Editor’s Note: As our amazing interns transition out of their roles at VolunteerMatch, they’re reflecting on what brought them to work with us, what they’ve accomplished, and where they’re headed. We hope you’ll be as inspired as we have been by these “ultimate volunteers!”

Why I Love VolunteerMatch

First of all, I would like to say that VolunteerMatch is awesome and the people that work here are an inspiration. Before I get into the details of where I came from, what I accomplished while I was here as the Marketing & Insights Intern, and what adventure I want to embark on next, I must share some details about my fellow colleagues. I learned so much from each one of them.

From the organization’s President to the amazing communications team and everyone in between, each of them played an important role in the joy and learning journey I experienced while I was here. Each person at VolunteerMatch is unique and has inspired me in some sort of way.

From my first day within the VolunteerMatch walls I was blown away by their kindness, generosity and how much they genuinely liked being around each other. Most of my experience in the working world wasn’t quite like this. The people that work for VolunteerMatch are authentic, highly intelligent and interesting people. How much better does it get than to work every day to connect good people with good causes and to be constantly reminded of it? I couldn’t think of the people at VolunteerMatch more highly and I truly enjoyed every single day I spent working here. And honestly, I don’t want it to end.

My History and Experience in CSR

Before VolunteerMatch I was working for another agency doing corporate social responsibility (CSR) and sustainability work in San Francisco, which was where I got my first official exposure to CSR. Before that I served as a Business Manager for a natural body products company headquartered in San Francisco, where I became an ardent promoter of safe and clean cosmetics.

And prior to that during my time at University of California, Santa Barbara I led grassroots efforts and coordinated campaigns and media coverage for the Forest Awareness and Clean Energy Solutions Campaigns with the California Public Interest Research Group. Initially I got led into CSR because of my passion for environmental awareness and my desire to make a positive impact on social causes.

At my last agency I began working intensely to help them cultivate themselves as an organization at the forefront of sustainable marketing communications. When my time there was up, I found VolunteerMatch.

As a long-time committed volunteer for many social and environmental causes and having had a working knowledge of CSR, I was intrigued to think about why volunteering isn’t something CSR professionals talk about more. I knew immediately that it is an influential piece of the CSR puzzle and I knew I wanted to help convince people of that, which is exactly what the communications team at VolunteerMatch is already doing.

Why VolunteerMatch?

From the moment I came to interview at VolunteerMatch and started talking to Casey Brennan, the Marketing and Insights Manager, I knew it was meant to be. We understood each other’s lingo, and we instantly connected. I knew the opportunity was great given her vast knowledge of CSR. Casey is a great leader and manager, she is intelligent and engaging and I truly enjoyed working with her every day. I learned something from her, even from our very first conversation.

So when I found out the next day that I got the internship from Robert Rosenthal, another extremely insightful individual, I was ecstatic. Having looked for Sustainability and CSR related positions quite intensely for the last 3 months, I was jumping for joy.

There is something about a career in Sustainability that just makes me want to run with it and never look back. I think it’s due to my undeniable passion for environmental causes and my desire to be at the forefront of emerging media, thought leadership and technologies that are better for our planet and for society. Yes, the field is in its infancy, but somehow that draws me in even more because the work is so vital in today’s world and I want to be one of the enthusiastic individuals to help see it grow.

Engaging Projects

VolunteerMatch Insights

One of the biggest and most exciting projects that I worked on while I was here was titled “VolunteerMatch Insights: CSR Data, Trends & Resources.” I took this project from a concept with the brainstorming collaboration of Casey, to a finished product containing an 83 page slide deck, a 27 page InDesign presentation and a 2 page Excel document containing citations. The resource will be used as a toolkit for staff to streamline the abundance of research studies available in the field.

The work I did on this project was in depth and extensive and I enjoyed every minute of it. I began by researching and reading every study that I could find related to CSR, volunteering and employee engagement. I weeded through what was most relevant and then pulled statistics, graphs and stories that helped to depict a total of 18 themes I created demonstrating why volunteering is a necessary part of CSR and employee engagement.

After the project was completed I also created a 1 pager that will be used at the 2012 VolunteerMatch Client Summit this week, pulling in a few of the most influential statistics from the project. Overall this work made me extremely well versed in issues of employee engagement, corporate volunteer programs and CSR industry trends. And most importantly for my fellow colleagues at VolunteerMatch, it demonstrated why their job is so awesome and so important.

Blogging and Additional Projects

While I was at VolunteerMatch I also wrote several articles for the “Volunteering is CSR” Blog. Before I came to VolunteerMatch, although I was already a Twitter user, I had never written a blog post. With the insightful help of Shari Ilsen, the Online Communications Manager, I quickly learned that the most important things about writing a blog post are knowing your audience, being concise and using hyperlinks. I also wrote webinar recaps of the Best Practice Network Webinars.

Additionally, I got to know the ins and outs of 3BL Media as a resource and uploaded numerous pieces of content from the communications team’s blog posts and my other fellow intern Cristopher Bautista.

After attending the 2012 VolunteerMatch Client Summit on May 17-18, the last project I will work on here will be to create a survey to be taken by VolunteerMatch corporate clients about their employee volunteer programs. Through that survey we will learn the details for effectiveness at each program and the best practices that are being utilized by each one.

Do I Have to Go?

Like I said before, I wish I didn’t have to leave VolunteerMatch. The people here are inspiring, and although they are intimately completing the details of their job everyday, I truly feel that each one of them wants to make the world a better place and that’s why they are here. And that to me is what it’s all about.

So where will I go next? Well, I still want to work in CSR and sustainability, just like I did when I got here. I envision my next adventure to be a lot like my work at VolunteerMatch, but with a greater emphasis on environmental sustainability because it’s my true passion.

I am looking into the following opportunities:

• An environmental NGO or nonprofit
• A company whose mission is environmentally driven or who offers environmental or sustainable products
• A company not initially centered around sustainability but who has environmental or socially conscious initiatives

If you’re reading this post and you know of an opportunity for someone who is extremely passionate about sustainability and is willing to go the extra mile every time, or you just want to chat, please contact me at (805) 452-7585, carleyklekas@gmail.com, my Linkedin profile or follow me on Twitter @theearthygal.

The CSR Food for Thought series is a weekly roundup of relevant news from around the Web, presented to you in one bite-sized blog post.

Follow us on Twitter for CSR news and trends throughout the week: @VM_Solutions

Six Growing Trends In Corporate Sustainability
The latest research study by Ernst & Young, in collaboration with GreenBiz, shows that employees are regarded as the key stakeholder for CSR programs. Employees are the heart of any organization, and can be the main supporters and advocates that help drive impact.

Corporate & Workplace Reputation: Be Authentic
The best path to a strong reputation is dedicating to authenticity. Instead of showcasing the one proof point that puts your program in a positive light, consider combining data and storytelling to present a full picture of your efforts.

Seven Steps to Turning Your CSR Report into a Year of Communications Content
CSR reports are often considered a headache. It takes time to gather all the necessary data and requires multi-stakeholder involvement to get all the pieces into place. To make the most of all that hard work, creative communications firm AHA! recommends seven steps to getting more content and storytelling out of the “the beast.”

What makes a Sustainability Report Good or Bad?
On the topic of CSR reports – how do we know what makes a good or bad report (which is important if we plan to suffer a headache over it!)? Elaine Cohen, an international CSR reporting wizard offers her thoughts and guidance of what will make your report stand out.

1. Visit the Ferry Plaza Farmers Market – widely acclaimed for local farm fresh products and artisan foods, the market takes place Tuesday and Thursday 10 a.m.-2 p.m. and Saturday 8 a.m.-2 p.m.

2. Attend Friday night’s Off the Grid food truck market at Fort Mason – food trucks are all the rage in the Bay Area, and at the largest meeting of the Off the Grid food trucks – about 30 at once – you can find a dish to fit any palate. (Tip: don’t miss CupKates, a personal favorite, for dessert!)

3. Take the Powell/Hyde cable car to Fisherman’s Warf – don’t leave San Francisco without riding the iconic street cars and hanging off the side like a true tourist. Hop off this line to visit the cable car museum, or ride it all the way down the hill to Fisherman’s Warf.  (Tip: avoid the line in Union Square and hop on a block or two up the line.)

4. Watch the Pier 39 sea lions – after you hop off the cable car, mosey on over to Pier 39 where the cutest attraction are the infamous sea lions.

5. Tour Alcatraz – we can barely withhold our Sean Connery accent when we recommend this popular tourist destination, but we all agree “The Rock” is a must-see!

6. Eat at the Slanted Door – a mainstay in the Ferry Building, the Slanted Door is a foodie favorite, serving modern Vietnamese cuisine and with an amazing waterfront view. (Tip: this is not far from the Gap, Inc. headquarters, and a great option for dinner after the Client Summit on May 17th).

7. Climb to Coit Tower – if it’s a 360 degree view of the city you’re looking for, you must visit Coit Tower on Telegraph Hill. The steep walk up is well worth the magnificent views of the city.

8. Walk across the Golden Gate Bridge – if free activities strike your fancy, don’t miss taking a stroll across the city’s most iconic feature. Or, if you’re feeling adventurous, find a friend and ride a tandem bike across the 1.7 mile bridge. (Tip: make sure you trust your bike buddy – tandem bikes require coordination!)

9. Hang out in Golden Gate Park – this park is pretty enough to just stroll around, but also features amazing museums and attractions including the Conservatory of Flowers, De Young Museum, California Academy of Sciences and Japanese Tea Garden.

10. Give Back to the San Francisco Community – we always strive to give a little back during each Client Summit, and this year we’ve organized an outdoor group volunteer activity to “Beautify the Palace” at the Exploratorium at the Palace of Fine Arts. Participants can take in views of the bay while doing some light gardening. It feels good to give back after taking the city in!

Client Summit attendees can RSVP for the group volunteer activity by emailing cbrennan@volunteermatch.org.

Meg Garlinghouse, Head of Social Impact, LinkedIn

Name: Meg Garlinghouse
Title: Head of Social Impact
Organization: LinkedIn
Keynote Chat: Going Social: The Changing Landscape of Volunteerism & Service

The rise of social media and demand for corporate responsibility have changed the way employees search for and engage with employers today. Individuals want their employers to provide opportunities to engage in CSR efforts, and volunteerism in particular helps to develop more engaged, passionate, productive and loyal employees. The practice of volunteerism and support for causes is now worn as a badge of honor in our increasingly social professional profiles.

In this session, LinkedIn’s Meg Garlinghouse with share trends and data that are shifting the way we as employers recruit and engage our audience in volunteerism and service. She will share highlights from the organizations global survey about volunteering and causes in the workplace and discuss how strategic employee engagement can help build equity for companies.

About Meg Garlinghouse
Meg Garlinghouse is head of Social Impact at LinkedIn. In this role, she is responsible for identifying partnerships and programs that leverage the LinkedIn platform to create positive social impact for the world. Garlinghouse has nearly twenty years of experience working in the technology and philanthropy sector. Prior to joining LinkedIn, Garlinghouse spent almost 10 years building and leading Yahoo!’s global community relations function.

She also has a background in international development, working for the Asia Foundation as special assistant to the president and in the private sector development department of the World Bank. She served as a Peace Corps volunteer in Niger, West Africa, running projects designed to raise the social and economic status of rural villagers. Garlinghouse received her Bachelor’s degree in public policy studies from Duke University and a Master’s in public policy from the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University. She currently serves on the Boards of Network for Good and VolunteerMatch.

VolunteerMatch staff and clients will "Beautify the Palace" at the Exploratorium in San Francisco following the 2012 VolunteerMatch Client Summit

This year at the 2012 VolunteerMatch Client Summit, we’re giving attendees a chance to earn some “extra credit.”  But instead of adding work to their schedules, we’ve organized two fun and collaborative activities for participants to add to their agendas.

First up is a pre-event reception at the Thirsty Bear – one of our favorite organic brewers and tapas restaurants in San Francisco. Attendees landing early in San Francisco will join us the night before the Client Summit program begins to mingle, drink and eat. (See what we mean about FUN extra credit?!).

When we gather each year for the Client Summit, we also like to give a little back to the community. Following the day and a half program of engaging keynote presentations and thought-provoking breakout sessions, attendees are invited to join us for a volunteer activity at the Exploratorium at the Palace of Fine Arts. We’ll help “Beautify the Palace” with some light gardening tasks while taking in sprawling views of the bay. Better yet, volunteers receive a museum pass to explore following the activity or for a later visit to the Exploratorium.

Stay tuned for photos and recaps of these activities following the event on May 17-18, 2012.

Are you attending the 2012 VolunteerMatch Client Summit? Contact Casey Brennan if you’d like to join for these attendee-only “extra credit” activities!

Greg Baldwin is rethinking the science of generosity.

Greg Baldwin, President of VolunteerMatch, is not a scientist by training. However, last week he published an article on Fast Co.Exist as part of Catchafire’s series on the future of service in America called “Rethinking the Science of Generosity.”

Why is our prez suddenly so fascinated with science? And why does it matter?

As Greg explained in his article, for a long time science has not provided much warm and fuzzy support for the practice of giving back. After all, evolution and the survival of the fittest naturally have us competing, not helping each other.

Science of Altruism…great article by prez of @volunteermatch abt why people give awe.sm/5lX0y

— Selena Schmidt (@selena_schmidt) April 25, 2012

As Greg points out, this can’t be the whole story. At VolunteerMatch we see firsthand how many individuals are ready to step up and help others as volunteers and as nonprofit staff members. So where is the science in that?

What drives altruism?Great food (actually dessert) for thought.Perhaps it just comes back to karma @Volunteermatch…lnkd.in/rcwB9H

— Meg Garlinghouse (@megarling) April 25, 2012

Alternate theories are in fact emerging as to why we give back, and over the coming year Greg will be further exploring the science behind our good deeds. After all, as he says in his article, “The question of why people give is at the heart of whether it’s even possible to convince someone to make a difference who doesn’t already want to.”

Read Greg’s full article on Fast Co.Exist, and tell us: Why do you give?

2012 Finalist Company: Google

On May 17, 2012, winners of the 2012 VolunteerMatch Corporate Volunteer Awards will be announced at our annual VolunteerMatch Client Summit in San Francisco, CA.

In this series of posts, we’ll introduce you to the facts and folks behind the ten most effective employee volunteer programs in our family of corporate clients compared against our 2011 benchmarks.

VolunteerMatch congratulates Google for its nomination for Employee Volunteer Program of the Year (Large Businesses).

Google runs several volunteer programs that allow employees to serve based on their interests and skill sets.  These programs include:

• GoogleServe - A program that allows Google employees to spend a day volunteering in their local communities alongside fellow Googlers.
  
• For Googlers by Googlers – A Google employee can suggest a program to assist a nonprofit and they can recruit their colleagues to help in that program
• Dollars for Doers – Google gives money to organizations for every hour an employee volunteers
• Matching Gift Program – Google matches contributions up to $12,000 a year ($6,000 towards any eligible nonprofit, $6,000 towards relief or development nonprofits) from Google employees to nonprofit organizations.

Google also offers services to nonprofits, such as providing Google apps either for free or at a discount to nonprofits, as well as offering grants that allow nonprofits to advertise on Google Adwords.

Other Google highlights:

• Since Google’s employee volunteer site launch in 2007, Google has reached out to nonprofits organizations locally and around the world, such as the The Excelsior Community Food Pantry, The Women’s Community Clinic in San Francisco, Action for Autism in Delhi and The Akshaya Patra Foundation in Bangalore.
• In 2011, Google donated $100 million towards nonprofits, with $40 million contributed towards causes that support girls’ education, empowerment through technology, science and math education and ending human trafficking.
• Google employees from 119 cities in 36 countries participated in 2011’s GoogleServe. This resulted in more than 7,700 Googlers serving their communities across 400 different projects.

Some project examples:

• In the New York Area, Google employees provided resume writing for veterans seeking employment.
• In San Francisco, Google employees provided one-on-one consultations with low income women starting their own businesses with the Women’s Initiative for Self Employment.
• In New Delhi, Google employees assisted in city cleanup.
• In Dublin, Ireland, Google employees assisted in trail maintenance along the Dublin Mountains Way.

We commend Google for its excellent volunteer program and focus on being an active community member!

Stay tuned for more finalist profiles in the coming weeks, and announcement of the winners on May 17, 2012 during the2012 VolunteerMatchClientSummit.

The CSR Food for Thought series is a weekly roundup of relevant news from around the Web, presented to you in one bite-sized blog post.

Follow us on Twitter for CSR news and trends throughout the week: @VM_Solutions

Rethinking The Science Of Generosity
Is generosity a biological or moral function of humans? VolunteerMatch president Greg Baldwin challenges the theory of biology and explains why there may be more to generosity than what we observe under the microscope.

U.S. Consumers Feel Responsible But Involvement in Social Issues Declines
The fifth annual Edelman goodpurpose study shows a decrease in the number of American consumers involved in causes, yet an increase in the number who believe that they, as individuals, are responsible for tackling societal issues. Consumer wallets are strained and unable to support causes in the same way as in the past, yet an increased feeling of responsibility to help may lead to more time being donated to causes they care about through volunteering. Carol Cone will share more insights from the study in her keynote presentation at the 2012 VolunteerMatch Client Summit.

The Benefits of Letting Consumers Lead
Companies are great at engaging consumers in both service and social good efforts, yet to date it has been companies leading consumers to a conclusion. But when companies give up this control and allow consumers to lead them to potential solutions, the benefit for the company can be even greater.

The Power of Purpose and Values: Leadership Lessons From the Great Place to Work Conference
At the Great Places to Work Conference, a hot topic was the connection between a purpose-driven culture and great places to work. Speakers from Whole Foods Market and the Mayo Clinic discussed the business benefits gained by embedding a higher societal purpose into the structure of a company.

International Corporate Volunteerism: A Game Changer
As companies expand globally, there is also an increase in the number of organizations with international corporate volunteer (ICV) programs, according to CDC Development Solution’s 2012 Benchmarking Survey. At its annual ICV Conference, attendees discussed how to create effective ICV programs and how to overcome the critics of the practice.

2012 Finalist: City National Bank

On May 17, 2012, winners of the 2012 Volunteer Match Corporate Volunteer Awards will be announced at our annual Volunteer Match Client Summit in San Francisco, CA. 

In this series of posts, we’ll introduce you to the facts and folks behind the ten most effective employee volunteer programs in our family of corporate clients compared against our 2011 benchmarks.

VolunteerMatch congratulates City National Bank for its nomination for Employee Volunteer Program of the Year (Small to Medium Businesses).

Its volunteer program, called City National Bank’s Community Corner, was established in 2008 and launched with VolunteerMatch in 2011. The mission of City National Bank’s Community Corner is to help “foster healthy communities, strengthen local neighborhoods, and encourage employment, economic and community development.” City National Bank not only provides employees with the resources needed to find volunteer opportunities, it also has a “Dollars for Doers” program, which provides grants to nonprofits where employees have volunteered for at least 20 hours.

City National Bank highlights in 2011:

• 25% of City National Bank employees recorded volunteer hours in 2011, up 51% from the year before.
• The number of recorded volunteer hours in 2011 increased 83% over 2010.
• Since its site launch with VolunteerMatch in 2011, City National Bank has reached out to 107 organizations and educational institutions in California, Nevada, and New York.
• City National’s Reading is The Way Up literacy program partnered with Barnes and Noble and held a book drive during the 2011 Christmas season. They donated 31,000 new books to 28 elementary, middle, and high schools in California, Nevada, New York, and Tennessee.

We commend City National Bank for its excellent volunteer program!

Stay tuned for more finalist profiles in the coming weeks, and announcement of the winners on May 17, 2012 during the 2012 Volunteer Match Client Summit.

In the webinar, Britta defines intrapreneurship, and outlines a step-by-step process to help employees realize how they can create social change within their own workplace.

What is an Intrapreneur?

An intrapreneur, according to Net Impact, is “someone within an organization who challenges the status quo while developing and implementing solutions that both benefit the organizations and create a social and environmental impact.” Intrapreneurs take action within their organization’s community through taking on projects that have specific, tangible goals and ways to measure success.

Britta shared a fun and quirky video to help explain the concept of an intrapreneur. You can check it out here.

How to Start a Project

1. Define your project

Brainstorm. Identify some potential projects. Some examples include switching from disposable plastic water bottles for reusable ones or re-energizing efforts towards recycling.

Evaluate the benefits and possible challenges that come with each project to find out which is the most feasible for you. What are your objectives? How will your organization benefit from your project? Will it bring costs down? Improve your brand?

In the end, focus on one project — if this is your first time as an intrapreneur, tackle a smaller, simpler project and then build on small victories.

2. Engage stakeholders

Who will be involved in the project? Who’s interested? Who will be affected by the project’s decision? Who will need some convincing? Build a community from all levels in your company that will help support your project and provide you the resources to help you succeed, and create a solid explanation for those who are either neutral or against your project.

Once you have your project plan mapped out, communicate your message to the stakeholders and supporters so you are all on the same page.

3. Deliver results

Have both short and long term milestones in mind as you execute your project. Chart your progress. Is there a way you can metrically measure success? Identify areas that are working and as well as areas that need to be addressed.

Maintain momentum and employee engagement through celebrating successes and as well as make changes where necessary.

Take a look at the Impact at Work toolkit for some more in depth information, as well as some worksheets to help you out. Don’t forget to follow Net Impact on Twitter at @netimpact!

Watch the webinar below:

VolunteerMatch Solutions BPN Webinar: Creating Impact at Work through Intrapreneurship