Roadmap to Corporate Volunteering 2009 - UNDP Trinidad and ...

Roadmap to Corporate Volunteering
in Trinidad and Tobago
6 Steps Towards Developing an Employee Volunteer Programme
unvolunteers.org

“Companies could support corporate volunteering initiatives and encourage
their people to volunteer their time, skills, expertise and passion. Corporate
investment in volunteers can be cost effective and efficient. Volunteers
strengthen development solutions and have the capacity and knowledge to link
know-how with community needs.”
Ad Melkert, UN Under-Secretary General, ‘How philanthropy can contribute to the MDGs’, 2008

Foreword
This Roadmap intends to provide a basic start-up tool kit for those companies in Trinidad and
Tobago that are interested in developing an employee volunteer programme. Over the past few
years, many businesses have indicated their willingness to invest into the creation of an internal
volunteer programme that would enable them to go beyond the traditional CSR approach of
charitable giving and to become actively involved in the social and environmental development of
the communities in which they operate. At the same time managers have highlighted the fact that
information about the necessary ‘ingredients’ for such a programme compiled and presented in a
practical format remained sketchy.
This guide is meant to fill this gap. Written for community relations, corporate communications
and human resource managers, it is supposed to be a conceptual framework for programme
development outlining six generic elements in the process of strategically aligning volunteerism
with business objectives. As such, it is a direct contribution towards the creation of inclusive
business models that include poor people into value chains as producers, employees and
consumers and towards achieving the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).
Dr. Marcia de Castro
UNDP Resident Representative and
UN Resident Coordinator
UNDP Trinidad and Tobago, Suriname,
Aruba, Curaçao and Sint Maarten
Dr. Jens-Ulrich Poppen
UNV Programme Officer
UNDP Trinidad and Tobago, Suriname,
Aruba, Curaçao and Sint Maarten
1

What is Corporate Volunteering
Corporate or employee volunteering refers to the various forms and manifestations that civic engagement
by corporate entities and their workforce can take. Such engagement is usually carried out in partnership
with the not-for-profit sector with NGOs being the direct recipients of volunteer support. The term
‘corporate’ can be used to include both public and private organizations, e.g. privately-owned enterprises,
public utility companies or government ministries, but often deals exclusively with the phenomenon of
business-supported staff volunteerism in the Private Sector. While this publication addresses primarily
private businesses to assist them in their activities in the area of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR), its
generic elements can be equally applied to the development of volunteer programmes in the public sector.
There are probably as many definitions of volunteerism as there are volunteer-involving organizations.
However, practitioners and theorists agree on the following core principles as being an essential part of
any conceptual approach towards defining voluntary civic engagement: a) Free will b) No monetary
compensation c) Benefits to society or third party.
At the same time, the United Nations Volunteers Programme (UNV) stresses the importance of volunteerism
benefiting “both society at large and the individual volunteer by strengthening trust, solidarity and reciprocity
among citizens, and by purposefully creating opportunities for participation”. In this regard, corporate
volunteerism is no exception and any voluntary initiative taken by the Private Sector and its workforce
should be characterized by the basic pillars of un-coerced participation in community outreach, good
citizenship, active neighbourliness and social and environmental consciousness.
From an employer’s perspective, this requires a commitment to encourage staff to volunteer in the not-forprofit
sector and can range from individual volunteer efforts to team-based projects or activities involving
the whole company. Corporate volunteerism is based on the premise that socially responsible behaviour
demonstrated by companies contributes to the development of society as a whole. It necessitates the
creation of a ‘Corporate Culture of Caring’ in which voluntary contributions towards the Public Common
Good are valued and recognized by senior managers.
Volunteering makes you feel good. Feeling good
gives you a sense of being much larger than
you regularly are and feeling like that more often
may give the volunteer a more permanent sense
of contentment. Extending this well-being to
those not enough warmed by it may influence an
aspiration towards this experience of inner beauty.
Some people sing because it feels good, some
tend to plants and some volunteer, all in search of
happiness.
All have the desire of feeling good about what
they do and about the effects they have on others.
Volunteerism helps one to achieve exactly that.
2
Carol Ragoobar
Underwriter - Commercial
Lines San Fernando Branch
Guardian General

ROADMAP TO
CORPORATE VOLUNTEERING
VISIONING
MISSION,
VISION AND
SOCIAL POLICY
STRATEGY
GOVERNANCE
PLANNING
‘VOLUNTARY
TRIANGLE’
COMPANY
VOLUNTEER
PARTNERING
PROJECT
DEVELOPMENT
TERMS OF
REFERENCE
BUDGET
GENERAL INDUCTION
TRAINING AND DEVELOPMENT
SENSITIZATION
TRAINING
IMPACT ASSESSMENT
TRACKING AND EVALUATION
BENEFITS REALIZATION
ANNUAL VOLUNTEER
REPORT
REPORTING
SUSTAINABILITY REPORT
‘VOLUNTEER OF THE
MONTH’
RECOGNITION
VOLUNTEER AWARDS
3

Visioning
Mission, Vision and Social Policy Statements
For employees, being able to imagine the ‘bigger picture’ to which their activities contribute is a crucially
important motivating factor to volunteer. Corporate volunteers need to know what their skills will ultimately
contribute to and what they are setting out to create.
Therefore, for any corporate volunteer manager and his/her team, the conceptual work starts with envisaging
the future and asking a number of questions that would help to develop that bigger picture. What precisely
is the volunteer programme’s fundamental objective, its raison d’etre How does the company envision the
community of tomorrow What kind of environment does it want to create through volunteerism
Volunteer vision supports corporate vision. In trying to align the two, the idea of ‘Good Corporate Citizenship’
could provide the necessary link. Where you want to go as a company seeking profits is where you want to
go as a corporate citizen seeking to honour your responsibilities to society.
Vision and Mission go hand in hand. With the Mission or Social Policy Statement, the company speaks
directly to the passion, aspirations and good will of its future volunteers. It reinforces the message that
corporate volunteers can and will make a difference and describes the corporate identity of organization and
people.
Defining one’s Mission means defining one’s cause. In a few words, the Mission Statement outlines
corporate philosophy and purpose with regards to voluntary action. It describes what volunteers will be
doing in supporting such philosophy and whom exactly they serve through their activities in the public realm.
Mission and Vision concerns everybody. Companies need to make all employees part of the journey as well
as part of developing the itinerary.
4

BG employees volunteer their services at a local hospice.
Step One – Visioning
5

Strategy
The Vision provides the backdrop for the strategic planning process and the formulation of strategic
goals. As benefits need to be realized by all members of the ‘Voluntary Triangle’ – company, employees
and community – objectives too need to be formulated and identified vis-à-vis corporate interests
and community expectations respectively. The overarching question is what precisely the volunteer
programme aims to accomplish What methods are being employed by managers to realize those
accomplishments Formulate your strategic goals as general and broadly-worded statements outlining
what needs to be accomplished to realize your volunteer mission and vision.
Ask yourself what value the corporate volunteer programme can deliver to both the companies’
position in the marketplace and to society and the environment around it.
Any volunteerism strategy is a declaration of corporate values reflecting the company’s culture, attitude
and ‘philosophy’ towards customers, markets and society. The difference it makes in communities
determines the nature, complexity and direction of the objectives it sets out to achieve. The objectives
of the volunteer programme need to be aligned with the business objectives enabling management,
employees, volunteers and community partners to understand corporate citizenship and economic
interests to be complementary.
Being a volunteer strategist means to understand what value employees can create for communities.
Such understanding requires knowledge of the communities themselves and the people living in them.
In business, one needs to understand the customer. As a corporate volunteer manager, one needs
to understand the social environment. Thus good corporate citizenship means to understand and
practise both.
6
Gaitrie Persad
Assistant Manager Service and
Support – Scotiabank Rio Claro
To me, giving back to our community goes beyond
monetary donations. We play an integral part in
building our community by creating opportunities
for the children in our Primary Schools. We’ve
assisted in teaching these kids lifelong learning
skills in Gardening, Food and Nutrition, Farming
and Craft.
This experience will enhance personal
development at the individual level and encourage
sustainable growth at the national level. Give a
man a fish, you feed him for one day; teach a man
to fish and you feed him for life.
Watching these children as they experience the
joys of learning and then reaping the fruit of their
hard work is truly an indescribable experience.
Food crops which were grown through this
initiative were distributed to less fortunate
families in our Community. The exercise was truly
rewarding and beneficial to all involved.
Our future depends on our kids; what we teach
them today will help them develop into the leaders
of tomorrow.

Governance
Establishing a Corporate Volunteer Programme requires a collective effort and a joint approach.
Rather than placing the responsibility solely on the shoulders of the corporate or community relations
manager, companies should seek to develop collective structures of governance by creating an
Employee Volunteer Committee that would assign its members to a range of core ‘portfolios’ necessary
for running a sustainable programme.
Step One – Visioning
In those cases in which companies never established a formal programme, the Employee Volunteer
Committee would begin its work by spearheading the Visioning process while ensuring adequate
representation of all departments, sections and units within the company. In that way, the programme
would reflect the broadest possible view of employees and would also serve as a forum for
brainstorming and as an ‘incubator’ for new ideas that would guide the development of new projects
and activities. Communicating the work of company volunteers through the Committee would
significantly increase the internal visibility of the volunteer programme, making communication of
upcoming activities more effective.
Buy-in from the Boardroom is crucial for the sustainability of voluntary corporate community work.
Securing it will be one of the most important tasks of committee members who would maintain contact
with and appraise senior management of ongoing volunteer activities. Committee members would also
be responsible for establishing and maintaining contact with not-for-profit organizations and for liaising
with project partners. Furthermore, the Committee’s responsibilities include programme development
and project implementation including policy development, regulatory framework, training and needs
assessments.
7

COMPANY
PRIVATE
PUBLIC
GOOD CORPORATE CITIZENSHIP
CORPORATE SUSTAINABILITY
SKILLS
CORPORATE VOLUNTEERS
FREE WILL
NO
FINANCIAL
GAIN
GOOD
NEIGHBOURLINESS
SOCIAL
&
ENVIRONMENTAL
CONSCIOUSNESS
MDG2
ACHIEVE
UNIVERSAL
PRIMARY
EDUCATION
MDG3
PROMOTE
GENDER
EQUALITY
AND EMPOWER
WOMEN
MDG1
ERADICATE
EXTREME
POVERTY
BENEFITS
LOCAL COMMUNITIES
NATIONAL COMMUNITIES
MDG4
REDUCE CHILD
MORTALITY
MDG5
IMPROVE
MATERNAL
HEALTH
MDG8
GLOBAL
PARTNERSHIP
FOR
DEVELOPMENT
MDG7
ENSURE
ENVIRONMENTAL
STABILITY
MDG6
COMBAT
HIV/AIDS
MALARIA
& OTHER
DISEASES
8

Planning
The ‘Voluntary Triangle’
Three sets of interests, aims and aspirations need to be reconciled and aligned with each other in any corporate
volunteer activity, namely that of company, community and employee. This ‘Voluntary Triangle’ forms the basis for
any subsequent planning exercise and only its careful consideration in the pre-implementation phase ensures the
longevity, viability and success of the company’s volunteer programme.
Step Two – Planning
The first element in the triangle is the company. The choice of location, partner organization and communal focus
adopted by the company in pursuit of its volunteer programme is being determined by the nature, market and
social environment of its commercial activities. In order to provide the necessary context a number of pertinent
questions need to be asked: What is the company’s core business What are the basic features of its market
What services or products does it offer and produce And how can socially responsible corporate behaviour
support its competitiveness, productivity and customer base
Then there is the community. Rather than relying on anecdotal evidence, media reports, hearsay or past activities,
corporate volunteerism needs to reliably identify community needs through a thorough situation analysis. Once
social ills have been identified through a Community Needs Assessment, the company then needs to establish a
ranking system according to severity, nature and urgency of the problem and to select the most pressing issue(s)
as targets for intervention by its employee volunteers.
However, successful programme planning rests ultimately on the strategic mobilization of employees. Mobilization
efforts require programme managers to know about the individual interests of their employees across different
areas of volunteering – senior citizens, children, health issues or environmental conservation to name only a few
– and the skills that employees can bring to projects. Research has shown that by taking personal interest into
account when developing new projects, many more employees feel motivated to volunteer.
Antonia Lucky
Corporate Lead,
Environment, Health and
Safety, NGC
Volunteering to assist NGC events has afforded
me the opportunity to selflessly give back to my
community and my company and establish selfworth.
By reaching out and participating in worthy
causes, I always found the experiences enriching,
especially when it involved challenges, as these
opportunities allowed me to be more focused,
committed, dedicated and driven...something we
all need in life to get by.
Volunteering helped me to not only enjoy my basic
interests, but also to explore associated concerns
within community homes, family life and other
industries and allow me to use my academic and
professional skills to assist.
Many were the times that I learned and gained
more information about a particular cause or
vocation that I took for granted in the past or just
knew little about.
Volunteering and participating gave me the
chance to develop my abilities, skill and personal
strengths. I learnt intercultural communication and
teamwork dynamics and that the power of many is
better than just one person.
9

VOLUNTARY TRIANGLE
COMPANY
Service
Market
Product
Customer
EMPLOYEE
Skills
Interests
COMMUNITY
Social and
Environmental Needs
10

Company Volunteer Policy
Corporate volunteers are ‘ambassadors’ for the company representing its economic interests and
personifying its social integrity. They should be seen as exemplary cases of corporate ethics and as
guarantors of the company’s reputation among members of the public. They need to be provided with a
clear policy framework that outlines both obligations and entitlements during their voluntary assignments.
Step Two – Planning Step -
Policies increase the level of accountability, standardization, formalization and fairness. They are
guidelines that set out both the broader principles governing volunteer commitments as well as the more
concrete rules and regulations determining operationally relevant issues. Those issues can include:
Time management – Does the company operate a
paid time-off programme or has it adopted a dollars-fordoers
approach
Eligibility – What individual profile does the employee
need to bring to the volunteer assignment
Enrolment – Outline a possible selection process and
clarify what written commitment is expected from the
volunteer.
Induction and training – What kind of orientation can
be expected and how does the company treat with
training requirements.
Expenses – While volunteers are working without
remuneration, they should not have to shoulder
additional expenses while volunteering for the company.
Supervision – Who do corporate volunteers report to
Code of Conduct – Corporate volunteers need to
be acquainted with the do’s and don’ts of interacting
with partners and community members in an official
capacity.
Evaluation – Upon completion of a volunteer
assignment, what process exists to evaluate its impact
Reporting – What are the reporting requirements for
volunteers during and after their assignment
Health and Safety – How does the company
ensure the volunteer’s physical well-being during the
assignment and what safety measures have been put
in place
Confidentiality – Sensitive information about projects,
partners and people need to stay within the confines of
the company.
Enabling volunteers to familiarize themselves with the company’s volunteer policy and agreeing to
its binding character forms an important part of the company’s risk management. Therefore, every
volunteer needs to be provided with a copy of the policy upon entering the programme.
11

Partnering
A successful partnership with a carefully chosen non-for-profit organization is a crucially important
prerequisite for operating a sustainable volunteer programme and for ensuring that the volunteer
project creates value for its beneficiaries in fenceline communities and other public spaces.
Managing expectations on both sides of the partnership with regards to the level of organizational
commitment, to the outputs produced and outcomes generated as well as to the resources allocated
will determine if volunteer projects become reasons for celebration or a trigger for corporate hang-over.
If larger financial investments are being made into projects and project partners, companies will
want to develop a clear understanding of the capacity of NGOs to implement complex development
operations. Only if partners in civil society possess the ability to organizationally cope with the
demands of project implementation and financial and human resource management can co-operation
with the Private Sector turn into a mutually beneficial endeavour.
Project Development
Now that the key planning elements are known – volunteer skills available, employee interests known,
community needs mapped and non-profit partners identified – concrete projects can be developed.
Based on the ranking of community needs detected, the company together with its partner NGO can
decide on the exact configuration of volunteer engagement, e.g. team-based onsite volunteering,
mentoring, online volunteering as well as determine the location of the project, expected benefits,
timescale, costs, supervision and project management as well as major risks.
12
Cherise Outridge
Accountant, BG
I really believe in the saying “treat others as you
would like to be treated, have respect and love for
your fellow man”. I look at others who are so less
fortunate than myself and I wish I could just help
all of them, however, my consolation is that if I can
help but at least one I have made a difference in
someone’s life.
I never look for thanks because just seeing the joy
on the person’s face, knowing that I have helped
even one person for a moment greatly uplifts
my heart. Working at BG makes me feel proud
because I have been priviledged to see what goes
on behind the scenes and how many people we
really reach out to and help.
I do volunteer work on my own to read to children
stricken with cancer and to help the homeless, and
this year it was really heartwarming to be directly
involved with the volunteer work at BG when we
have had our Positive Energy weeks, and I look
forward to continuing to help as much as I can.

Public Utilities Minister Emmanuel George (centre) poses with TSTT’s PR Head Camille Salandy (to his left),
VP of Customer Care Dianna De Souza (to his right), Barcam CEO Selvyn Lewis, Corporate and Community
Affairs Manager Trudy De Verteuil (second from right) and some of the many camp participants.
Step Two – Planning
Participation in Methanex’s ‘Mentoring Our
Children’ programme since its inception in 2007
has been an inspiring and phenomenal experience
for my entire family.
The programme engages employees in motivating
and guiding high potential teenage students from
low-income families in creating a brighter future
and stopping the cycle of poverty.
All it takes is some of our time and encouragement
to help children recognize their potential and value.
I encourage volunteerism – it is rewarding for those
who receive and those who give.”
Sundar Harkoo
Operations Shift Supervisor
Methanex Trinidad Limited
13

Terms of Reference
While volunteering is strongly driven by personal considerations of showing solidarity with the
less fortunate and accompanied by the often heard motivation of ‘giving back’, in its corporate
manifestation it should be seen and treated also as an integral part of the business with employees
committing to the delivery of voluntary services within the scope of the project, on time and within
budgetary limits. Such commitment requires the volunteer to be provided with the Terms of Reference
(TOR) including a clear description of the qualifications and skills required, the tasks and deliverables to
be produced and the process of completing the assignment to be followed. The TOR should also entail
a brief description of the project.
Budget
While volunteers provide their services pro bono, companies need to include the corporate volunteer
programme into their financial planning cycle. Costs are likely to include the training of volunteers for
specific assignments, the matching of funds for employee-organized fundraisers, the matching of the
financial equivalent of volunteer hours spent, the purchase or rental of technical equipment necessary
for the implementation of projects as well as database maintenance, transport, food and beverages
and expenses for volunteer recognition, e.g. awards. Budgetary allocation will also have to be made to
ensure that successes and achievements by company volunteers are effectively communicated both
within the company as well as to external stakeholders via modern media and communication tools.
The budget may also have to make allocations for a Programme Manager or a member of staff who
will be responsible for the month-to-month running of volunteer projects.
14
Nera Narine
Operations Officer
RBTT
I recognize that there are many underprivileged
persons who did not get the opportunity to
advance themselves academically and I have a
deep passion to reach out to such persons to
share my knowledge with them. On hearing about
the Adult Literacy Tutors’ Association (Alta), I
signed up because I knew it was something that
I was capable of doing and that I would be giving
back to my society. I also benefit from my role as
a tutor with Alta, from my teen life I was always
told that I needed to be more confident and I
recognized I could use Alta as a medium for self
development and self fulfilment.
By interacting with individuals who could not
read and write on an individual and group basis,
I became more confident and able to address a
room full of people.

Atlantic LNG employees and their children clean up La Brea Station Beach.
Step Two – Planning
15

Training and Development
Training may be provided by companies or it may be organized by their not-for-profit partners. Training
may take the form of a general orientation session for volunteers before commencing with their project
work a specifically tailored response to an identified lack of skills in anticipation of working with groups
of individuals – e.g. persons with disabilities or children – that require the volunteers to observe specific
‘rules of engagement’.
Sensitization of volunteers in preparation for working in different socio-cultural environments plays an
important role in the training and should be seen as an indispensable element of risk and reputation
management. More general induction sessions should draw on the experience of volunteer ‘alumni’ or
‘veterans’ whose insights into the dynamics and specific challenges of community work often prove to
be invaluable.
The most important thing about volunteering is
to be absolutely passionate. Giving your own
time is something very precious, something the
experience of which goes beyond words.
I have been involved with the TSTT Foundation
since 2009 and focus on the annually held Sports
Camps that are giving children from a number of
homes and orphanages an opportunity to spend
a week with their peers playing, learning and
meeting some of their sporting heroes in person.
Working as a volunteer with these kids was really
an eye-opener for me and has taught me the
value of employers enabling their staff to become
involved in the lives and well-being of others less
fortunate.
16
Carla Griffith-Roberts
Assignment Clerk II
TSTT

Unit Trust Corporation staffers participate in volunteerism.
Step Three – Training & Development
17

Tracking and Evaluation
Programme activities need to be tracked and volunteer projects monitored and evaluated. While
tracking helps to develop the bigger picture through quantitative data collection, evaluation provides a
more holistic method of examination that includes the analysis of benefits realized and lessons learned
while helping. Evaluation helps volunteer managers to document the social and environmental impact
projects have had as well as to detect flaws, bottlenecks and conceptual deficiencies that prevent
volunteers from maximizing their potential.
Programme information that can be tracked includes the number of employees mobilized, the
frequency of their participation, total volunteer hours served, types of not-for-profit organizations
partnered with and range of services delivered by volunteers.
On the other hand, impact evaluation seeks to gauge and document the difference that volunteer
contributions have made in communities. It looks at the kind of activities volunteers were involved in
and the kind of results they produced and can be carried out by using a range of tools for gathering
qualitative information such as questionnaires and focus group research.
18

Step Four – Tracking & Evaluation
TSTT employee
participates in the
Moms for Literacy
Programme.
19

Reporting
Volunteer managers need to communicate information about the programme to senior management,
individual volunteers and the external stakeholder community throughout the year. Thereby they present the
volunteer achievements in the broader context of the company’s CSR activities and stimulate the interest
of prospective volunteers while at the same time providing justification for future corporate investments into
volunteering.
The reporting on volunteer projects can be integrated into the existing sustainability reporting framework or be
presented in a separate quarterly or annual Corporate Volunteer Report.
Reporting aims to show the measurable and tangible difference that the engagement of corporate volunteers
has made in communities and through partnerships with non-for-profit organizations. It is a management tool
that ensures accountability and the timely disclosure of statistical and other information about the communal
and environmental engagement of company volunteers. As such, any volunteer report should include (but not
be limited to) the following aspects:
• Numerical strength of the existing volunteer force – How many volunteers served during the year
• Volunteer Time – How many volunteer hours were spent
• Project Digest – How many projects, initiatives and activities were organized by the volunteer programme
• Partner Profiles – Description of the non-for-profit organizations that the company partnered with.
• Comparative performance – How has volunteer performance improved (or become less effective) over a
number of years What lessons have been learned
Reporting on corporate volunteer performance as an integral part of CSR should address and highlight
successes and achievements as much as challenges, difficulties and shortcomings. The Global Reporting
Initiative’s (GRI) Sustainability Reporting Framework is an agreed and useful reference tool to seek assistance
in reporting on corporate volunteer performance.
20
Dalia King
Company Secretary
Firstline Securities
Volunteering as part of my job sweetens the pot
of my work life. Volunteering with teammates is
even better as we get to bond beyond the walls
of the office and the atmosphere becomes much
more familial even when we return to work. Some
may think this affects professionalism and they
are correct. My experience has been that when I
volunteer with my colleagues under the auspices
of my job, we become a more effective work unit.
In addition, I cannot quantify or qualify the
satisfaction I get from volunteering. It is both
priceless and unrivalled. We are more than just
our jobs and we should strive to have an imprint
on more than just the lives of those only very
close to us. Volunteering allows me to reach out
to strangers and in little ways, change lives for
the better. Hour by hour, individual by individual,
volunteerism is a world changer.”

Step Five – Reporting
Jason Thomson was welcomed to the Campaign Team in the capacity of Campaign Marketing Officer.
In this picture Jason installs an aquarium and fish for the children of the Cyril Ross Nursery.
21

Recognition
Applauding and celebrating the achievements of employees in the workplace is a well established Good
Practice in any Human Resource Department. Such recognition should not only be limited to the staff
member’s commercial performance and his/her contribution towards greater productivity, technical
innovation and improved customer relations. It should also extend to the employee’s performance as a
volunteer in support of the company’s social investment. Without recognition or some reward system, no
programme is likely to gain the interest of employees. The following are some recommendations of how to
recognize corporate volunteers:
• Internal recognition on a small scale – This could be an interview in the company newsletter or an article
on the company website mentioning individual employees involved.
• Internal recognition on a periodic basis – Announce the ‘Volunteer of the Month’ within the company.
• Internal recognition ‘from the top’ – It greatly matters when the Boardroom and senior managers
recognize and thank employees personally. A thank you card would do. Lunch with the CEO would be
great. Such small gestures go a long way.
• Internal recognition on a large scale – The Company could hold an annual Corporate Volunteer Award
ceremony expressing its gratitude towards corporate volunteers more publicly and within a celebratory
framework.
• Recognition through affiliation – Create a ‘Corporate Volunteer Yearbook’ or ‘Alumni Directory’ complete
with photos, quotes and short biographies.
• External recognition – Informing the public about successful volunteer initiatives by placing occasional
advertorials in local newspapers and mentioning participating employees by name and through photos.
22

Step Six – Recognition
United Way Volunteers, who made the day a memorable one.
23

Editorial Responsibility: Dr. Jens-Ulrich Poppen
The views expressed in this publication are those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of the United
Nations, UNV or UNDP. Neither UNDP nor UNV endorses any of the companies that have nominated individual
volunteers for being interviewed and featured in this publication.
The United Nations Volunteers (UNV) programme is the UN organization that contributes to peace and development
through volunteerism worldwide. Volunteerism is a powerful means of engaging people in tackling development
challenges, and it can transform the pace and nature of development. Volunteerism benefits both society at large
and the individual volunteer by strengthening trust, solidarity and reciprocity among citizens, and by purposefully
creating opportunities for participation. UNV contributes to peace and development by advocating for recognition
of volunteers, working with partners to integrate volunteerism into development programming, and mobilizing an
increasing number and diversity of volunteers, including experienced UNV volunteers, throughout the world. UNV
embraces volunteerism as universal and inclusive, and recognizes volunteerism in its diversity, as well as the values
that sustain it: Free Will, Commitment, Engagement and Solidarity.
24

“Habitat is a volunteer-driven organization as we rely heavily on volunteers to
help families in need realizing their dreams of owning a decent, affordable home.
Volunteers can be seen giving of their time and skills in nearly all aspects of our
operations. That is, working on our construction sites, helping to produce our
newsletter, manning special events, sitting on various subcommittees, designing
our homes, etc. Corporate volunteers see the need of not just supporting through
funding but by giving back in sweat through hard labour. These volunteers have
helped to change the working environment, being thankful for not just their life
and jobs but also their colleagues when seeing the togetherness in giving back.”
Julien Chester, Volunteer and Alliance Officer
Habitat for Humanity Trinidad and Tobago
25

United Nations Development Programme
Trinidad & Tobago, Suriname, Aruba, Curaçao and Sint Maarten
UN House, 3A Chancery Lane, P.O. Box 812, Port of Spain, Trinidad
Telephone: 1.868.623.7056 • Website: www.undp.org.tt
unvolunteers.org