Charitable Workers Learn the Ropes, Rise Through the Ranks Lori Johnston August 12, 2005

One reason Megan Culos decided to work for Deloitte & Touche LLP was its commitment to providing volunteer opportunities for employees as they rise through the ranks.

Since joining Deloitte in October 2002, Culos, a senior consultant, has been involved in projects for Atlanta Habitat for Humanity, Junior Achievement of Georgia Inc. and the Atlanta Children's Shelter Inc. Last October, she helped lead a group of 1,200 employees in painting doors, lockers and murals, and landscaping and building an amphiheater at Benjamin S. Carson Honors Preparatory School in northwest Atlanta on Deloitte's IMPACT Day -- the company's national day of volunteer service.

That experience gave Culos the opportunity to manage a team, helping her develop communication skills.

Companies throughout Atlanta are offering volunteer opportunities to young employees, partly in response to a desire among the new generation of workers to make a difference in their community and to develop leadership skills.

At some companies, such as AGL Resources Inc., employees must show they have been involved in volunteerism to be considered for a promotion. Others have created programs that place employees on nonprofit boards and organize group projects.

Last year, InterContinental Hotels Group Plc implemented the United Way WINGS program, which enables women ages 35 and younger opportunities to develop their leadership skills while learning about philanthropy.

Twelve Atlanta companies participate in the program, which uses book clubs, hands-on activities and events to unite participants with philanthropists, business and civic leaders, and others.

Being involved in BellSouth Corp.'s Gateway Program, which identifies high-performing individuals and nurtures their professional growth, gave Cary Svendsen insight as to how he could get involved in the schools.

A senior manager, Svendsen was looking for a way to volunteer and attended an information session about BellSouth's program to help improve math scores in Atlanta public schools. He was linked with a class at Cook Elementary School, where he spent at least an hour a week visiting the students. He used his professional skills to develop lesson plans that related the concepts to real-life and business situations, and taught classes.

Many companies give employees a certain amount of time off each year for volunteer work. KPMG LLP has a Volunteer Time Release Program, and the firm's board-placement program assists managers and partners in attaining leadership roles within local nonprofits.

Two TechBridge programs help develop and place technology-savvy executives on area nonprofit boards and advisory committees. Business leaders also can approach TechBridge with a volunteer idea and TechBridge will craft a project for them, get other leaders involved and provide project management.

At Accenture Ltd., senior managers and associate partners attend nonprofit board and committee involvement training sessions to help them understand how to get involved with a nonprofit or civic group.

ING's community relations department implements its programs through internally appointed committees. Executives who demonstrate team-building, strategic thinking, resourcefulness, innovation and other skills are invited to lead community programs.

David Zacks, a partner with Kilpatrick Stockton LLP, began his volunteer work in college. Then, after former Chicago Bears running back Brian Piccolo, who was Zacks' suite mate at Wake Forest, died, Zacks became more involved with the American Cancer Society, recently serving as chairman.

Zacks said he wouldn't have been able to do so without the company's support. "This firm so embraced the idea of my spending my time working for this cause, knowing that it would mean my billable hours would be down," he said.

And his experiences have made him a believer that volunteer work can contribute to professional success.

"A firm is only as good as its people, and the more I recruit young lawyers from top-notch law schools, they're looking certainly to make a good living, but they also want to have a good life," he said. "They want to ensure that at the end of the day they're giving back to the community."

"It's pretty amazing," he said. "It gives me hope for the future."