Volunteerism in Action: Lessons from a Global Journey

Yesterday was International Volunteer Day, a perfect moment to reflect on the power of volunteerism to connect people, inspire change, and build community.

When I led corporate philanthropy at PIMCO, one resource was always within arm’s reach on my desk: IAVE's pioneering report, Global Companies Volunteering Globally.

It was like a treasure map – filled with diverse strategies, metrics, and inspiring case studies from companies around the world. That dog-eared booklet became my go-to for reimagining how employee volunteering could serve as a vehicle for connection and impact.

Fast forward nine years later: I got a call from Lorrie Foster, who oversaw IAVE’s Global Corporate Volunteer Council (GCVC). GCVC members had been asking for an updated report with volunteerism trends over the past decade.  

At the time, I was immersed in my work on the 2020 Census, but when Lorrie asked me to serve as the North American consultant for the project, I couldn’t say no!

Together with a team of consultants from across the globe – China, India, Lebanon, South Africa, South Korea, Venezuela, and more – we kicked off the project in Washington, DC, in February 2020. Little did we know that the world was about to change in ways that would profoundly reshape volunteerism.

When the pandemic shut everything down, I initially wondered how we’d move forward. But it turned out to be the perfect time to capture real-time shifts in how companies were adapting their volunteering strategies.

As employees faced unprecedented isolation, volunteerism emerged as a critical tool for fostering connection and purpose.

After hundreds of interviews with global companies (like Apple, Bank of America, FirstRand, Iberdrola, Microsoft, Salesforce, and more), we identified four major opportunities shaping the future of corporate volunteering:

✔️ Reimagining volunteerism in a post-pandemic world
✔️ Scaling for greater impact
✔️ Fostering a volunteer-friendly culture
✔️ Becoming global leaders in volunteerism

The final report, Corporate Volunteering for a Post-Pandemic World (Parts 1 & 2), was published last year. It’s a fantastic resource for any organization looking to strengthen its volunteer programs.

On this day-after-International Volunteer Day, I invite you to explore the findings and consider how volunteerism can build bridges and spark change in your community. 🌍

You can access the report here.

With love and appreciation,

Sarah

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📞AN ACTION YOU CAN TAKE

It’s bonkers, but in the United States, women are still not guaranteed equal rights. Want to do something about that? You can. Call, text, or email President Biden to publish the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA), which would guarantee equality of rights under the law for all persons regardless of sex.

Although the 38 states needed have ratified the ERA, it still has not been published as the 28th Amendment. Publishing the ERA in the Constitution would fortify protections for reproductive healthcare and combat sex and gender discrimination.

Visit this ERA Coalition page to see how you can reach out to President Biden — and to view sample scripts, social media posts, and more.

🏅A WOMEN’S-FOCUSED MEDIA PLATFORM LAUNCHED BY ATHLETES

I’m kind of obsessed with Togethxr, a women’s-focused media platform launched by superstar athletes Alex Morgan, Chloe Kim, Simone Manuel, and Sue Bird in March 2021. It’s a fascinating sports and culture media brand unlike any other — and the company is building community through compelling content.

The four founders built Togethxr after realizing that women make up 44% of all participants in sport yet receive less than 16% of sports media coverage.

Check out the Togethxr website to see all the can’t-miss women’s sports events, athlete videos, upcoming events, and so much more.

💘NONPROFIT LOVE

The late Dr. Gino Strada, an Italian war surgeon and human rights and peace activist, fell into war medicine by chance. In the late 1980s, he wanted to see how the job of a surgeon would look in a low-income country and ended up working in a hospital on the Pakistani-Afghani border. At that hospital, he quickly realized that 90% of the victims were civilians and one third were children – and medical facilities were severely limited. Dr. Strada began to wonder what could be done.

After years of working as a medical surgeon in countries around the world, in 1994, Dr. Strada, along with his late wife Teresa Sarti and other colleagues and friends, founded EMERGENCY, an organization created to provide free, high-quality healthcare to victims of wars, land mines, and poverty.

Since its founding, EMERGENCY has worked in 20+ countries, building hospitals, surgical centers, rehab centers, pediatric centers, health centers, outpatient and mobile clinics, a maternity center, and a cardiac surgery center. EMERGENCY also operates its own search and rescue ship, Life Support, which sails through the Mediterranean Sea, now the most dangerous migration route in the world.

I am in awe of this nonprofit and the people who work there. Definitely check out the EMERGENCY website to learn more.