AMD Combines Volunteer Efforts within Conference Events

AMD has published a white paper titled “Bringing Action into the Agenda: Crowdsourcing Volunteerism at Corporate Events.“ It provides a guidance document and case study to show how integrating a volunteer effort into a conference / event can deliver a win-win set of benefits to several parties.

This is a great read and very beneficial for conference-goers and those who host corporate events. GOOD Magazine highlighted AMD’s white paper in a recent article “One Way to Revolutionize How We Network at Conferences? Service Events“, and received good comments and receptivity from readers.

According to AMD’s white paper, here are five key benefits in integrating volunteerism within conference events:

1. Conference organizers benefit by distinguishing their event from others, providing participants with a unique experience, and adding another sponsorship opportunity.
2. Sponsors / hosts of a volunteer event can show their organization’s commitment to the community and employees while supporting the associated cause.
3. Participants receive an additional and unique networking opportunity in a rewarding volunteer environment that naturally facilitates interaction.
4. Locally-based NGOs benefit from additional volunteers to help support their mission, and often they in-turn can provide volunteer support in the form of equipment and/or expertise.
5. The host community stands to gain from a large volunteer event that delivers valuable services for the public good.

To continue reading or to download the white paper, click here!

-YourCause Team

Silicon Valley Community Foundation and YourCause Announce Partnership to Create CSR Center

Silicon Valley Community Foundation (SVCF) and YourCause, LLC announced a new partnership that will integrate SVCF’s domestic and international grantmaking expertise with the employee engagement solutions currently being delivered by YourCause. Additionally, the partnership has committed to the expansion of its capabilities for the small to medium size business market and will be deploying new solutions in 2013 for companies to further expand their existing Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) programs internationally.

In an effort to deliver a more seamless, interactive, and ‘one-stop-shop’ experience for all current and future clients, the partnership has agreed to provide offices to members of the YourCause team within SVCF’s offices. Between the two organizations, the partnership will now have a presence within five offices throughout the Silicon Valley-San Francisco Bay Area and Dallas, Texas.

SVCF and YourCause, both leaders in Corporate Social Responsibility, recognized a need in for a turnkey customer-focused solution for companies interested in implementing and enhancing their local and global employee giving programs. With this relationship, SVCF’s network of over 100 corporate partners will have access to YourCause’s CSRconnect employee engagement platform. CSRconnect is a private-label application that builds internal online communities to support employee engagement and enhance global good through giving, volunteering, disaster response, and other related features. Current YourCause clients will benefit from SVCF’s expertise in international grantmaking as the third largest international grantmaker in the US by number of grants.

“We have extremely high expectations of this partnership, and are excited to work with the entire team at SVCF. The opportunities to deliver more innovative and effective solutions, to all sizes of business, both domestically and abroad, are massive and ones that we truly look forward to tackling through this partnership” commented Matthew Combs, the Founder and CEO of YourCause.

The partnership will provide leading corporate citizens a simplified, customizable and highly responsive matching gifts program. This integrated solution includes domestic and international matching gifts platform, providing companies with a robust employee engagement tool catered to a global workforce.

“SVCF is happy to have found a partner as committed to helping companies make community impact as we are,” said Emmett D. Carson, Ph.D., CEO and President of the community foundation. “Together, SVCF and YourCause will be able to make all companies’ philanthropy more powerful.”

About Silicon Valley Community Foundation

Silicon Valley Community Foundation makes all forms of philanthropy more powerful. We serve as a catalyst and leader for innovative solutions to our region’s most challenging problems. The community foundation has $2.9 billion in assets under management and more than 1,650 philanthropic funds. As Silicon Valley’s center of philanthropy, we provide individuals, families and corporations with simple and effective ways to give locally and around the world. Find out more at http://www.siliconvalleycf.org

YourCause and Dell – A Partnership Delivering True Impact

Today Dell has announced that their employees have volunteered over 700,000 hours in 2012 (which is nearly 70% more than the year prior). This is substantial for making an impact in communities, shaping the CSR industry as a whole and we get to proudly be a part of it.

Dell believed in YourCause when we were still the “new” guys on the block for employee engagement solutions (circa 2009) and vigorously worked with us to get our platform to not only meet their needs – but something that would enable us to develop global good as we establish more partnerships.

Our partnership is only a testament of delivering true impact through collaboration of expert engagement strategy and innovative technology. Our founder and CEO, Matt Combs, said it perfectly in the press release:

“Dell’s results are truly impressive and far exceed what we typically see throughout the industry. By no means does this come as a surprise to our team, as Dell’s programs and ongoing support of their employees continues to be the industry model for how to achieve results from employee engagement.”

So congratulations to Dell, their employees and all the nonprofits that have benefited from their service. Cheers to 2013 and creating limitless opportunity to make a difference.

To read the full press release, click here.

YourCause Celebrates Five Year Anniversary

YourCause celebrates fifth anniversary of developing and providing CSRconnect employee SaaS engagement platform to multinational corporations.

YourCause, the creator of CSRconnect employee engagement platform, celebrates its fifth anniversary this week. For the past five years, YourCause has provided a private label application that builds internal online communities to support employee engagement and enhance overall global good through giving, volunteering, disaster response, and other related features. Inspired in 2008 by a personal cause, YourCause now supports more than 2.5 million corporate employees, transacts more than $75 million in donations, and tracks greater than 4 million hours of volunteer service.

YourCause continues to execute upon their four core values, which helps create close client partnerships, ensure ongoing flexibility within the operation and application, deploy first class customer service, and employ fun along the way. The company remains ahead of the industry curve by maintaining such values and continues to expand their network through diverse partnerships, ongoing functionality development, and quality employees.

In the past five years, YourCause accomplished the following:

• Supports 2.5 million employees and accessible in 84 countries
• 50% of clients recognized as “Best Corporate Citizens”
• $76.6 million dollars donated
• 4 million hours volunteered
• More than 100% increase in employee headcount year-over year
• More than 100% increase in revenues year-over year

“If anyone were to ask me in 2008 where I saw YourCause in five years, I would have never dreamed of this,” said Matthew Combs, CEO and Founder of YourCause. “I can’t predict what the next five years will look like, but if they are half as successful as these last five years, we are set to see a lot of creativity, an abundance of innovation, and a lot of new developments for our space.”

Dell’s Volunteerism Recognized by PRNews

Dell’s volunteer community and employee engagement was recognized last week by PRNews, a resource that provides news for pr, marketing, csr and communication executives, weekly newsletter. The article “With CSR in the Mainstream, Companies Look to Leverage Employee Volunteers” mention Dell’s successful volunteering program (formerly Make a Difference).

Below is a sneak peek of Deb Bauer’s quotes and insights on Dell’s volunteerism highlighted in the article.

“Just what drives that participation at Dell? It starts with a social-based online community that lets employees create profiles, find and track volunteer opportunities and make contributions. The data gleaned from this site allows for robust measurement as well, Bauer says. Volunteerism is promoted throughout Dell via the corporate intranet and at team building events that are aligned with CSR activities. In addition, managers build teams of “champions,” which get employees involved. Then there’s appreciation of volunteer work. If an employee volunteers for 10 or more hours in a quarter, they receive a $150 cause card to redeem in the Dell Make a Difference online community. With such success, it’s hard to believe there are challenges. Bauer cites two:

• Getting stories told in a way people hear it. There is a lot of news going around Dell, and it’s tough to break through the clutter, Bauer says. So in 2012 the company varied its CSR communications outreach platforms.

• Hitting employees too hard with volunteer messages. Managers can sometimes push too hard, which employees term “voluntold,” Bauer says. “We try to find the right balance.”

It is always great to see and hear the achievement Dell has made throughout the years. Keep up the great work team!

Happy Wednesday,
YourCause

Hilton Worldwide Triumphantly Completes Global Week of Service

Our friends over at Hilton Worldwide successfully completed more than 800 volunteer events during their Global Week of Service. During the week of November 21-28, employees from 600 properties and offices volunteered for projects that addressed societal needs around the world and impacted Hilton Worldwide’s commitment to Travel With Purpose.

Volunteer projects occurred throughout 51 counties including events in Dallas, Chicago, New York, Singapore, Dubai, and many more. Along with Hilton Worldwide team members, 660 local community organizations joined in on the fun and shared their passion through service. Global Week of Service is just one example of how Hilton Worldwide leverages its hospitality expertise and engages team members to serve in its global operating communities.

The video below highlights the impact and difference the company and its employees are making in your community. To learn more about Hilton Worldwide’s Global Week of Service, Travel With Purpose, or awesome hospitality, visit www.hiltonworldwide.com/serve.

Happy Thursday!
-YourCause Team

#TAKE3 with Network for Good [Holiday Campaigns]

Kate Olsen, Director of Partnerships at Network for Good, shares best practices for engaging employees, giving thanks and sharing corporate impact during the holiday season. Insights are inspired by their recent Holiday ‘Good’ Guide and can be downloaded here.

1) What are elements to consider for strategizing a holiday cause program that “fits” a company’s audience?

Start with your employees.  Your company’s employees are not only your biggest asset, but they are also your best brand ambassadors. A holiday cause program should always start with them.  What do they care about? How do they like to give back? Hopefully, you have been getting to know your employees’ preferences for giving, volunteerism and favorite causes through programs all year and can now design a holiday campaign that speaks to their passions.

Don’t overthink it (people are primed to give).  In the United States, we are conditioned to support our favorite causes at the end of December when the tax year ends. Year after year, the pattern is the same: a flurry of online giving activity spikes in the last few days of the year. Use that momentum to build excitement for your company’s campaign and then make it really easy for people to participate.

Make it heartfelt & meaningful.  A thoughtful communication from your company’s CEO can really inspire the rank and file employees. Such a communication shows employees that the leadership team cares about social impact and values all the contributions each employee has made all year.  There is something special about feeling that your individual generosity is adding up to tangible good in the community.

2) Since December is one the busiest months for giving, how can companies take advantage of this time to most effectively impact their business and the community?

December is a time to reinforce the commitment to cause your company has been making all year. Think about the partnerships your company has built with nonprofits.  Are there ways to showcase those partnerships? December is also a great time to be reflective and tell the story of impact you have made collectively with you employees and customers in the communities where they live and work. What are the stories you can share from volunteer projects or giving drives? Put a human face on the investment your company and stakeholders have made in the community.

3) What are easy ways for companies to creatively promote and communicate gratitude campaigns to stakeholders during the holidays?

Just say ‘thanks’. It’s that easy. Expressing gratitude can be one of the most powerful ways to acknowledge employees, customers and community partners. The end of the year can be hectic and many companies are already starting to plan for 2013. Take a moment to celebrate all the good and remind each other of the spirit of the season. You can send note of thanks via email to employees, post a thank you message on your Intranet, or ask employees to share their stories of gratitude on your blog.  In addition a heartfelt ‘thank you’, you can inspire further generosity through charity rewards or by inviting employees to give again as part of a holiday campaign. You can even lobby to swap out holiday tchotchkes for cause cards or extra grants to reward volunteerism and service.

#TAKE3 is a blog series dedicated to quick, yet insightful, takeaways for the corporate responsibility realm. Each feature includes an interview with an industry leader that addresses three questions on best practices and trends influencing the triple bottom line.

Missed the last #TAKE3? Click here to read past entries.

The Conference Board Webinar: Inspiring Employees, Inspiring the World

On October 31st at 1:00 pm EST, The Conference Board will be hosting a webinar that features Dell’s Director of Giving, Deborah Bauer, and YourCause’s very own Founder and CEO, Matthew Combs, to discuss how social media is empowering Dell’s global corporate social responsibility programs.

To learn more and register, visit here!

“This webcast should be of interest to corporate leaders, practitioners and thought-leaders focused on business and social impact, corporate contributions, corporate foundations, community relations, community involvement programs, corporate citizenship, employee engagement, volunteer efforts, sustainability, corporate social responsibility, stakeholder and non-profit partnerships, public affairs, and corporate communications.”

Empowering Global Employee Volunteers (Successfully)

Global programs are one the main challenges for multinational companies and our team progressively works with clients to make it a reality.  CECP recently released their Giving in Numbers: 2012 Edition and provided interesting insights where international volunteerism stands.

According to the report, 47% of companies have at least one formal international volunteer program and listed the three most successful international employee volunteer programs:

1. Company-Wide Day of Service
2. Employee-Volunteer Awards
3. Paid-Release Time

We were fortunate to work with Liberty Mutual this year to launch their global two-day “Serve with Liberty” campaign to celebrate their 100th anniversary that turned out quite successful. Company-wide days, weeks, and months of service are definitely trending among our clients and other global leaders. They serve a great purpose in engaging employees in corporate culture, team-building with colleagues and giving back to their local communities.

There’s nothing better to see the impact in action, below is a video of Liberty Syndicates staff participating in the two days of service.

Serve with Liberty 2012 from Liberty Syndicates on Vimeo.

For more ideas or examples for global employee volunteer campaigns, below are additional videos showcasing employees in action:

Starbuck’s Global Month of Service
UPS’ Global Volunteer Month
Ford’s Week of Caring
Levi Strauss’ Community Day
Timberland’s Serv-a-Palooza
Eli Lilly’s Day of Service
Kraft Food’s Delicious Difference Week

– Amy Chait

YourCause Enhances Existing Volunteer Platform, Adds Skills-Based Volunteering to CSRconnect

New volunteering feature allows users to establish a skill profile, and create/search volunteer opportunities with specific skills.   

YourCause announces the latest enhancements to the CSRconnect employee engagement platform: skills-based volunteer (SBV) tracking and reporting. The new feature allows users to search, find and track their skills within volunteer opportunities. In addition, more than 4,000 current non-profit admins and their organizations can create skills-based volunteer events in the platform. The addition of skills-based volunteering is the second of two major enhancements to the CSRconnect volunteer module within the last two months.

The skills-based volunteer tracking and reporting feature includes:

• Industry accepted 20 category high-level skills taxonomy

• 216 specific skills for users to add to their skills profile

• Matching volunteer events based on a user’s location and skills posted

• Logging specific skills to a user’s (or team’s) volunteer event

• Search capabilities based on users interested skills

• Posting volunteer events seeking necessary skills

• Reporting based on skills, level of expertise and participation rates

“As skills-based volunteering continues to attract more attention and relevance, we hope to play an active role in innovating and developing capabilities that best facilitate skills-based volunteering,” said Matthew Combs, Founder and CEO of YourCause. “This is the latest effort in our ongoing goal to optimize CSRconnect to improve all employee volunteerism programs.”

With the increase in demand by companies seeking to initiate SBV programs, it is a key element to improve business and employee performance, community impact, nonprofit connectivity, and overall corporate reputation.

Almost 8.1 billion hours were volunteered by Americans in 2011, according to Volunteers of America. Though, the same number of hours devoted to skills-based volunteerism can generate over 500% the value of traditional volunteerism (True Impact, LLC, 2012 Volunteerism ROI Tracker). Leveraging SBV programs is one example of how corporate volunteerism is gradually changing and uniquely addressing community impact in a new way of volunteering.

In the near future, YourCause plans to build a feature that will add pro-bono volunteering included with skills-based, offering users the ability to contribute their expertise to nonprofit organizations.