CSR and volunteer initiatives – why do we even bother?
Today we’re tackling CSR and volunteer activities – why they exist, what they help us with, what’s heir impact on us, employees, and entrepreneurs alike.
A bit of volunteering history
The noun „volunteer” dates back to 1755 – at the time, it was used to distinguish soldiers who voluntarily went to battle, as opposed to those who were recruited. For non-military purposes, we find the term for the first time in 1630.
Nowadays, volunteering maintains its basic meaning – services offered on from one’s own initiative, without being forced; but it extends to a wider range of activities. From planting seedlings to educating children in underdeveloped countries, volunteering has become an essential part of the lives of 21st-century people.
Why do we volunteer?
Most people (especially in Romania) have not received a formal education about volunteering and the benefits associated with it – however, we often see those same people offering their free time, resources, or finances of their own volition.
But why? What makes us, at a collective level, to want to help others?
There are many reasons why people choose to participate in volunteer activities. Studies show that involvement in helping others helps maintain and increase happiness. Some philosophies and religions, such as Buddhism or Christianity, would argue that civic involvement is a mandatory and essential aspect in the life of any individual.
Specifically, volunteering helps:
To reduce stress, anger, and anxiety. Group activities involving human connection, as well as time spent with animals, provide a sense of relaxation and inner peace.
In experimenting with / improving skills. Volunteering is often practiced, especially in adolescence, to practice various skills, to be exposed to new professional experiences, to create a network of knowledge.
Increasing self-confidence. Working with people, completing successful projects, and overcoming obstacles automatically lead to a sense of accomplishment and increased self-confidence.
In finding a purpose in life. Not everyone has the opportunity to work in the direction of their vocation – actually, most people hate their jobs. Volunteering offers a purpose, an escape from everyday banality, an opportunity to bring about substantial change.
When maintaining an optimal physical condition. For anyone who has ever planted seedlings or built houses – you know what we’re talking about here.
To volunteer makes sense, but what is CSR?
CSR is an acronym and stands for Corporate Social Responsibility. Although initially, it was an aspect set exclusively by the internal regulations of the companies, nowadays CSR activities can be more or less imposed by the state laws.
In addition, given the current environment in which people are increasingly interested in ecology, sustainability, and equal opportunities, CSR activities are often national or international marketing efforts. For this reason, such budgets and activities are carefully chosen by corporations, so as not to fall into the trap of greenwashing – that is, in which such efforts are received with negative feedback, being seen as a lazy marketing scheme.
In any case, whether we look at it from the perspective of PR and sales or morality and civic involvement, one thing is certain – such volunteer activities produce significant changes, especially when it comes to large companies, that have the financial liberty to fundamentally improve a chosen niche.
Some of the best examples of massive CSR activities can be found here.
How do CSR activities help companies?
CSR activities have the same effects as volunteering – even if you often hear corporate people complain that they lost a Saturday in the cold and rain, they will also admit that they had fun, that the catering food they had at the end of the day was actually really good, that they were glad they did a good deed.
In addition, a 2015 study by Nielsen shows that companies that have a clear and consistent CSR strategy attract important customers. Over 66% of respondents to that study said they were willing to pay more for a sustainable brand.
Last but not least, volunteer activities organized by the company help to increase the performance of employees.
Still, why did we start talking about it right now?
We don’t need to mention the name of the Unholy Virus to know what time we are in. Things are uncertain, stressful, and maybe even scary.
If we have the luxury of being able to work from home, to keep our jobs, to start putting massive amounts of money aside, we can consider ourselves lucky. But it is important to remember that not everyone has this luxury.
Pandemic or not, people continue to be poor, lack access to basic resources, animals continue to be abused, and women beaten. This is the world we live in. Our contributions, small or large, can save lives, change destinies, work miracles.
We started talking about it now because we like to write about cool things, but also because we want to send a message to our readers: it’s normal to have a hard time right now, but it’s not normal to turn our backs to everyone else.
From the little we have, we can change a lot.
Some resources and inspiration to volunteer
And because we know that sometimes inspiration is hard to come by, we asked the NaW team to recommend their favorite associations:
Fundația Comunitară Buzău – Community Foundation Buzău
Asociația Inima Copiilor – Childrens’ Heart Association
Asociația Prematurilor – Premature’s Association
Asociația Magic – Magic Assotioation
SOS Satele Copiilor – SOS Children’s Villages
Inclusiv – Jurnalism dependent de tine – Inclusiv – Journalism dependent on you
Niciodată Singur – Prietenii Vârstnicilor – Never Alone – Friends of the Elderly
Blood donations @Centrul de Transfuzii București (Bucharest Blood Transfusions Center)
Stem cell donations @Registrul Național al Donatorilor Voluntari de Celule Stem Hematopoietice (National Registry for Hematopoietic Stem Cell Volunteer Donors)
And remember – a phone call to your stressed friend or a warm soup to your life partner can be the most important volunteer activity you will ever do. 🙂
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