Volunteering and businesses

On 15 February 2011, more than 40 representatives of public administration, nonprofit and non-governmental organisations, academia and businesses gathered in the European House in Prague to discuss the aims of the European Year of Volunteering 2011.

Speakers representing the EYV2011 coordination team and civil society confirmed the added social and economical value of volunteering. They pointed out that the biggest problems ahead are the general conditions and the social recognition of volunteering.

The motivation to undergo a voluntary activity is usually based on moral values and need for pursuing something meaningful. The economic downturn has reshaped the perception of volunteering in the Czech Republic. Facing employment difficulties, many people started to consider volunteer engagement as an option. NGOs long call for some forms of recognition of skills and competencies acquired in volunteering. Business representatives pointed out that a certificate or stamp acknowledging some competencies is not the question for many companies’ HR departments, what counts is the applicants´ ability to “sell” themselves.

At the same time, companies shall pay attention to volunteering when designing their CSR strategies – “company volunteering day” as a concept confirmed long time ago by the strategic CSR.