The Governor’s Office on Volunteerism Survey of Partnerships

Between New Jersey’s Businesses and Non-Profit Organizations

The Governor’s Office on Volunteerism within the New Jersey Department of State and the Governor’s Advisory Council on Volunteerism surveyed the status of partnerships between businesses and non-profit organizations (“business engagement programs”). The survey was sent to companies of all sizes throughout New Jersey, regardless of corporate status, size, employee numbers, or nature of the business. 90 companies responded. They represent all regions of the state:

Region / Counties / Number of Respondents
Northern Region / Bergen, Essex, Hudson, Morris, Passaic, Sussex, Union / 34
Central Region / Mercer, Middlesex, Monmouth, Ocean, Somerset / 28
Southern Region / Atlantic, Burlington, Camden, Cape May, Gloucester / 27

The responding companies vary significantly in terms of numbers of employees:

Number of Employees in Company / Number of Respondents
1-250 / 36
251-500 / 13
501-1,000 / 12
1,001-5,000 / 15
5,001-10,000+ / 11

The respondents represent varied business sectors, including: banking and finance (12 respondents), automotive/travel (4), clothing/retail (2), education/colleges (7), chambers of commerce (5), insurance (7), healthcare (5), law (2), manufacturing (5), marketing/PR/consulting (7), media/technology (6), pharmaceuticals/medical (8), public works/utilities (7).

The vast majority of respondents have volunteer programs:

Yes, have employee volunteer program / 80.00% (72)
No employee volunteer program / 20.00% (18)

However, there is substantial variety with respect to rates of employee participation:

Percentage of Employee Participation / Number of Respondents
Up to 10% employees / 27.27% (18)
Up to 50% / 33.33% (22)
Greater than 50% / 24.24% (16)
Do not track / 15.15% (10)

Respondents’ reasons for having employee volunteer programs:

  • Meet community needs 93.75% (60)
  • Improve/develop relationships with community 85.94% (55)
  • Team building/morale 84.38% (54)
  • Support organizations with goals central to the company’s mission 70.31% (45)
  • Enhance employee skills 65.63% (42)

Respondents’ employees engage in a variety of volunteer activities:

  • Need based drives (food, books, etc.) 93.65% (59)
  • Team service days (site clean, help at soup kitchen) 84.13% (53)
  • Response to emergencies 74.60% (47)
  • Employees authorized to volunteer during work hours 73.02% (46)
  • Skills based 49.21% (31)
  • Dollars for Doers 31.75% (20)

Project development and administration: A substantial majority of respondents include company-wide initiatives: 76.19% (48) vs. 23.81% (15) no such programs. Only 7.81% (5) of the respondents indicate their programs involve only pre-designated volunteer days; all other respondents authorize volunteer activities at other times. Also, businesses select non-profit partners in a variety of ways:

Selection Method/Entity / Percentage of Respondents
Company leadership / 77.08% (37)
Employee recommendation / 72.92% (35)
Non-profit organization application / 43.75% (21)

78.13% (50) of the respondents reported they have assigned dedicated personnel to manage their employee volunteer programs, while 21.88% (14) do not utilize dedicated personnel for this function.

Of those businesses with volunteer programs, the majority use online data tacking systems: Yes 64.06% (41); No 35.94% (23). A minority of these businesses offer recognition events for their employees and non-profit partners: No 58.73% (37); Yes 41.27% (26). Finally, a developing issue is whether companies would be willing to pay a fee to their non-profit partners to help offset costs incurred in association with a business engagement program:Yes 46.77% (29); No 53.23% (33).

The survey raises questions that warrant further discussion:

  1. Are there other ways for companies to determine the return on their investment in volunteerism programs?
  2. Methods for administration of employee programs, including management involvement and data tracking.
  3. Pros and cons of company-wide initiatives vs. employee-initiated volunteer activity?
  4. The value of recognizing volunteers.
  5. Whether businesses should be prepared to pay a fee to the non-profits to help cover costs?
  6. Benefits of including retirees in employee volunteer programs?
  7. Value ofsurveyingnon-profit organizations’ views and needs concerning these partnerships?

The Governor’s Office on Volunteerism and the Governor’s Advisory Council on Volunteerism extend sincere thanks to the Business Engagement Steering Committee of the Governor’s Advisory Council on Volunteerism, the Lieutenant Governor’s Business Action Center, New Jersey State Chamber of Commerce, Chamber of Commerce Southern New Jersey, Somerset County Business Partnership, Council of New Jersey Grantmakers, and Bergen Volunteer Center for their valuable assistance with this survey. We greatly appreciate the guidance of Karen R. Uricoli, Director of Development, Institute for Ethical Leadership, Rutgers Business School.

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