Triple Bottom Line

Triple Bottom Line Aligning Corporate Goals, Community Needs, and the Professional Skills of Volunteers Nancy Long Executive Service Corps of Washington Erika Tucci Tacoma Public Utilities

Outcomes

Provide companies facilitating skills-based volunteer roles for their employees with:

2 approaches to meeting the needs of the company, employees, and the community

Deeper understanding for what it takes to make a successful match between a volunteer and an organization.

Using the professional skills of volunteers to build the capacity of nonprofit organizations and the community.

…pro bono volunteers

…highly skilled volunteers

Skills-based Volunteerism

Traditional Volunteerism “ You don’t need to know where you are going. Just keep walking.”

What make SBV different?

Many SBV opportunities are

For one individual , not for a group

For a project, not a reoccurring volunteer role

Requires direct management of the matching and engagement process to ensure a successful project

Two approaches

Develop a partnership with a organization(s)

Refer employees to volunteer brokers

Option #1: Partner with Community Organizations

Start with a community need :

Define a community need consistent with company/employee goals.

Identify a partner organization(s) working in focus area

Work with the organization(s) to develop a programmatic approach

Start with employee skills :

Assess the skills of your employees

Identify a partner who needs those skills and can provide a well structured and well managed opportunity

Option #2: Refer employees to a volunteer brokers

A 'volunteer broker' matches the volunteer with a community need.

The advantages of working with a broker are:

More efficient for volunteer and nonprofits

Able to identify broad array of opportunities

Understands sector-specific needs

Can identify projects that match employer goals

Volunteer Brokers

Executive Service Corps of Washington

Taproot Foundation (WA)

Pro bono legal services (Bar Assoc.,TACS, WAACO,WA Attys for the Arts)

NPower

Volunteer Centers that do the engagement management.

Two stories: Tacoma Public Utilities Executive Service Corps

30 employees

Opportunity to engage a population of field workers who are generally not participating in other SBV options

Builds on their job skills/ knowledge such as plumbing, carpentry and electrical wiring

Builds relationships with community

Tacoma Public Utilities

Executive Service Corps of WA

250 professionals (business, education, govt., NFP)

All ages: 70% in workforce; 30% retired ESC:

Staff and volunteers provide management support services to nonprofits and schools

Consulting services (not legal/tech)

Leadership Coaches, Trainers, Executive Advisors

Financial Fitness, Emergency Planning

Cohort model program for arts orgs

Partial service grants/Sliding scale fees

Project: 3 ESC volunteers (experience in hotel management; philanthropy, & state government.)

Reviewed architectural recommendations and budget

Developed case statement for capital funding request

Recommended staffing & infrastructure for fundraising

Outcomes:

Construction project priorities and stages were defined

$900,000 for emergency repairs has been raised

Improved fundraising systems, capital campaign structure initiated

$20,000 worth of pro bono services

Executive Service Corps El Centro de la Raza

What are some possible benefits to a company or government agency ?

Business Case

Almost 40% of Americans - letting employees volunteer during work time is the "most impressive" philanthropic activity;

Only 12% - giving money was the most impressive.

74% of companies said volunteering seems to increase productivity

51% strongly agreed that volunteering provides training for employees .

(US Conference Board Study)

Benefits to employees

Challenges and expands employee skills

Opportunity to lead or be part of a new team

Experience in a collaborative decision-making

Develops new social connections – intergenerational, across backgrounds/race/ethnicity

Supports their values

Increases professional visibility

W hat are the barriers? Results of the Community Experience Partnership Assessment

Philanthropy is providing very little support for volunteerism of any kind, particularly SBV or older adult engagement

Volunteer management is underfunded and underdeveloped

Barriers to success

NFPs do not understand how to match people

NFPs need to assess readiness to use SBV

Need to learn to “contract” with volunteers

NFPs do not know how to tap into volunteer brokers

Ingredients for impact and success

For a successful project

A volunteer has to be identified who has the right skills/knowledge and can adapt to the nonprofit environment

A scope of work must be developed jointly

An agreement or “contract” must be put into place

The engagement must be managed

The needs of the employer, employee and the nonprofit must be met.

Description of the program

Participation rates

Types of skills based volunteer roles

Decision making structure

Meeting the needs of employers

Need to focus involvement in areas that align with corporate values/goals

Need to limit administrative (handling) costs

Need to track what happens/tell the story

Meeting the needs of employees

Need to do work that has an impact/can see the impact

Need to have skills assessed and cross-walked to the nonprofit environment

Need assistance in defining the work

Need the opportunity to be structured so that it works with work and personal life

Meeting the needs of nonprofits

Need to define the scope of work and schedule

Need to have control over the engagement

Step #1: Matching Volunteers

Square peg in a round hole?

Determining a good “fit”

Typology for Matching Volunteer Requirements with Organizational Needs Volunteer Organization Volunteer’s values about who they want to help Focus/mission; staff/board diversity; who is served Volunteer’s values about workplace culture Organizational culture Volunteer’s preferences about using/developing their skills Organizational needs (what needs to be done; what expertise is needed) Volunteer’s preferences about the structure and benefits of a volunteer opportunity Structure and benefits of the volunteer opportunity

No “shotgun” matches

Typology - The volunteer “typology” interview tool helps match a volunteer with a specific need defined by the organization.

The volunteer must have the option not to engage

The nonprofit must have the option not to accept the volunteer

Typology Exercise

Choose a partner

One plays the role of the volunteer

One plays the role of the nonprofit

Read the description of the project and the profile of the volunteer and attempt to determine if there is a good match

Typology for Matching Volunteer Requirements with Organizational Needs Volunteer Organization Volunteer’s values about who they want to help Focus/mission; staff/board diversity; who is served Volunteer’s values about workplace culture Organizational culture Volunteer’s preferences about using/developing their skills Organizational needs (what needs to be done what expertise is needed) Volunteer’s preferences about the structure and benefits of a volunteer opportunity Structure and benefits of the volunteer opportunity

Challenge: Cross walking skills

From the corporate to…

the nonprofit sector

Pro Bono Action Tank www.probonoactiontank.org

Competencies Map

A catalog mapping needs to expertise

76 opportunities and the occupations that can have the needed competencies

Select

By project

By occupation

Select By Project

Select a category : Fundraising

Select a project: Fundraising Management Process

A fundraising management process project helps a nonprofit define a process for managing fundraising activities to increase efficiency, effectiveness and predictability.

Project Viability

Pro Bono Project Viability :

Time Sensitivity Risk

Scope Creep Risk

Sector Knowledge Risk

Relevant Occupations

General and Operations Managers

General and Operations Managers

1,663,280 potential pro bono consultants

Plan, direct, or coordinate the operations of companies/organizations. Duties and responsibilities include formulating policies, managing daily operations, and planning the use of materials and human resources. Include owners and managers who head small business establishments whose duties are primarily managerial.

Step #2: Contracting with SBV