Build bridges in Employee Volunteer Week 2012

Corporate support for volunteerism is an acknowledged aspect of good corporate citizenship. During Employee Volunteer Week 2012 Charities Aid Foundation (CAF) Southern Africa will be working to 'build bridges' between the volunteering aspirations of companies and their employees, and the real needs of community organisations.

Volunteering is increasingly acknowledged as an important contribution to society. Although the first Stats SA volunteering survey published in 2011 reports a volunteering rate of only 3,5% of the working age population, Stats SA calculated that even that low rate of volunteering is worth R7,5bn per annum to the national economy. CAF UK's recently released World Giving Index reported a South African volunteering rate of 14%.

The Stats SA study has been criticised for failing to survey the particular giving behaviours that take place within poor communities. In addition the Stats SA study did not specifically consider the contributions made through employee community involvement - the corporate-sponsored contributions of working people.

Corporates getting involved

The latest edition of the CSI Handbook estimates that 76% of South African corporates support some form of employee involvement (up from 63% in 2008).

Over R4 billion is contributed by South African companies every year to charity and development projects. However, currently only an estimated 22% of companies support payroll giving - which at this stage has the most likely potential to swell development resources while also enhancing corporate citizenship profiles. An added incentive is that employer support for employee community involvement may be included in the B-BBEE scoring of company social spend.

Charities Aid Foundation Southern Africa is working to establish all voluntary actions by employed South Africans as accepted aspects of corporate social responsibility, and a concomitant development resource. The combined value of employee payroll giving, volunteering and in-kind contributions to South Africa's economy has yet to be quantified. However we can safely assume that the value is significant.

Our Employee Volunteer Week which takes place from 5 - 11 March this is year is an important part of our campaign to popularise volunteering and increase resources for the non-profit sector. During this week thousands of corporate employees will go out into communities to volunteer their time and skills for the greater good.

Charities Aid Foundation Southern Africa has set up social media sites where this action will be tracked, as well as on our website. We need the support of the media to make this campaign a real success and exponentially increase volunteering hours and associated contributions made towards positive social advancement.

Find out more about CAF and what they do.