Workplace Volunteers Warrant Praise
Businesses Nationwide Recognize Stellar Volunteers During National Volunteer Week

Compiled By Julio Argüello, Jr.

Sponsored by the Points of Light Foundation & Volunteer Center National Network, National Volunteer Week is about thanking one of America's most valuable assets - our volunteers - and calling the public's attention to all that they do to improve our communities. The 2005 theme, "Inspire By Example," truly reflects the power volunteers have to inspire others to serve!

This year during National Volunteer Week, April 17-23, 2005, businesses across the country applauded and celebrated the committed work of their workplace volunteers. Read on to learn how these companies showed their appreciation for employee volunteer efforts:

Best Buy
Best Buy recognized its volunteers via internal communication methods and by recognition. More than 32 Best Buy employees throughout the U.S. received a Presidential Volunteer Service Award during National Volunteer Week. Employees value the Presidential certificates and lapel pins, especially because they can wear the lapel pin to the let others know of their achievement. In addition, employee names appeared on Best Buy's Intranet and additional personal stories were featured in two publications. Big Brothers Big Sisters and Boys and Girls Club traveled to Best Buy's Twin Cities campus to distribute balloons to their volunteers. Best Buy's campus candy vendor, Canteen, also donated five hundred "100 Grand" candy bars that were distributed to all employees, to recognize the 100 percent effort of Best Buy employees.

Citigroup
During National Volunteer Week, Citigroup held two Volunteer Expos in their major buildings in New York City. These Expos featured exhibitors from 20 diverse nonprofit organizations offering volunteer opportunities to Citigroup employees. Citigroup posted the 921 winners of the President's Volunteer Service Award (PVSA) on Citigroup's Intranet. Thanks to the efforts of Greg Kirby, the Points of Light Foundation's Program Associate, Recognition Programs, the awards themselves were ready for distribution in the local marketplaces during that week, should business leaders decide to do their recognition events at that time.

On May 4, 120 New York Citigroup Employees PVSA award winners will be recognized at a breakfast hosted by Citigroup's President and Chief Operating Officer, Bob Willumstad. Other businesses will present their awards at local events at a later date. Citigroup knows that the PVSA award is extremely popular among Citigroup employees and a useful tool for recognizing and honoring these shining stars. This year, Citigroup increased publicity about the Awards and, consequently, increased their numbers by 50% over last year. Knowing their employee volunteers were "out there" somewhere, Citigroup used all communications means at their disposal - Web, targeted e-mails, local promotions, etc. - and encouraged more employees to get involved.

Citigroup utilized the Points of Light Foundation's National Volunteer Week toolkit and logo for their posters and Web postings. In addition, Citigroup sent a link to the Foundation's toolkit to their regional community relations managers for use in their marketplaces.

IBM
National Volunteer Week offers an outstanding opportunity to recognize the success of IBM employees in making tangible, long-term contributions to the communities where they live and work. In 2005, nearly 1,000 U.S. IBM employees will be eligible for recognition through the President's Volunteer Service Awards. Since November 2003, more than 37,000 IBM employees and 4,500 retirees have registered for IBM's primary volunteer program, On Demand Community.

IBM On Demand Community provides the best in IBM technology and know-how to community organizations around the world. The On Demand Community portal provides IBM employees and retirees who volunteer, whether at schools or nonprofit organizations, with more than 150 tools and resources that magnify the value of their service and help them have a more rewarding volunteer experience. Volunteers in 80 countries throughout the world are part of this initiative, and they have logged in excess of 1.3 million hours of community service to date. IBM further supports these volunteers with Community Grants - either cash or technology - for the schools and agencies where they volunteer 40 hours over a five-month period.

On Demand Community is an important initiative that underlines IBM's support for volunteerism around the world, and focuses on the contribution that nonprofit community organizations and schools have identified that they value most - the skills and expertise of IBMers. A global program with a local focus, On Demand Community facilitates IBMers' own volunteer efforts - and provides a concrete vehicle to give IBM's values of success, innovation and personal responsibility added, real-world meaning. IBM is honored to participate in 2005 National Volunteer Week and share the success of their employees in their communities.

KPMG
In the spirit of National Volunteer Week, on April 18, 2005, KPMG announced the implementation of the Volunteer Time Release (VTR) program, which offers all eligible partners and employees up to 12 hours per year to volunteer during KPMG's normal business hours. Last year, the firm's partners and employees donated nearly 150,000 hours to serving communities. The VTR program compliments the significant commitment KPMG employees demonstrate as volunteers, through KPMG's national volunteer program, Involve, as well as on their own, and sustains KPMG's value, "we are committed to our communities."

MCI
MCI employees teamed up to volunteer Time and Talent™ for a Day of Service at local Boys & Girls Clubs in key markets across the country. The company-wide initiative was designed to increase the reach of MCI's Community Relations programs in communities where employees live and work.

Under the direction of Elisa Liang, vice president of MCI Community Relations, local Community Actions Teams in Ashburn, VA; Atlanta, GA; Colorado Springs, CO; Tulsa, OK; and Richardson, TX, worked with local Boys & Girls Clubs to design and execute activities that promoted the power of volunteering.

"National Volunteer Week presents an opportunity for MCI employees to incorporate their skills and experiences to improve the lives of young people," said Ms. Liang.

MCI's philanthropic mission, to use innovative technology, strategies, and employee time and talent to improve the education of youth, especially in underserved communities, was the cornerstone to the success of the program. Through corporate contributions, Internet education and support of school programs, employee volunteers worked in teams to fulfill the need of each club and its members. Volunteer activities included club revitalization, homework support, and tech center updates.

MCI recognizes that their greatest strength lies in the power of its people, committed to inspire youth by example!

Polo Ralph Lauren
Polo Ralph Lauren celebrated National Volunteer Week with a host of activities for its 2,500 employees in the New York and New Jersey area. Featured among the week's activities was a half-day workshop to assess the Polo Volunteers program, which was launched last year, and was designed to develop recommendations to grow the program for the next two to three years.

Polo Ralph Lauren's National Volunteer Week's activities included:

Sun Microsystems, Inc.
Sun Microsystems, Inc. employees organized and participated in more than 100 hands-on volunteer projects for local communities and non-profit organizations during National Volunteer Week. Sun employees contributed more than 5,000 volunteer hours worldwide throughout the week, from London, England, to Sao Paolo, Brazil, to Palo Alto, California. In the U.S., Sun employees volunteered in 85 different service projects designed to give back to the communities where they live and work - from helping an AIDS resource center provide a hot meal to clients in Dallas, Texas, to beach and trail cleanups in the Bay Area, to feeding the homeless in Boston, Massachusetts, and by working at food banks in Denver, Colorado.

Wachovia
Wachovia utilized their corporate Intranet to highlight the projects completed by several of their Wachovia Volunteers! chapters. Furthermore, Wachovia announced the winners of its Employee Volunteer Grants, and Wachovia launched a new program, the Wachovia Student Experience, and employees got to see a new Wachovia commercial featuring Wachovia's commitment to volunteering.

Even though this year's highly successful National Volunteer Week is over, it's not too early to start planning for National Volunteer Week 2006! Our Corporate Volunteer Development team is available to assist you with your workplace volunteering needs. Contact Jennifer Kim, Director, Business Services, JKim@PointsofLight.org , 202-729-8008 or Stacy Blumenthal, Manager, Corporate Volunteer Council Development & Knowledge Management, SBlumenthal@PointsofLight.org , 202-729-8252.