Corporate Foundations as catalyst for volunteering: how to engage non-volunteers in volunteering?

• In Event: Philanthropy and Foundations: Corporate Foundations as civil society institutions or corporate tool?

Abstract

It is argued that workplaces can assist individuals in overcoming organizational and normative barriers that prevent people from volunteering (Hustinx & Meijs, 2011). Previous research has shown that volunteering via the workplace is related to volunteer activities beyond the corporate context (i.e. in private life) (De Gilder et al., 2004; Krasnapolskaya et al., 2015; Pajo and Lee, 2012). Despite this interesting relationship between private volunteering and volunteering through the workplace, studies have yet to examine the potential of the workplace to act as a catalyst to activate inactive employees (i.e. non-volunteers). As it has yet to be examined why and how employees who are non-volunteers become active as volunteers through workplace volunteering programs, it is here where this study aims to contribute by addressing the following research question:
Why do non-volunteers become active in volunteering through opportunities via the workplace and how can this be stimulated in this context?
In particular, this study particularly looks at the role of a corporate foundation in this respect as companies oftentimes centralize their community involvement activities -including volunteering- through corporate foundations (Herlin and Pedersen, 2013).
Method
To explore the main research question, the current study uses a mixed methods approach. The study is conducted at a large international company based in the Netherlands with the overall mission to stimulate volunteering among employees of the founding company. We gathered quantitative data through an online survey distributed to all employees of the company. The sample size is 3705 of which 780 completed the survey (i.e., response rate is 21%). We were able to ask questions on their demographic and job specific characteristics, their barriers and stimuli to participate, their interest in social issues and their preferences in volunteer activities. We aim to conduct a multinomial regression analysis to compare the non-volunteers to those who are active via the workplace, privately and both (i.e. dual volunteers). In addition, we are able to collect qualitative data by interviewing 50 respondents on their (non-) engagement in volunteering and organizing 8 focus groups with in total 80-100 respondents. The interviews and focus groups are scheduled from October 2015-February 2016.
Results and potential implications
Preliminary quantitative data analysis shows that those who are non-volunteers have different demographics, social interests and preferences to volunteering. Qualitative data should offer us more insights in the why and deepen our understanding of the role and the potential of a corporate foundation to engage non-volunteers. These findings have potential societal implications to third party involvement in volunteering (see Haski-Leventhal et al., 2010) as this study shows how a third party (here companies and their corporate foundations) can increase volunteering among non-volunteers.
In addition, the study also holds potential managerial implications for both companies and NPOs as the differences individual characteristics and preferences of those who are non-volunteers in comparison to those who are workplace volunteers, private volunteers and dual volunteers might require refinement of current knowledge on recruitment of volunteers in corporate community programs.

Authors

• Lonneke Roza

• Debbie Haski-Leventhal, Macquarie Graduate School of Management

• Lucas Meijs, Erasmus University Rotterdam

• Stephanie Maas, Rotterdam School of Management, Erasmus University Rotterdam