Companies are constantly looking for ways to give back to their communities, particularly through the development of employee volunteer programs. The National Conference for Volunteering and Service, held from June 18-20 in Seattle, recently put the spotlight on this important aspect of community relations.

Nearly 2,600 volunteer and service managers from throughout the United States and the world joined for the annual edition of the conference. Co-convened by the Points of Light Foundation and Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS), the National Conference brings together the brightest minds and most accomplished leaders in the sector.

Each year the conference attracts managers and senior leaders from all corners of the volunteering and service sector. “The opportunity to meet people from your field, but with a different perspective, is one of the greatest values this conference offers,” explained Pam Feldmann, senior vice president of knowledge leadership at the Foundation.

The speaker list alone reflected the diversity of volunteer leaders that the conference attracts. Robin Roberts from ABC’s Good Morning America spoke about the role volunteers have played in reviving her hurricane-ravaged hometown of Pass Christian, Mississippi. Sally Jewell, president and CEO of Recreational Equipment Inc. (REI), gave a thoroughly engaging talk about the impact of volunteering on employee morale, and the difference that a company with a social purpose can make. Romney Citizen Volunteer Award Honoree Ambassador Andrew Young not only recalled some of the most gripping moments in his lifelong commitment to civil rights, but declared that “volunteering helps you become who you ought to be.” And former Clinton speechwriter and Guiding Lights author Eric Liu urged attendees to reflect on “who influenced you and how do you pass it on.”

Given the dramatic events in the Gulf of 2005, disaster response and preparedness was a dominant theme of conference sessions. Workshops like “Managing Unaffiliated Volunteers in Times of Disaster” took on the issue of how to manage the “spontaneous” volunteers who materialize in droves when disaster strikes. Another panel stocked with corporate reps from companies like Weyerhaeuser and The Home Depot gave insights into creative ways for businesses to respond. Meanwhile, to help attendees connect to the local community on a timely issue, the Seattle Host Committee organized a service project to assemble emergency response kits for residents of local low-income residents – and 1,000 kits were assembled in short order.

Workplace volunteering

Any conference on volunteering must include a close look at how companies approach this aspect of corporate responsibility. In this case, a varied schedule of business-oriented sessions included many representatives from the Seattle community. Perhaps most stimulating was a session on creative partnerships between companies and nonprofits. Moderated by Host Committee Honorary Chairman John Rindlaub (Wells Fargo Bank CEO for the Pacific Northwest Region), the panel included representatives from Microsoft, conference lead sponsor Washington Mutual, Seattle Parks and Recreation, Wells Fargo and Casey Family Programs. The group offered fascinating insights into how this unique region forges partnerships across sectors that create meaningful change.

Among the other highlights for business attendees was a workshop in which AOL and Ford executives discussed “Skills-Based Volunteering for Employee Volunteers.” In another corner of the convention center, Bea Boccalandro of VeraWorks, Inc. and Robert Mandala of Bank of America led a peer-to-peer discussion on emerging issues and challenges of workplace volunteering. The session focused on the “Top Seven Trends Affecting Employee Volunteer Programs,” which include: skill-based volunteering, re-branded volunteering, disaster response volunteering, diversity-focused volunteering, issue-leadership volunteering, business-smart volunteering and well-measured volunteering.

“Attending the conference in Seattle provided an insightful glimpse of workplace volunteerism in the Pacific Northwest,” said Carole Lam-Chin, Senior Manager of Global Corporate Citizenship for Oracle. “Hearing about companies in the host city gave me an opportunity to learn about innovative business/nonprofit partnerships in the region, and also provided a fresh perspective on how to apply these ideas and best practices to our own program.”

Recognizing Those At The Summit

Each conference, both the Foundation and CNCS take the time to bestow their most prestigious awards during conference. The CNCS awards fall under the "Spirit of Service" moniker. There were honorees like Dr. Rudy Garcia, who operates a service learning program in New Mexico, and Senior Corps member Vernon Becker, who serves as a foster grandparent. And there were corporate winners like State Farm and The Home Depot, who year in and year out have shown tremendous dedication to promoting volunteering within and outside its company.

On the Foundation side, the annual Awards for Excellence in Workplace Volunteer Programs honored a number of exemplary companies, both large and small. Video profiles of each corporate winner gave attendees a vivid tour of how companies throughout the country make a difference through their best assets: their people (see list of winners below).

A dominant theme during the corporate awards and conference as a whole was partnership. Companies, nonprofits, public agencies, volunteer centers and the media all reported the greatest successes when the forged partnerships to power their initiatives.

The conference itself undoubtedly helped water the seeds of many new partnerships. Most of all, it provided true education and inspiration for all those looking to cause connections through volunteering and service.

Next year's conference will be held in Philadelphia from July 16-18. Those interested in adding their names to a pre-registration list to ensure maximum cost savings on early bird rates should send an email to [register@volunteeringandservice.org.]

2006 National Conference Awards

Points of Light Foundation Awardees

Awards for Excellence in Workplace Volunteer Programs
Accenture
offices throughout the United States

PNC Financial Services Group, Inc.
Pittsburgh, PA

The Timberland Company
Stratham, NH

UPS
Atlanta, GA

Wells Fargo
San Francisco, CA

Corporation for National and Community Service
Spirit of Services Awardees

Corporate Awards
Hypertherm
Hanover, NH

State Farm Insurance
Bloomington, IL

The Home Depot
Atlanta, GA