International Volunteer Day is celebrated globally every 5th day of December. In the last two years, however, the COVID-19 pandemic has forced us to reshape how we volunteer.
Central to volunteerism are relationships forged from physical interaction among volunteers and beneficiaries, nongovernmental organization (NGO) partners, donors and sponsors. Sadly, medical risks now severely hamper all in-person interactions, obliging us to reinvent ways we can volunteer safely.
In the last 20 years, Hands on Manila Foundation (HOM) (www.handsonmanila.org.ph), a volunteer management organization, has helped corporations develop and execute bespoke corporate service programs that focus on education, the environment, livelihood and health care. It continues to pursue its vision to develop sustainable programs that contribute to nation-building. Studies have shown that corporate volunteering, compared with other corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiatives like sponsorships and donations, has resulted in higher productivity, reduced absenteeism and contributed to higher job satisfaction—all factors that collectively benefit employers themselves (The Deloitte 2011 Volunteer Impact Survey).
Engaging employees
HOM’s affiliation with Points of Light (POL) in the United States (www.pointsoflight.org), the world’s largest volunteer organization, is especially beneficial during these unprecedented times. POL affiliates all over the world continue to share successful volunteer models. In collaboration with Singapore affiliate Empact, HOM conducted sessions on needs assessment and project scoping with Macquarie employees in Manila. Beneficiaries were NGOs Concordia Children Services Inc. and the Asilo de San Vicente de Paul.
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Skills volunteering has become popular because it allows employees to share their expertise with NGOs, whether these be accounting, marketing and communication or fundraising. Apart from increased employee engagement, these acts of service also offer employees opportunities to hone skills knowledge and to have other avenues for social interaction.
Upon introduction of HandsON Hong Kong, Knownium, a training consultancy, conducted a series of three workshops on (1) speaking to persuade, (2) effective virtual communication and (3) effective excellence and leadership for seven HOM beneficiary public schools and three NGOs.
