Business Volunteers Maryland

doing good. better.

Want to Volunteer? Consider Board Service.

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Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, individuals and business partners have inquired about ways to safely engage in the community. The words innovation and flexibility have served as mantras for the nonprofit sector as volunteer activities have shifted to virtual gatherings and fundraisers have transformed into online events. However, no matter the state of the world, there is one way to engage with a nonprofit that, is always timely, impactful, and productive: nonprofit board service.

Board service is the perfect opportunity to make a significant contribution to a nonprofit, develop leadership skills, and build new networks.

Board Leadership Program

Our Board Leadership Program trains and matches diverse business professionals to positions on nonprofit boards and committees. For professionals seeking to become involved in community leadership, our Board Leadership program prepares and connects candidates for board positions, according to the needs expressed by nonprofit organizations, and the interests and skills of individual candidates.

FACTS: In 2019, Business Volunteers fulfilled 56 nonprofit board placements with 143 candidates either matched or in progress.

Board Matching during a global health crisis

Like many of our programs, all board matching at Business Volunteers has moved to virtual. This includes both our one-on-one concierge service through the Board Leadership Program and our famous boardCONNECT, a “round robin” coordinated event where professionals and nonprofits engage in brief conversations.  Regardless of the format used to make connections, BVM is pleasantly surprised that within the past few weeks we’ve seen a great increase of interest in the board leadership program.

FACTS: This year, Business Volunteers has fulfilled eight board placements at Casey Cares Foundation, Gunpowder Valley Conservancy, TasteWise Kids, The Peale Center for Baltimore History and Architecture and more. We anticipate more successful matches in the coming weeks as a by-product of our virtual boardCONNECT.

As part of our board leadership work, Business Volunteers is launching a NEW, in-depth board training- businessONBOARD: Fundementals. This training provides an engaging, comprehensive, real life look at board service for professionals. Co-branded and with thought partnership and funding support from the T. Rowe Price Foundation, this training represents a significant shift in programming and an exciting new phase of work for Business Volunteers. Learn more about businessONBOARD and register for the training here.

Creating a diverse board

The National Council of Nonprofits, shares that having a board with diverse perspectives is critically important. Each person brings their own expertise and experience – both personally and professionally – that positions a nonprofit to plan, manage risk, make decisions, and take full advantage of opportunities in a stronger, more strategic way.

Boards that are not diverse risk becoming stagnant, especially when it comes to recruitment. Nonprofits often share that recruitment of candidates can be the biggest challenge when managing their board.

Business Volunteers works to help nonprofits build qualified and diverse boards through our partnership with businesses across the Region. By utilizing our Board Leadership Program and boardCONNECT, nonprofits run less of a risk of having board members travel in the same social circle, making identifying and cultivating future board members easier, resulting in a stronger circle of influence for the nonprofit.

Virtual Volunteering: Flipping the Script

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On May 29th, I marked my one-year anniversary at Business Volunteers Maryland. I keep saying that this year has been the quickest, craziest, and funniest year to date…COVID-19 excluded.

Lauren, right, volunteering in New Orleans with SBP, a national nonprofit focused on disaster recovery.

As a new college graduate, I was excited to learn the ropes of the nonprofit sector and work with our business partners to provide engaging and impactful volunteer opportunities. Before joining Business Volunteers Maryland, I loved hands-on service projects. I spent time in Louisiana and Texas rebuilding homes after natural disaster and liked to spend Saturday mornings volunteering with Second Chance or The 6th Branch. This is something that I shared with many of our corporate volunteers as we revitalized schools and community centers or worked to create usable green spaces across the city.

And then the stay at home order happened. The idea of not being able to get our corporate volunteers out in the community was devastating.

After the initial shock of our new reality, the team at Business Volunteers began receiving unique requests to fill volunteer needs from local nonprofits. Three out of five charitable organizations report that the ability to deliver their mission is critically dependent upon volunteers. Knowing our role and capabilities as a connector agency, we created communityCONNECT– a forum for nonprofits to post their needs and for our corporate partners and individuals to find volunteer opportunities that fit their skills, comfort, and ability either on site, remotely, or virtually.

CommunityCONNECT filled an immediate need as people across the Region moved their lives online. As the direct needs surrounding food insecurity and personal hygiene began to fill, our focus shifted to the value of skilled volunteering.  Skilled volunteering (sometimes referred to as pro bono consulting) is when an individual, often with a specific professional expertise, helps a nonprofit solve an operational or business issue. This could include helping a nonprofit develop a comprehensive branding and marketing strategy, or assisting with financial modeling and budgeting, or helping to implement new technology solutions.

Our corporate partners are looking to engage their employees as they adapt to teleworking, and nonprofits need support as many are facing even more limited capacity than usual. While we do not know when we will be back completing the hands-on volunteer projects that we love, our partners are adapting to this virtual world and utilizing virtual, skilled volunteering to safely serve the community.

To adapt to the changing workforce into a primary telework community, Business Volunteers has adapted to the change and is offering our trainings and events virtually.

It might be too soon to talk about silver linings, but the team at Business Volunteers is inspired by the continued commitment to volunteerism in this virtual world and the increased interest in skilled volunteering.

 

The Value of Skilled Volunteering

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Last month, Business Volunteers Maryland President and CEO Julie Kernan shared her reflections on how the COVID-19 pandemic has changed our world. You can read her full post here, but her final thoughts expressed a silver lining of “the development of a greater commitment to caring for others through volunteering and community engagement.”

Usually, when an individual thinks of volunteering they immediately think of direct service- planting a tree, serving meals, tutoring children. But there are a variety of ways that an individual can engage with a nonprofit. The COVID-19 pandemic has brought the value of skilled volunteering to the forefront, something that Business Volunteers has been a strong proponent of for years. In the spirit of a greater commitment to caring for others, individuals can engage with nonprofits virtually, even as society begins to transition back to “normal.”

Skilled volunteering (sometimes referred to as pro bono consulting) is when an individual, often with a specific professional expertise, helps a nonprofit solve a complex operational or business issue. This could include helping a nonprofit develop a comprehensive branding and marketing strategy, or assisting with financial modeling and budgeting, or helping to implement new technology solutions.

Businses Volunteers’ communityCONNECT – a forum for nonprofits to post their needs and for our corporate partners and individuals to find volunteer opportunities that fit their skills, comfort, and availability- houses a variety of skilled volunteer opportunities that can be completed virtually.

According to a 2016 report by Maryland Nonprofits, 80% of nonprofits in Maryland are very small, all volunteer organizations with annual revenues of $25,000 or less. Skilled volunteering provides vital resources and support for nonprofits who do not have the capacity or funding to complete such projects on their own.

The Value of Skilled Volunteering

  • Skilled volunteering is about more than just doing good in the community. It’s also about developing talent through real world application of leadership skills. Skilled volunteering is a way to build up-and-coming leaders as the projects naturally require collaboration, communication, and self-awareness. Thus, giving employees the chance to practice agility and effective decision making.
  • Skilled volunteering helps to cultivate your workforce. By connecting employees to the community and causes they care about they are more likely to be engaged and productive within the business.
  • Skilled volunteering fosters strong organizational culture. Skilled volunteering (and the collaboration that is associated with it) is a way for business to live their corporate values. This byproduct of community engagement drives innovation and cross departmental collaboration.

According to Covestro, 80% of executives believe skills-based volunteerism could help employees satisfy their desire for purpose and hone their teamwork and leadership abilities.

At the end of the day, like you, we want to make an impact in our community. We want to see nonprofits thrive by fulfilling their mission. As COVID-19 has done with many ideas, we challenge you to think past the traditional definition of volunteering, engaging with nonprofits in new and innovative ways.

From our CEO: “This is my beacon of hope.”

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When the team at Business Volunteers Maryland did our annual planning for Global Volunteer Month, it was early 2020 and we never could have imagined the April we ultimately faced. What started as planned postings shining the light on local volunteers (#LocalLights) who are continually doing good, better in our community, completely changed from volunteering as we know it. While it is still important to acknowledge our traditional volunteer heroes, we would be remiss if we did not amplify the current and obvious needs.

Local nonprofits, facing unprecedented headwinds as communities respond to COVID-19, reached out to Business Volunteers with unique requests to fill volunteer needs. According to the Urban Institute, three out of five charitable organizations reported that the ability to deliver their mission is critically dependent upon volunteers. We had to pivot to provide the support these organizations require in the current environment – a platform to document their volunteer needs, including on-site, remote, and virtual projects and access to a diverse volunteer source. Thus, the birth of communityCONNECT – a forum for nonprofits to post their needs and for our corporate partners and individuals to find volunteer opportunities that fit their skills, comfort, and availability.

In a matter of days, communityCONNECT moved from concept to implementation, reaching thousands of prospective community volunteers. We have heard from our corporate and nonprofit partners, as well as from the Points of Light Foundation (we are the Baltimore affiliate!) and their global affiliates, that this platform has provided the matching of needs to volunteers they desperately need. Business Volunteers is pleased to play a vital role in connecting resources to requests.

From a personal perspective, I continue to be impressed and amazed at how our community is stepping up. Friends and colleagues are creative in how they engage in the community – they are making masks, tutoring children online, and raising money to support those on the front line. Looking for some way to support our front line workers, my husband and I recently delivered dinner to a nurse friend and her colleagues at Johns Hopkins Hospital. Following is her thank you text after the meal:

Just wanted to say thank you again. You guys made our group very happy. There was enough for both shifts; the food was delicious (several people have been to Joe Benny’s and wholeheartedly endorsed it, others will definitely be checking them out when all of this is over) and felt special. Tensions have been building and we all sat down and ate like a family. It was incredibly heart warming and cathartic. Thank you from the bottom of my heart.

What seemed like an easy gesture for us, changed the team dynamics, if only for just a little while, for a group of critical care workers who so desperately needed a break.

These unique, individual contributions amass to a significant outpouring of support and this is my beacon of hope. I am optimistic the way we are living today is not our new “normal,” and whatever our new normal is, I believe we will be more gentle with ourselves and our neighbors. The silver lining to the COVID storm cloud is the development of a greater commitment to caring for others through volunteering and community engagement.

Editor’s Note: Visit Business Volunteers on Facebook and Instagram to read about how our community embraced Global Volunteer Month during unprecedented times. We invite you to tag us in your remote volunteering and use the hashtags #locallight #doinggoodbetter

COVID-19: How to volunteer at home

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Across America and around the world, we are witnessing the true spirit of caring for others as our colleagues, friends, and neighbors align to ensure all are safe and secure and have access to necessities during the COVID-19 outbreak/pandemic. Business Volunteers joins the extended community in our commitment to supporting those in need during this unsettling time.

For eighteen years, we have made connections between those in need through our nonprofit partners and the business community. We have a profound appreciation for the ways in which individuals seek to engage in the community and a deep understanding of the variety of causes seeking support. But, how do we support these organizations while caring for our families and community by staying home?

Business Volunteers has been compiling virtual and remote opportunities on our new, real-time platform, communityCONNECT. While many of the opportunities fulfill immediate needs related to COVID-19, there are other remote volunteer projects that are impactful any time of year.

Engaging in volunteer projects helps individuals, especially children, build empathy and develop leadership skills while promoting personal wellbeing and happiness. In a time when selfcare is paramount, at-home volunteer activities provide a welcomed break in a monotonous routine.

Some of our favorite at home volunteer projects are:

Toiletry Kits
Now more than ever, vulnerable populations need access to basic necessitates that promote health and good hygiene. Package shampoo, conditioner, soap, deodorant, hand sanitizer, socks, toothpaste, and a toothbrush in a Ziploc bag. You can also include non-alcoholic mouthwash or other items such as a comb, Band-Aids, and Chapstick. Consider making a version with feminine hygiene products as well. Before sealing the bag, write an inspirational note or card to let the recipient know that you are thinking of them. Asylee Women Enterprise will accept toiletry kits and deliver them to their clients.

Dog Toys
Many shelters in the Baltimore region have placed animals with foster families for the duration of the COVID-19 pandemic. However, these furry friends could always use a fun toy to enjoy while waiting for their forever family. Since you are already cleaning out your closets and garages, use old t-shirts and tennis balls to create the perfect tug of war rope. Check out these easy instructions! When completed, reach out to Baltimore Human Society or BARCS to coordinate your donation drop off.

Great Reads Bookmarks
Channeling your creativity is a great way to stay productive during a stay-at-home order. Celebrate and share the joy of literacy by giving handmade bookmarks to a local organization. We recommend donating your works of art to the Maryland Book Bank or Village Learning Place. Cut paper into 8.5 inch by 2-inch strips. Color them, write inspirational quotes, add ribbons or stickers. Be creative! Don’t forget to reach out to the organizations before dropping off your donations as employees may be working remotely.

Generation On, a Points of Light Enterprise, provides project suggestions, instructions, material lists and reflection questions to help guide the experience for you and your family. We recommend referring to this resource or communityCONNECT when looking for a fun, easy at home project. As you complete projects, tag Business Volunteers on Facebook and Instagram! We want to see what you are doing to be a #LocalLight during COVID-19.

Safety Note: Please make sure you wash your hands before and after you work on your projects and practice social distancing when making donation drop offs.

Photos from MDSDAT, Service at Stevenson, The Spruce Craft

Why Volunteering Is a Great Team-Building Activity

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You understand the benefits of volunteering for your company and reputation in the community, but did you know that it is also one of the most powerful team-building activities you can engage in? Here are some of the many reasons why volunteering is an awesome team-building activity for almost any team.

Bonding as a Group

Even if you work with each other every day, how many opportunities do you get to connect with your team members in a positive environment outside of the office? If the sum of your experience with your co-workers happens during meetings or brainstorming sessions, co-workers will never truly get to know each other. Volunteering changes the venue for interactions and allows people to bond and get to know each other without the pressures of an office environment.

Doing Good is Good for Stress Levels

Team-building activities that involve a ropes course or trust exercises that might make stress levels rise can backfire and leave employees feeling stressed out and embarrassed. However, coming together around a positive cause and giving back improves mood and decreases stress. One study by United Healthcare found that 78% of American adults who volunteer said that it has made them feel less stressed, which left them with lower stress levels and better mood than adults who don’t volunteer.

Helping Non-Profits Help Those in Need

Finally, volunteering as a group and team-building activity allows you to gain satisfaction from helping community organizations in need. Volunteers have a tremendous impact on the organizations that they choose to volunteer with. Whether you want to host a meal at a local soup kitchen or plant flowers outside of a local elementary school, seizing the opportunity to both cultivate a great, strong team and give back to the community is a great idea. If you aren’t sure what non-profits are best suited to your industry, mission or team members, Business Volunteers Maryland is here to help find the perfect non-profit.

Use Volunteering as a Team-Building Activity with Business Volunteers Maryland

Business Volunteers Maryland is a nonprofit dedicated to strengthening the community by creating strategic connections between businesses, nonprofits and individuals. We help companies like yours to establish and expand community impact efforts while achieving your business goals. To learn more about our services and learn more about volunteering as a team, contact us by calling (410) 366-6030.

How to Encourage Your Employees to Volunteer

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Volunteering is a fantastic way to give back to the community, whether your employees are working as a group during a team volunteer project or independently off the clock. It can be a transformative experience for your employees, creating a culture that is vibrant and appealing. How can you encourage your employees to volunteer?

Offer Paid Time Off

Employees lead very busy lives and, when not on the clock, are moving between extracurricular activities, spending time with friends and family, and managing chores and activities at home, making it tough to find time to give back. By extending paid time off every year specifically for volunteering, you can increase staff participation. A 2017 employee benefits survey by the Society for Human Resources Management (SHRM) revealed that 22 percent of U.S. companies offer VTO. Many of the companies listed on the Points of Light Civic 50 also extend paid time off for volunteers.

Publicize Volunteer Opportunities

Some employees simply don’t know where to find out information about volunteer opportunities, so they avoid starting the process. Make an effort to include volunteering events in your company-wide mailings. If you are organizing any service projects or organization-wide outings, let employees know far in advance so that they can plan accordingly. To make volunteering a part of your company culture, you can also make a point to announce new volunteer opportunities during meetings, put flyers on bulletin boards, and post information on company intranet sites.

Recognize Great Volunteers

Does your business take time to recognize great employees for their volunteer efforts in your organization? Just like taking time to recognize your employees who complete trainings or go above and beyond, highlighting and rewarding the work that your best volunteers do can help to encourage other employees to volunteer. How can you recognize your volunteer-minded workers? Take it into account when awarding raises or additional paid time off. You can also host a special event just for employees at your company who volunteered.

Contact Business Volunteers Maryland to Learn More about Team Volunteer Projects

Business Volunteers Maryland is a nonprofit dedicated to strengthening the community by creating strategic connections between businesses, nonprofits and individuals. We help companies like yours to establish and expand community impact efforts while achieving your business goals. To learn more about our services and learn more about volunteering as a team, contact us by calling (410) 366-6030.

What Is Voluntourism? And the Impact of Voluntourism on Baltimore

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Voluntourism is one of the most powerful ways to share your skills and energy with a new community as part of a business trip or vacation. This emerging trend might seem catered to individuals or community groups, but it’s perfect for businesses looking to cement doing good as part of their culture and give back while doing business. What is voluntourism, and what has been the impact of voluntourism on Baltimore?

Voluntourism 101

Volunteer tourism, or voluntourism, allows individuals, families, school groups, community organizations and businesses to give back when they take a trip. Sometimes it takes the form of a group going abroad to help underprivileged children. Other times, when attending an event or conference the Baltimore Convention Center or other location, a group will help at a local soup kitchen or planting trees at a local school.

The Benefits of Voluntourism

Just like volunteering somewhere outside of your business, voluntourism on a trip to Baltimore will benefit your employees and company through:

  • Encouraging teamwork and team building;
  • Positive socialization;
  • Helping those in need;
  • Improving employee retention and engagement;
  • Learning about and participating in opportunities they could also engage in near the location of your business;
  • Team building in a positive environment that is separate from traditional team building; and
  • Demonstrating your company commitment to service, improving the world around you and putting your values into practice.

The Impact of Voluntourism on Baltimore

At Business Volunteers Maryland, we work with businesses visiting the Baltimore area to find ways to give back. When you visit our area for a convention or something similar, you can participate in team-building projects that make your travel experience special while helping out the community you are visiting.

Encourage Your Employees to Volunteer with Business Volunteers Maryland

Business Volunteers Maryland is a nonprofit dedicated to strengthening the community by creating strategic connections between businesses, nonprofits and individuals. We help companies like yours to establish and expand community impact efforts while achieving your business goals. To learn more about our services and learn more about volunteering as a team, contact us by calling (410) 366-6030.

Should You Offer Paid Time Off for Volunteering?

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Paid time off for vacation and personal needs is a common benefit at many companies, but have you considered offering paid time off for volunteering? While paying your employees for time out of the office volunteering might seem like a strange benefit to you, volunteer time off (VTO) policies are a great way to cement your company values and encourage employees to give back.

What Is Paid Time Off for Volunteering?

Many times, paid time off for volunteering does not need to be a large chunk of time. Most companies with VTO policies only offer 8 hours, or one day, of paid leave per employee per year. Some companies choose to create a list of valid organizations for VTO use that align with their corporate mission or community. For example, some organizations require that volunteer time off be used only for organizations that have United Way affiliation. VTO often works the same as PTO, where employees need to request the time in advance and get approval.

Should You Offer Paid Time Off for Volunteering?

Just over 10 years ago, only 15% of employers offered VTO as a benefit. However, now companies are taking social responsibility and the communities around them more seriously. Millennials are interested in businesses that want to improve the world around them, and companies who are focused on corporate social responsibility are also those who are thriving in a competitive hiring environment. One survey by Fortune also found that paid time off for volunteering improves employee retention efforts. When employees feel good about their jobs and the work that their employer is doing in and out of the office, they are much more likely to stay around.

How Can You Start a VTO Policy?

If you’re interested in learning more about paid time off for volunteering, designing a policy that works for your office or finding new opportunities to give back to your community, Business Volunteers Maryland is here to help.

Encourage Your Employees to Volunteer with Business Volunteers Maryland

Business Volunteers Maryland is a nonprofit dedicated to strengthening the community by creating strategic connections between businesses, nonprofits and individuals. We help companies like yours to establish and expand community impact efforts while achieving your business goals. To learn more about our services and learn more about volunteering as a team, contact us by calling (410) 366-6030.

The Benefits of a Board Leadership

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Could you see yourself serving on a non-profit board? While many business professionals don’t necessarily see themselves as board members, board leadership has a broad range of benefits that can bolster the resume and broaden the connections of almost anyone.

Boost Your Reputation

Whether you’re a business owner or a young professional, your reputation matters. Working on a board shows that you have the ability to manage your time well and maintain multiple commitments outside of the office. Any individual who has the strength of character and organizational skills to serve in a board leadership capacity shows that they can handle increased responsibilities, a leadership role or other tasks at their job.

The reputation boost that many people experience due to board leadership doesn’t just stop once they leave the office either. When you choose to give of your time, it improves your reputation in the community. Meeting other business leaders, employees and volunteers through your board leadership will open many new doors for you.

New Skills

If you are experienced in your field of work, there’s a good chance that you aren’t necessarily learning new skills on the job. Instead, you are honing the skills that you already have. How can you get new skills to add to your resume? Other than taking classes in your spare time, one of the best ways to do so is through board leadership.

Serving on a board will introduce you to people who are outside of your field and industry, like engineers, editors, lawyers, designers and anyone else you can imagine. When you are exposed to all of those industries and have a chance to learn from other highly-skilled professionals, you will learn new skills and have new opportunities to grow. By building your skillset and learning about different trades, you will bring new knowledge back to your current workplace or business. On the flipside, board leadership also gives you the chance to share your broad knowledge base with those working in other industries.

Give Back to Your Community

Finally, one of the primary reasons why so many professionals spend time on board leadership is to give back to their communities. Being a member of a non-profit board gives you the unique opportunity to solve problems in your community and be part of the solution. Whether it’s giving books to children in need or finding funding for critical community rehabilitation projects, improving the world where you live is a powerful way to do good.

Participate in the Board Leadership Program That Is Right for You

Business Volunteers Maryland is a nonprofit that works with more than 400 nonprofits, creating strategic connections between businesses, nonprofits and individuals. We provide each candidate with a broad and diverse array of organizations to consider supporting and help them connect with the most appropriate and meaningful opportunity, while achieving their business goals. Email [email protected] to learn more about our board matching services.