According to the results of Deloitte’s 2016 Impact Survey, businesses and individuals may be undervaluing the benefits of volunteerism.
From engaging talent to creating more competitive résumés, volunteering could have an impact on the success of an individual and an organisation.
“As the battle for talent continues, volunteering can be a strong leg-up on the competition for both prospective employees and employers,” said Mike Preston, Chief Talent Officer Deloitte LLP. “Companies that create a culture committed to making an impact and to tapping into their employees’ sense of purpose have the ability to attract and retain top talent.”
In the survey, respondents reported seeing volunteer experience listed on only 30% of the résumés they receive. At the same time, the majority of respondents said they would be more likely to choose a candidate with volunteer experience on their résumé.
Volunteer Ireland ends 2020 with an optimistic and upbeat announcement that it had achieved ‘Investing in Volunteers’, the international quality standard for excellence in volunteer management.
“As the national volunteer development organisation it was important for us to lead by example in this area,” explained Nina Arwitz, Volunteer Ireland CEO. “We involve volunteers in many areas of our work including our corporate programme, public affairs, communications, design and office admin; as well as our Event Volunteers programme which has 581 volunteers.
“We are immensely proud of the high standards we have set for volunteer involvement and management. It’s our priority to make sure all volunteers have an excellent experience with us and that we set a high standard within our own organisation.”
Volunteer Ireland is the national volunteer development organisation and a support body for all local Volunteer Centres and Volunteering Information Services in Ireland – working to support, promote and celebrate volunteering.
The organisation saw a huge outpouring of support from people across the country wanting to offer their help to others in response to Covid-19, with thousands signing up to the national volunteering database, I-VOL.
“Ireland already has a really strong culture of volunteerism,” Nina explains. “On average, over 1 million people in Ireland volunteer their time for others each year. We’re in the top 10 in the world for volunteering.
“This means that a lot of organisations already have a full complement of volunteers and were able to respond to Covid-19 immediately. This is really good news for our communities and our most vulnerable friends and neighbours.”
