Bridging Dundee’s Private & Third Sectors

Businesses of all sizes, from small ones to large corporations, are nowadays more and more concerned with their Corporate Social Responsibility, or simply CSR.

According to Johnson et al. Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) is defined as “the commitment by organizations to behave ethically and contribute to economic development while improving the quality of life of the workforce and their families as well as the local community and society at large”.

Commencing with organizations that adhere almost entirely to a laissez-faire model of business behaviour, in which firms seek merely to abide by the letter and the spirit of law, a number of organizations now pursue some element of CSR as a matter of enlightened self interest. Such businesses see CSR as a long-term means of enhancing the image of the organization in a way that will generally motivate employees, generate and grow local identity, and possibly increase revenues. Adopting this view of CSR may lead, for instance, to firms supporting various charitable causes, providing operational support to community organizations, sponsoring events, or investing in social enterprises, while through this being seen as “good citizens”.

Add to this, there are, also, those organizations that see themselves as “shapers of society”, where acting in a socially responsible manner and leading by example is a core purpose of the organization. Tapping on the “shapers of the society” perspective and as a core part of any great CSR actions, there are quite a lot of private organizations that deploy an Employer Supported Volunteering (ESV) initiative in accordance to their CSR programmes. Falling in with the Global Corporate Volunteer Council, ESV occurs when companies actively support and encourage their employees in voluntary activity in the local community. In other words, it is a cross-sector, mutually beneficial, partnership between the corporate and community sector.

Benefits, which may be considered at the same time as strategic business objectives, and are achieved through successful ESV programmes include:  

• Development of employees skills: a lot of research proving that running skills-based volunteer programmes is more effective and cheaper than classroom based training in developing the skills of employees. 
• Reduced employee attrition: there is a mountain of evidence that shows the link between corporate volunteering programmes and the impact on engagement, motivation and, hence, commitment of the workforce. 
• Improved reputation amongst customers: there is a real change underway in consumer buying behaviour – people want to buy products from responsible companies – businesses need to be acutely aware of this and ensure their external reputation reflects what consumers want. 
• Identify new market opportunities: developing products or services with charity partners that have knowledge and experience in previously untapped markets is a truly symbiotic approach that presents huge opportunities to companies. 

Volunteer Dundee’s, under research project, “The Knowledge Exchange Network” aims to support voluntary and community sector organizations through a coordinated programme of skills-based volunteering. The project will tap into the expertise of private sector professionals who would voluntarily offer community organizations their skills and knowledge, which are essential for anyone to survive in the current, adverse economic climate.

The “Knowledge Hub” draws on both CSR and ESV programmes and has its scope to help the local Third sector community to thrive while at the same time assist businesses get more out of their CSR!

Interested in finding out more? Then contact either lesleycaldwell@volunteerdundee.org.uk or nikolaosxypolitos@volunteerdundee.org.uk or call us on 01382305707.