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Jet-Set Service: International Corporate Volunteering
October 6, 2011
Confidential and Proprietary
Guest Speaker:
Amanda MacArthur
Director of Operations
CDC Development Solutions
Moderator:
Casey Brennan
Marketing Manager
VolunteerMatch
2 Confidential and Proprietary
To Ask Questions
Type questions into the box on the
right side of the your screen
Submit via Twitter to
@VM_Solutions using “#BPNICV”
We will pose questions at the end
of the presentation
Agenda
• ICV—background & trends
• Benefits and Measurement
• Key Elements for Success
• Issues to Consider
• Best Practices
• FedEx ICV Experience
• The Center of Excellence for International Corporate Volunteerism (CEICV)
• Q&A
What is an ICV Program?
• Definition: A company-sponsored program through which employees are sent to work on pro bono projects with positive social impact in emerging markets.
• Key Program Variables : – Teams versus individual assignments
– Team size
– Duration/scope of pre-work
– Length of time in the field
– Industry and geographic focus
– Type of local client/partner
– Local client inputs
Rapid Growth in ICV Programs
Number of participating companies 6 7 11 12 22 21
* 2011 numbers are estimates provided by companies Source: CDS, International Corporate Volunteerism Survey, 2011 | N=22
The growth rate is the result of:
– More companies that have started programs
– Companies adding more volunteers annually
ICV has Expanded Almost Sevenfold in the Past 5 Years
Since 2006, ICV volunteers have worked in 58 countries.
Regions: Central America: 7 South America: 10 Africa: 18 Asia: 13 Europe: 9 Middle East: 1
Total: 58
Multiple Benefits of ICV
Company
Employee Participants
Local Partners
• New market/product development
• Brand strengthening
• Recruitment &
• Brand and reputation
• New skills development & cultural intelligence
• Increased motivation
• Innovation
• Improved leadership competencies
• Access to resources and new technology
• Improved services
• New staff skills
• Growth
Companies Invest for a Variety of Reasons
Source: CDS, International Corporate Volunteerism Survey, 2011 | N=21
Why did you create your program? (1-6 ranking)
To improve the economic/social well-being in an emerging market that is
important to our company
To improve the volunteers’ leadership skills
To improve our business development capabilities in the markets we select
To improve our ability to innovate in the markets we select
To meet our CSR objectives
1-6 ranking, with 1= most important
Poll Question #1
What area do you believe skills-based volunteerism adds the most value? a) Social impact in local communities b) Employee leadership development c) Business development and knowledge of emerging markets d) Company innovation e) Meeting CSR objectives
Measuring Impact
• Increased Employee Engagement – 97% of participants were more motivated to perform their day-
jobs
– 94% of participants noted that the program positively changed their perception of their employer as a corporate citizen
• Improved Employee Skills – 75% of participants noted that participation in the program
sparked new ideas for products, services and/or improvements that could be applied to their work
– Participants listed improved Resilience, Cultural Awareness, Leadership and Communication among their top takeaways
• Positive Corporate Impact – 92% of participants believe the program would lead to a
positive business impact for their company
* Statistics from survey of participants on CDS-administered ICV programs
CDC Development Solutions conducts surveys with all participants in our International Corporate volunteer programs. The following data was gathered from participants on pilot projects in India, Peru, the Philippines and Tanzania.
I am confident that transferring my ICV learning to my day job will ultimately lead to a positive business impact for my company.
My ICV learning is relevant for my day job.
Participation in the ICV program sparked new ideas for products, services or improvements that I could apply to my work.
I am confident that my manager and Business Unit will be open and receptive to the new learning that I will bring to my day job.
After my ICV experience, I am more motivated to perform in my day job.
My ICV experience positively changed my perception of my company as a corporate citizen.
Determining Success Depends on the Program Goals
Four Key Elements for Success
Strategy
Design & Development
Implementation & Management
Measurement & Evaluation
Program Considerations
• What resource commitments and support is needed?
• Do you want to build on existing leadership development or philanthropic initiatives?
• Where will a program take place?
• What is your timeline to launch?
• What is the team composition?
• What will the teams do?
• What partners do you need?
• How will you prepare your teams?
• How will you determine success?
Best Practices in ICV programs
1. Align Goals with Business Priorities
What are the most important goals for the program?
social Impact leadership development new market development new product development global teaming public goodwill
Make program choices based on business priorities:
• Country selection • Local clients • Industry focus • Project activities • Impact measurement
Best Practices in ICV programs
Teams diverse in:
• Skills
• Depth of work experience and tenure
• Geography (home country)
• Gender
Participants consistently report that interacting with their fellow team
members was the most valuable part of their assignments.
2. Field Diverse Teams of High Performers
Best Practices in ICV programs
Global teams mean almost all pre-work is virtual.
Find the collaboration and communication tools that work for each team.
Pre-work goals:
• Build a cohesive global team
• Prepare participants to live and work in an unfamiliar culture
• Give participants tools for short-term consulting engagements
• Facilitate early relationships with local clients
3. Provide Preparatory Teaming & Leadership Opportunities
Best Practices in ICV programs
Partners (usually local or international NGOs) have:
• Knowledge of local culture
• Knowledge of opportunities for high-impact engagement
• Relationships (and established trust)
with local clients
• Expertise managing logistics
• Experience fielding volunteers on
short-term assignments
• Ability to survey clients in-country
to measure results
Using partners enables companies to expand to new
countries with more participants.
4. Work with Partners with Local Expertise
Best Practices in ICV programs
Employees
• New skills development (teaming, technical)
• Increased motivation
• Commitment to company
Local Clients
• Access to new resources
• Improved service provision
• New/improved skills for staff
• Growth
Company
• New market development
• Product development
• Brand strengthening
• Recruitment
• Reputation
5. Measure Benefit for the Company, Employees, Local Clients
Poll Question #2
What do you think is the most important metric of ICV programs to measure?
a) Social impact
b) Employee satisfaction/retention
c) Financial return
d) Business and product development
e) Public awareness
FedEx Global Leadership Corps
• Pilot: 1 team of 4 people in Salvador, Brazil
• Client: Instituto Cultural Steve Biko (ICSB), which promotes racial equality through education
• Tackled IT, HR, marketing, communications
“The skill sets acquired and honed, the relationships developed and our enhanced
understanding of how the world works has certainly made us more versatile,
equipped and dedicated FedEx team members.” (Shane O’Connor, FedEx)
Dow Corning Citizen Service Corps
• At Envirofit India, assessed needs and demands of rural customers when buying cookstoves
• At Sustaintech, developed quality control systems and plans to improve the supply chain for energy efficient cook stoves
Employees participated in Innovation Design workshops during their virtual pre-work and were asked to bring back ideas for new products or modifications to existing ones. Several of which are now in the design phase.
The Center of Excellence for International Corporate Volunteerism (CEICV)
Enhance USAID’s
sustainable development efforts
by leveraging the skills and expertise
of corporate volunteers
Enable companies of all sizes to start and
expand International Corporate Volunteer
programs in emerging markets
worldwide
Track development impact and create best practices for
International Corporate Volunteer
programs
Three Goals for the Virtual Center
CEICV Benefits
• Access to best practices and templates for starting, implementing, and measuring ICV programs
• New connections with other companies for info- sharing, partnering
• Opportunity to benchmark program evaluation against other companies
• Engage with USAID and the USG on joint initiatives
Additional ICV Resources
1. www.cdcdevelopmentsolutions.org/corporate-volunteerism
2. www.cdcdevelopmentsolutions.org/icv-workshop-2011
3. Sign up for CDC Development Solutions’ monthly e-newsletter.
4. Join Linked-In ICV Group
5. http://www.cdcdevelopmentsolutions.org/blog
THANK YOU
Stay Informed
29 Confidential and Proprietary
Blog: www.VolunteeringIsCSR.org
Twitter: @VM_Solutions