Volunteering is defined as the free act of providing services to others without receiving payment. It entails participating in activities that can help improve someone's or something's living conditions, reinforcing our citizenship and enabling us to be inclusive, diverse, supportive, respectful, and tolerant.
Volunteering is a human expression that stems from altruism, is motivated by personal values, and has an impact on a variety of fields. It is inherently group-oriented and is embedded in private or public institutions. Furthermore, it is entirely voluntary, implying that a person gives their time without expecting anything in return, as a sign of solidarity with a deficiency and to help improve conditions.
Why do we volunteer? We volunteer to help others, to bring justice, equity, and support to the underprivileged. And why are we volunteering? Because it makes us feel better about ourselves because we help those in need, and because we promote a society based on empathy, peace, and love for others.
Volunteering has also evolved to reflect the changing interests of new generations, who have developed a stronger sense of social commitment and justice, as well as a desire to impact communities on a personal and communal level, going beyond charitable actions. This leads to the development of citizenship and the scrutiny of corporate and government actions, resulting in transparency and accountability.
People have needs and motivations to belong. As a result, proposing solidarity actions to benefit a specific group is relatively simple to organize and carry out quickly and effectively.
In this regard, it is critical to develop corporate volunteering programs that go beyond the formality of a social responsibility program. It is necessary to foster feelings of pride, fraternity, and a stronger bond between the individual and the organization, as well as to provide mechanisms for achieving these goals.
Furthermore, to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and targets, partnerships must be formed through actions such as corporate volunteering, which bridges the needs of civil society organizations and the private sector, improving quality of life and the environment. In this way, citizen participation through corporate volunteering actions has a positive and targeted impact by making direct contributions that multiply and exponentially increase.
Beyond the outcomes of corporate volunteering activities such as reforestation campaigns, school infrastructure improvements, and homeless assistance, which can be measured and communicated in accordance with standards, there is also the emergence of leaders who inspire others to take environmental action, raising awareness.
Volunteering promotes values such as justice, equality, and freedom. Keeping these values alive in our society through action and various promotional strategies enables us to progress in accordance with the SDGs. Seeking justice and equality as operational principles for eradicating hunger, providing quality education for all, and maintaining a prominent banner of the right to freedom of choice in a context of respect and peace are expressions of a society that advances, educates itself, unites, and shows solidarity with the plight of others, and is concerned with providing opportunities for all.
Finally, companies are important in creating environments conducive to voluntary action. Volunteering's essence lies in the factors that enable it, as it inspires others even when it is not part of a formal structure. This manifests in a variety of ways, including identifying social and environmental needs and deficiencies.
Corporate volunteering strategies contribute to raising companies' purpose and level of awareness about environmental and stakeholder needs. Let us inspire and facilitate voluntary action to make a greater impact on a common agenda.