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Firms Fill Gaps, Learn Something at the Same Time |
Volunteerism among some of metro Atlanta's largest and most influential companies and organizations runs the gamut -- all for the sake of improving the communities they serve and developing for their employees better managerial communication and delegation skills. But the need for more skills- or talent-based volunteerism is becoming more apparent, where help doesn't always come in the form of heavy physical labor. Sometimes, the very talent that helps employees excel at their careers -- or a core system that keeps their companies running -- can help a nonprofit realize its full potential. Toward that end, United Way of Metropolitan Atlanta Inc. has developed a pilot program to put Atlanta employees in a leadership course with six United Way agencies. The goal: to assist them with marketing initiatives. And Hands On Atlanta's skills-based Springboard program, in its first year, has exceeded expectations, said Andrea Thomas, skilled volunteerism manager and the program's designer. Springboard has assisted 12 nonprofits and is working with another 23, helping nonprofits such as the Metro Atlanta Neurosurgery Foundation with strategic planning and fundraising strategies. Such skill-volunteerism also was the case when PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP worked with the Georgia Center for Nonprofits to develop financial management curricula aimed at nonprofits -- a service whose volunteer hours and expertise is valued at about $250,000. PricewaterhouseCoopers' Meredith Alger said younger associates got exposure to project planning and development, among other benefits. Other big firms also are meeting the need of filling the gaps while also learning something themselves. "Budget 101" seminars were presented to nonprofit organizations by Deloitte & Touche USA LLP staff during its National "IMPACT Day" of giving on June 8, helping young company professionals, with support and guidance from senior managers, work on their speaking skills. Some volunteerism responds to alarming statistics regarding crimes against children. For example, ChoicePoint Inc.'s ADAM program -- Automated Delivery of Alerts on Missing children -- uses the company's existing fax technology systems to distribute missing-child posters to police, news media, schools, medical centers and others. About $80,000 worth of labor and technology has been donated through the seven-year-old ADAM program to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. ChoicePoint's outreach also includes board training for employees through various nonprofit groups in Atlanta. Several efforts collaborate with the Atlanta Women's Foundation, such as engaging female ChoicePoint employees in local boards and hosting board trainings for the foundation at its offices. Meeting the needs of older Atlantans is another pressing area for volunteers. Accenture Ltd. works with TechBridge to create senior citizen-targeted guides on subjects such as using eBay and instant messaging. The company also has about 400 people who participate in Hands On Atlanta Day, in which they practice team-leading and other skills. Through Kilpatrick Stockton LLP's Miles Alexander and the Ralph Stockton Fellowships in Atlanta and North Carolina, respectively, a lawyer is donated to a legal aid, pro-bono program, public defender or county prosecutor for up to six months, resulting in a more efficient use of resources and continued skill-building. The bottom line is that all levels of volunteerism can transform an organization. "[Nonprofits] are very talented, they have a huge passion for what they do, but they don't know everything -- no one does," Thomas, of the Springboard program, said. "They don't have the funds to hire a consultant company to help them." Volunteers find that by "doing a little, you can cause a big impact."
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