corporate volunteerism, in which a special role is given to the system of interaction of state structures and civil society (professional volunteering, micro-volunteering, social support programs, and participation in the development of projects for non-commercial organizations). Expert recommendations for companies on development and implementation of corporate volunteering programs are presented. The main stages of development of corporate volunteer programs (preparatory, pro bono promotion, development of the bank of social initiatives) are described. The programs of corporate volunteering of the largest companies that actively develop this direction in the territory of the Russian Federation and pursue the goals of popularization of socially significant volunteer activity are analyzed.

Corporate Volunteering: a Tool for Promoting a Strategy for Internal Corporate Social Responsibility Integrating Retirees

RESUMO: Este artigo tem como objetivo realizar uma análise exploratória da efetividade da implementação de um programa de Voluntariado Corporativo voltado ao contexto dos trabalhadores aposentados das empresas, como instrumento em prol de um envelhecimento participativo e saudável. O estudo centrou-se na importância social da participação social dos aposentados em uma empresa como interesse prioritário para o desenvolvimento de programas de Voluntariado Corporativo e aprofundamento do desempenho socialmente responsável das organizações, em ações de voluntariado realizadas por seus funcionários aposentados. Os resultados mostram que o desempenho dos aposentados nas atividades de voluntariado de uma empresa pode usufruir de suportes teóricos intimamente conectados e está diretamente relacionado à Responsabilidade Social Empresarial, contribuindo para promover uma velhice ativa, saudável e justa, com benefício social para a comunidade.

Organizational identity consistency in a discontinuous corporate volunteering program

Abstract: Despite increasing interest in discontinuous organizations and new forms of work, our understanding of how iterative organizations achieve organizational identity consistency over time remains limited. On the basis of our analysis of the Disaster Response Teams organization, a corporate volunteering program of Deutsche Post DHL, we identify four organizational enablers fostering identity consistency that primarily occur during phases of dormancy: connecting organizational episodes, preparing organizational episodes, expanding organizational interaction, and alternative organizational interaction. We illustrate the positive role of organizational growth through boundary expansion as well as the importance of emotionally intense experiences and future-orientation in achieving organizational identity consistency across single deployments in a corporate volunteering program. In addition, we point to the paradoxical role of discontinuity, which requires more intensive organizational identity work to bridge phases of dormancy but, at the same time, may represent a resource for identity work.