Building resilience in communities worldwide is essential to responding to natural and human-made disasters. But what does that mean? Resilience in communities looks like the ability to resist, absorb, accommodate to and recover from the effects of disaster. Non-governmental Organizations (NGOs) around the world understand how to support communities and build their resilience. Today, more than ever, that role is essential.
“Disasters are becoming more frequent, they’re stronger and they’re more expensive,“ said Meghan Foley, a disaster preparedness and response expert with more than a decade of hands-on experience. “The government alone can’t handle the capacity of what’s needed. The nonprofit and NGO community are the trusted community members on the ground, and they know their people and they know their needs.”
Agnieszka Lissowska-Lewkowicz, president of Points of Light Global Network affiliate and Polish NGO
, agrees. When the Ukraine war began, the organization had a steep learning curve. Faced with the influx of what would ultimately become 1.5 million refugees crossing the border to safety, Agnieszka and her small staff began to learn the ins and outs of disaster response in real time.
“We never worked before on a disaster response. It was very difficult for us,” said Agnieszka. “The first period was very intense, making our everyday work almost impossible, but we quickly understood that long-term help is needed and the systematic approach.”
Nonprofits and NGOs are increasingly taking on the disaster management cycle as events increase in frequency and intensity. Because their life force stems from the volunteers who power their work and the communities they serve, facing disaster can become more manageable when community members think and act with intent.
Learning the Terms
What is the Disaster Management Cycle?
The Disaster Management Cycle is a framework that defines the stages of a disaster. It comprises four phases: resiliency, preparedness, response and recovery.
Every community is in one of these four phases right now.
The first and second, the “blue sky” phases, are critical planning opportunities. Actions taken during these times reduce the severity of impacts on a community and its people. The third and fourth phases, known as the “gray sky”, occur after a disaster. Depending on the extent of a disaster, a community can remain in recovery for a long time.
What is the Points of Light Civic Circle?
The Civic Circle helps people connect to opportunities and understand that doing good comes in many forms. It represents the power to lead, lend support and take action for causes you care about so that you can drive real and sustained change.
Overlay the Civic Circle onto the Disaster Management Cycle, and it becomes clear when and how to take actions that support communities.
How Do The Disaster management cycle and the civic circle Work Together?
When you parse out the nine elements of the Civic Circle, you can start to see how they align with the four phases of the Disaster Management Cycle, no matter which phase of the cycle your community is in.
New Disaster Planning Guide from Points of Light and The Allstate Foundation
today made possible in partnership with The Allstate Foundation, and created by Points of Light.
Resiliency, one of the “blue sky” phases, is an excellent time to focus on using your voice to advocate for policies, resources, and infrastructure in your community. Advocate for those assets that help keep your community safe, such as a warning siren or restoration of the environment.
During preparedness, another one of the “blue sky” phases, consider volunteering with an organization that’s doing work that resonates with you, or serve your elderly neighbors by checking in with them and discuss their plans in the event of an emergency.
Once a disaster has happened and the community is in response mode, you might donate to a local organization doing response and recovery work in your community. Donating money is often the most useful resource for nonprofits and NGOs, and choosing a local outlet is the best way for your dollars to have the biggest impact. If you are thinking of donating items, like clothing or toiletries, it’s essential to do so at the right time and place. Otherwise, your act of goodwill may do unintentional harm. Follow the guidance of responders on the ground.
Volunteering may not be as straightforward as you imagine. The first rule of thumb is to never self-deploy. Although your intentions may be good, when you skip the step of working through a trusted organization, you may end up causing harm. Organizations responding to disaster are dealing with vulnerable people who are undergoing trauma, which is why volunteers working with these populations often must undergo background checks and complete specialized training. To be best positioned to serve when disaster comes, sign up with a trusted organization now.
William Cabaniss prepares his homemade vanilla extract which he sells through his nonprofit Vanilla Feeds Tomorrow to raise money in order to fight food insecurity. Courtesy William Cabaniss
Finally, the “gray sky” time of recovery can go on for a long time, so this is the phase where sustained efforts carry the most value. Support a social entrepreneur, or a person who has identified a need that has not been met by traditional institutions, structures and systems. These innovators often lead creative solutions that can support disaster response and recovery. Take Daily Point of Light Honoree 14-year-old
, who sold more than $45,000 in vanilla extract, donating the proceeds to Second Harvest Food Bank of East Tennessee.
As always, volunteering is the backbone of how nonprofits and NGOs deliver their missions to serve their communities. There is always a volunteer gap once media attention wanes, so consider how you can continue to support an 18 to 24-month-longprocess of rebuilding and recovery. Long-term recovery groups need help rebuilding homes, offering translation services, and providing pro bono legal and financial advice. Choosing an organization now that does work that resonates with you is a good way to ensure you’re trained and ready to help when disaster comes.
“We knew that for those Ukrainians who stayed we have to offer some long-term help,” said Agnieszka. “And that this help has to be wise, focused not on the basics needs but on social adaptation, work, education, psychological help. So, we needed specialists, cooperation between different organizations regarding their experience and funds.”
Centrum Wolontariatu shifted its focus to long-term recovery and assimilation, helping displaced Ukrainians to learn Polish, find jobs, get support in building new lives in Warsaw.
The organization’s learnings reflect what disaster preparedness experts know all too well. Responding to disaster requires a multi-pronged approach, both from the organizations responding and community members themselves. Disasters can often feel chaotic, but by understanding the cycle, you can feel empowered to take hold of each phase by taking action that builds resilience in your own community.
Virtual Volunteering Best Practices: 4 Ways to Support Remote Employee Volunteers
Use the best practices listed below to determine how you might work with a partner on virtual volunteer projects. The Israeli Council for Volunteering has also published a list of guidance to share with virtual volunteers.
Virtual volunteering has likely become a mainstay within your company’s employee community engagement strategy by now. Perhaps you dabbled in it before the pandemic, but now there’s an increased demand to find ways to involve your remote and hybrid coworkers as well as those who can’t easily make it to an in-person project taking place at a location separate from your offices.
As you know, volunteering online is markedly different from participating in volunteering in the traditional sense. For example, there’s usually more flexibility in the use of a volunteer’s time, potentially a greater degree of independence and very little (if any) interaction with various nonprofit staff members or the volunteer’s own colleagues. These nuances might appeal greatly to certain segments of your employee volunteer population.
Before you recruit volunteers to help an organization remotely, discuss the project’s description and associated tasks along with outcome expectations with your nonprofit partner. You’ll also need to review any organizational policies that your company and your nonprofit partner have put in place to avoid risks and handle confidentiality of shared information (if applicable).
Considerations for Virtual Volunteering
Determine your volunteers’ readiness
Do they have regular, ongoing access to the internet?
Will the company allow them to utilize company-issued equipment to complete the volunteer assignments or sign on to the technology platform that your nonprofit partner provides?
Depending on the type of virtual volunteer projects you are developing, are employee volunteers comfortable working on their own, without constant or direct supervision?
Is this the right time for volunteers to take on a virtual project? Make sure you are aware of upcoming milestones or work cycles that might hinder participation, even though it’s virtual. Often volunteers feel great about the timeline to complete a project when they first sign up, but other professional and personal obligations can get in the way of delivering on time. The last thing you want is to leave the nonprofit with unmet needs.
Define a schedule to complete the project
Will you create a set time of day or week when volunteers will work on virtual assignments? Develop a timeline, however approximate, for volunteers to complete the tasks your organization has committed to do. Obviously, if this is an episodic or time-limited project, it will be a lot easier to manage its completion.
Set up a communications routine with your nonprofit partner
Report regularly on the progress employee volunteers are making against the tasks assigned. This is especially true if it’s a skills-based volunteer project that involves a team of volunteers representing different business functions. Review what you’ve accomplished, and what your immediate next activities will be. Ask questions! It doesn’t have to be a large, involved report; just a short, friendly update will do.
Find ways to motivate your virtual volunteers
Should your volunteer project timeline last over the course of several weeks, check in with your employee teams to ensure they’re focused on achieving the outcomes that were agreed upon in conversation with your nonprofit partners. Because these projects are somewhat “out of sight, out of mind,” use varying communication methods and incentives to inspire employee volunteers to follow-through until completion.
Finally, if your employee volunteers happen to be working on a skills-based project on behalf of your NGO partner, make sure you’ve built sustainability into the project’s associated tasks. You want to ensure that your employee volunteers have documented their process or can be reached if troubleshooting is required.
Remind your volunteer teams that nonprofits often work with limited resources and they may need to work within confined budgets and with the staff they have on hand. The most important part of the virtual volunteer project is ensuring that what you leave behind works — and can be sustained by your nonprofit partner.
National Preparedness Month: 4 Pathways to Community Empowerment
This is the first in a five-part blog series around National Preparedness Month.
, which means disaster and how we respond to it is top of mind for many. That’s what prompted us to speak with two renowned disaster preparedness and response experts to get their best advice:
, a disaster preparedness and response expert with more than a decade of hands-on experience. They shared their perspective on their work, which has resulted in a five-part blog series, our answer to National Preparedness Month, and begins with this open letter from them both.
There are things each of us can do to foster community empowerment that will mitigate the effects of disaster on the people and places we know and love. These actions are critical to building resilient communities. To nonprofit/NGO crisis leadership teams, corporate citizenship team and anyone who recognizes the urgency we face around climate change, the disasters it can spawn, and the urgency of cultivating our response to those disasters, this series is for you.
is a resource that offers insights and strategies to empower you to take action before, during and after a disaster. You’ll also learn how to be an advocate for those affected by disasters.
, temperature shifts alone can have significant impacts on communities, causing more than five million deaths each year globally from excessively hot or cold conditions. And these extremes inevitably exacerbate natural and human-made disasters, both in severity and frequency. As disasters happen around the world, more people are scrambling to deal with the far-reaching consequences. It is not a matter of if but when these aspects of climate change affect all the communities where we live and work.
Considerations for National Preparedness Month
Take Care of Yourself and Your Family
Advance planning is the key to staying safe during a disaster. There are plenty of things you can do now to prepare for an emergency:
Figure out in advance how you would get to your nearest safe shelter and how you would communicate with loved ones if cell towers are down, for example, by purchasing a long-distance calling card.
Build an emergency kit that goes beyond nonperishable food and water to include prescription medications, important documents, batteries and local maps. This kit should sustain your household for seven days.
Don’t forget to safeguard your important documents. You may consider using a fireproof and waterproof box or safe.
If possible, save funds for an emergency. Ask yourself: how much money can I save each month? For many, saving a little at a time works best.
Take Care of Staff and Volunteers
Whether activating from an NGO, nonprofit or corporate perspective, prior to responding to a local disaster, work cross-functionally to create a staffing plan for those working throughout a disaster. Consider operations, HR, social impact, and other organizational functions, depending on your business model. Businesses should talk to NGO partners to understand their strengths in times of disaster and understand how, when and if a giving campaign will come into play. No matter what, start meeting with your team as soon as disaster is on the radar.
Outline shifts that account for both working hours and days off. Building rotation into your schedule in advance staves off burn out by allowing responders to mentally prepare for and maintain their work/life balance, knowing when they will be off duty.
Choose appropriate and safe volunteer opportunities that allow your organization to respond to a disaster in real time while keeping staff and volunteers safe. Train staff in standard policies and procedures to ensure volunteers are following safety protocols. Most importantly, teach staff how to make an informed decision in the absence of all information. This singular effort will empower them to be nimble and flexible in responding to community needs.
Before a disaster, plan what types of volunteer response activities your organization can support such as staffing heat relief or warming shelters. For organizations planning outdoor volunteer activities, consider policies that will keep participants safe. Annually review your volunteer safety policies and protocols. Create transparency with all stakeholders around when an event will be postponed, canceled, or moved to a different venue. When working in the field, orient volunteers on your natural and human-made disaster protocols.
Amplify Messaging from Local Experts and Officials
Often, word of mouth travels quickly in the disaster aftermath, which means it’s essential to review and update standard operating procedures and have a communication plan ready ahead of time. To combat misinformation, use your organization’s voice to support messaging from emergency management officials and reputable sources. Share safety tips on your organization’s social media channels. Promote messaging from trusted and experienced organizations around immediate food, shelter and safety community resources, and be sure to use familiar and simple terms everyone can understand.
Educate your followers on what they can do to be helpful, for example, by donating to a local nonprofit or NGO. While it may seem blunt to say, the truth is, what is most helpful to these organizations is money. Donating dollars means responders can get what they need in the right quantities, and if infrastructure isn’t wiped out, they can source from local businesses to help boost the economy.
Also, while it’s understandable that people want to jump in right away to help, communicate with your audience that patience is essential. It’s critically important to the safety and wellbeing of all to allow trained officials to deploy and restore operations in the impacted area.
Above all, organizations should communicate with compassion, concern and empathy while recognizing that people who are impacted by a disaster are likely experiencing stress, loss and suffering.
Expand Your Impact
Consider how to use the nine elements of the Points of Light Civic Circle®. Provide opportunities to listen and learn about climate change. Match community members with organizations doing advocacy work on how to cool down our planet or encourage people to use their Purchase Power to support ecofriendly and sustainable businesses. Combine Civic Circle elements to strengthen your impact.
Social impact leaders, this time is an opportunity to connect the everyday work you do to systemic issues. When it comes down to it, preparation and forethought are the best tools we have in addressing real and sustained change. So, even if you don’t have experience in disaster response, you can use your skills in tackling big, challenging problems. Our strongest assets are our grit, determination and collective knowledge, which means we can stay cool, no matter the temperature.
Find Your 9/11 Day of Service Volunteer Opportunity
Each year, on September 11, we mourn the 2,996 people who lost their lives in the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center in New York City. We honor those who were injured, the people who risked their lives to save others, and all who demonstrated extraordinary compassion in the aftermath. And we work together to do good work that uplifts our communities and takes back this day.
One point of light in the darkness of that day is the
, a chance to turn the anniversary of 9/11 into a day of doing good. It is an annual call to action to unite communities. This day, now officially recognized under federal law, has become the largest day of service in the United States.
Previously, we provided some
in this year’s 9/11 National Day of Service and Remembrance, and now we’re focusing on volunteer opportunities that you can participate in. Plan your day of service now by considering these opportunities or visit Points of Light’s
to pay tribute to the thousands of heroes who rose in service during and after the attacks on September 11, 2001. This event will be held at the Frank Hotchkin Memorial Training Center and will feature several projects, including creating Disaster Preparedness Kits for the community and beautifying the center through maintenance and gardening. Find
on this year’s 9/11 Day of Service in celebrating, recognizing and honoring the nation’s Mid-South firefighters. The organization is hosting a commemorative rally, lunch and honor hour to shower appreciation and serve meals to over 800 firefighters.
in helping get critical supplies into the hands of economically disadvantaged school-aged youth. Teaching Tools for Hillsborough Schools is organizing a 9/11 Day of Service event where volunteers can help sort donations, re-package items, create literacy tools and more.
is also hosting an event with one of its strategic community partners, Meals on Wheels, to pack and deliver food items to homebound clients across the Tampa Bay area. Check
for more information. Across the bay in St. Petersburg, United Way Suncoast is also offering an opportunity for volunteers to serve at the Campbell Park Food Pantry. Find out how you can
are bringing volunteers together to honor the fallen through headstone cleaning and washing, tree mulching and spraying, painting, cleaning and sweeping, garbage pickup and more.
Empowering Employee Voice: Tools and Strategies for Workplace Engagement
Voice represents an individual’s ability to influence their network and interpersonal connections — including people they don’t even know — to raise awareness, advocate for, promote, protest or advance a cause or social issue.
In recent years, young people have regularly exercised their voices by uplifting issues, convincing peers to vote, calling out for racial justice and spurring social change. In fact, according to Cause and Social Influence’s
, two of the top five actions that young people (aged 18-30) took were signing a petition and posting and sharing content on social issues via social media.
But what happens when personal and professional lives blur?
Every day, younger generations are entering the workforce with heightened social awareness and a passion for action. Millennials and Gen Z alike are demanding that brands take stands and are using their own voices to invite others to join them in supporting causes.
Employee voice manifests in the workplace in several ways:
Internally, employees may object to business practices that go against stated corporate or personal values. We’ve seen several examples of this, from employees walking out in protest of organizations their employer does business with to employees unionizing in order to demonstrate their desire to work for an employer that authentically lives up to its values.
Externally, employees can use their individual and collective voice to demonstrate support for causes they’re personally passionate about and to help raise awareness for the social issues their employer is working to solve. Sometimes an employee’s personal passions may not align with company policy or values, which can be construed as distracting if brought into the work environment. Think of news stories of employees being prevented from wearing apparel with certain slogans to work or being fired after it’s revealed that they participated in protests. In contrast, some employers provide paid time off to march, vote or serve in public office, and some even offer bail funds to employees arrested while peacefully protesting in support of a corporate cause area.
Employee voice in the workplace comes with opportunities and challenges and can highlight a potentially detrimental double standard – when an employer supports employees raising their voice for corporate impact areas yet limits employees from supporting the issues they care about personally.
Companies are so diverse in the composition of their workforce, the causes important to their business, their internal practices and processes and, most importantly, their tolerance for risk.
What role do you play in empowering employee voice while also improving specific social conditions based on your corporate social impact strategy?
To help navigate the timely issue of employee activism, we’ve created a checklist of considerations to guide internal conversations around empowering employee voice and minding that double standard.
Advocacy Education & Training
Now is the time to integrate opportunities for employee education, not just about the issues in our world but also how and when to use voice in the workplace.
Do you have resources available that offer the education and skills employees need to operate as “active bystanders” and engage in inclusive and important conversations? Are you highlighting these educational opportunities and tools as often as possible and sharing them with new recruits? Are there specific teams that need additional training on certain issues like bias and discrimination, whether they deal with fellow employees, customers or your nonprofit partners and beneficiaries? Are you ensuring that they are informed about the company’s actions on any relevant current events? Can these educational opportunities be fully integrated into professional development plans and your company’s learning management system?
Communication & Conversations
There is no question: employees want to hear clearly and unambiguously about the values of their organization and their leaders and be provided with an outlet to share their own.
How often are employees hearing from their supervisors or senior leadership team on issues that affect the business but also affect the communities in which their employer operates? Has your company hosted meetings, town halls or frontline forums when the C-Suite or senior leaders present changes within the organization and invite employees to ask questions and share ideas? Does that include invitations to be included in follow-up conversations, further thinking and implementation? How often has your employer reiterated having an open-door policy to middle management?
If your company or CEO has made a public statement in support of a cause like women’s rights or in reaction to criticized business practices, are you ensuring that these statements are followed up on with status reports and real change rather than performative actions? Have you explored how employees might be encouraged to add their support?
Internal Networks
Building supportive communities for employees to advance social causes that are significant to their employer and important to them personally allows them a place to collectively advocate for change and raise awareness amongst their peers.
Are your affinity networks or employee resource groups given the support they need to be effective in their work? Is your company relying on them to solve problems that need to be solved elsewhere or by others? Are they being considered a “silver bullet” to mitigate a public-facing issue? For example, ERGs have played an outsized role recently related to racial injustice. So be cognizant of their needs, whether that means additional training, time and space to reflect, or minimizing undue burden. For more guidance, re-read Triple Pundit’s interesting take on the cost of asking too much of ERGs here and Sector Executive Media’s recent take on paying ERG leaders here.
Organizational Policies
Policies provide guidance, consistency, accountability, efficiency and clarity on how an organization operates. They should be written without bias to emphasize civility and respect and ensure that all employees feel they belong.
When was the last time your company policy around social media usage was reviewed? If more risk averse, have you provided boilerplate disclaimers that employees can easily insert into their social profiles as they use those platforms?
What about your corporate dress code policy? What does it imply to employees? Have you thought about when and where company-branded or volunteer program-branded shirts can be worn outside of company-organized, in-person volunteering? Can you create a policy or set of approved guidelines that balance the need for personal passions and public expression of what the company supports?
Has the company reviewed Paid Time Off policies and enhanced benefits to include taking time off to vote, volunteer, peacefully march or serve in a public role?
Have you provided tools for employees to voice their opinions on organizational policies and instructions for seeking change?
Technology Tools
For large employers and for those savvy in technology, you might consider using online surveys and regular pulse checks to gauge the internal climate and find out more from your employees.
How often are you using these tools to check in and, just as important, how often are you sharing the results and the actions the company will take based on those results? Ensure these tools are deployed consistently but not so often that they become unnecessary noise or tedious to respond to. While the notion of a “suggestion box” is old school, is there a more modern version that can be deployed through internal communication channels like Slack where employees can see what others are voicing and vote on what needs swift action?
After surveying employees, is the company encouraging managers to hold team sessions to review results, discuss top areas of success and improvements, and build action plans together?
This list of considerations will help you in your quest to empower employees to use their voice and feel supported at their workplace. No matter what tools your company decides to implement to support internal and external employee activism, embrace transparency and authenticity in words, actions and practices. Our greatest chance for success at moving the needle on many of the social issues facing our world is for both corporate voices and individual voices to be amplified and acted on to create positive change.
Voice is just one element of civic engagement that Points of Light explores in our digital magazine, “Civic Life Today.” You can read the edition on Voice
Beyond the Paycheck: Research on Employment and Wages
Strong employment opportunities and healthy wages have a singular ability to transform the lives of individuals, their families and communities at large. They can boost local economies, create safer neighborhoods, increase civic engagement and foster more prosperous societies.
And while we may be living in a time of global anxiety about inflation and a potential recession, we – as individuals and companies – have the power to change the current status quo on issues like employment and wages. We can use our collective voices, resources, knowledge and time to create a brighter, more financially secure future for all.
“Pressure and expectation for companies to be socially responsible has never been higher,” said Katie Stearns, chief global corporate solutions officer at Points of Light. “Points of Light’s research offers some insights into those expectations and can help business leaders identify where to start as they align employee engagement and retention with CSR and talent development programs.”
Read on to access insights from Points of Light’s research on
found that people are especially concerned about employment (38%) and wages (33%) compared to other issues. Gen X is the generation most concerned with employment (41%), followed by Millennials (40%), Gen Z (38%) and Baby Boomers (35%), with only a six-point difference between the generations most and least concerned.
When it comes to wages, Millennials are the generation most concerned (36%), followed by Gen Z (35%), Gen X (33%) and Baby Boomers (27%). In fact, Points of Light’s 2022 report
revealed employment (job creation) and wages (increasing minimum wage) as two of the top social issues for Millennials. Respondents that identified as female (30%), Black American (33%) and earning $50,000-$99,999 (33%) were most concerned about wages.
Men and Women Have Different Priorities
Forty percent of men and 36% of women said early employment, or jobs at the beginning of a career, was one of their top areas of concern, while 34% of women and 31% of men identified wages as one of their top areas of concern. Men rate higher on concerns about early employment compared to women, whereas women rate higher on concerns about wages compared to men. This suggests that for men, gaining and maintaining employment are more top of mind, whereas women are more preoccupied with the pay their employers provide.
These analyses are backed up by the Bureau of Labor and Statistics’ report Women in the labor force: a data book, which found that in 2021, the U.S. unemployment rate was 5.2% for women and a slightly higher 5.5% for men. That same year, full-time working women were paid significantly less than their male counterparts at only 83 cents to the dollar.
“The empowerment of women is all about rights and equitable societies,” said Daily Points of Light honoree
. “Empowerment includes the action of raising the status of women through education, awareness, literacy and training.”
Taking a closer look at the gender pay gap, there was an even greater pay disparity for Black and Hispanic women. While the median weekly income for full-time working women of all races was $912, it was only $776 for Black women and $718 for Hispanic women. Additionally, “Black women and Hispanic women had higher jobless rates (8.0% and 7.2%, respectively) than Asian women and white women (5.1% and 4.6%, respectively). Men’s unemployment rates exhibited a similar pattern. The rate for Black men (9.2%) was higher than those for Hispanic men (6.5%), Asian men (4.9%) and white men (4.8%).”
These are far from the only instances of employment inequity across race and ethnicity. The Bureau of Labor and Statistics report identified that in 2021, the overall unemployment rate for the United States averaged 5.3%, but the rate varied across race and ethnicity groups. The unemployment rate averaged 8.6% for Blacks; 8.2% for American Indians and Alaska Natives; 8.2% for people of Two or More Races; 6.9% for Native Hawaiians and Other Pacific Islanders; 5.0% for Asians; and 4.7% for whites. The unemployment rate was 6.8% for Hispanics.”
See how Daily Point of Light Award honoree Robert Quintero promotes gender and cultural diversity in the workplace by advocating for the advancement of historically excluded and underrepresented young women in their careers.
KEY TAKEAWAYS
An intersectional analysis of these generational, gender and racial differences shows that there is widespread concern about employment and wages across all ages for people in their prime working years. Yet, on average, women are paid significantly less than men, especially Black and Hispanic women, a demographic that also sees higher rates of unemployment, as do Black and Hispanic men.
Knowing these data points can help us understand who the issues of employment and wages affect most and where we can best position our resources to create the greatest impact. For those who wish to take action and drive real, sustained change, the
is a framework that helps individuals connect to opportunities and understand that doing good comes in many forms from volunteering to voting to using your purchase power.
“Change starts with you,” said The Launch Project founder
. “Small steps lead to significant impact, and everyone has the ability to make a difference.”
See how Daily Point of Light Award honoree Sahana Ahuja takes on gender inequality by empowering girls to pursue fields in which women have been historically underrepresented.
TAKING ACTION ON EMPLOYMENT AND WAGES
WHY AND HOW INDIVIDUALS ARE TAKING ACTION
Points of Light’s research on employment and wages asked why people are inclined to take action on these issues. Respondents said:
It makes me feel good to do something for others (employment: 43%, wages: 36%).
I believe the actions of one person can go a long way in making a difference (employment: 34%, wages: 32%).
A close friend and/or family member of mine has been impacted (employment: 27%, wages 32%).
We also looked into how people are choosing to take action.
On the issue of employment, 70% of respondents intentionally helped someone else (volunteered) and this was also identified as one of the most influential actions taken (83%).
80% made a charitable donation to a cause or organization.
70% took time to learn about the cause or social issue.
69% posted or shared content on social media.
As with employment, volunteering was the most popular action on the issue of wages. 64% of respondents intentionally helped someone else (volunteered) and identified this as the most influential action taken (73%). Furthermore:
60% took time to learn about the cause or social issue, which tied with volunteering for the perceived most influential action taken (73%).
65% posted or shared content on social media.
72% volunteered in person with a cause or organization.
See how Daily Point of Light Award honoree Shyla Talluri and her organization PURE (People for Urban and Rural Education) fight poverty by offering educational opportunities to under-resourced children and economic opportunities to their families.
UNPACKING THE DATA
Our Data Deep Dives show that one-third of people around the world are already concerned about employment and wages, and with ongoing discussions around the possibility of a recession, these issue areas will likely increase in importance on a great scale.
In our research on wages, the more financially inclined actions people can take toward this issue area, like donating and using their purchase power, did not make the list of Top Actions Taken or Most Influential Actions, nor did voting. So, even though a sizable portion of the global population is concerned about wages, and they or someone close to them has been directly implicated by this issue area, it will likely ultimately be up to the government and companies to drive more substantial change.
Take action now through in-person and virtual volunteer opportunities with Points of Light.
THE CENTRAL ROLE OF BUSINESSES IN THE ISSUES OF EMPLOYMENT AND WAGES
revealed that “economic optimism has collapsed globally (from 50% to 40%), with half of the countries surveyed showing a year-over-year double-digit decline in the belief that their families will be better off in five years’ time.” Fascinatingly and alarmingly, “Personal economic fears such as job loss (89%) and inflation (74%) are on par with urgent societal fears like climate change (76%), nuclear war (72%) and food shortages (67%).”
“Business is now viewed as the only global institution to be both competent and ethical” the report boldly stated, with business holding a “staggering 53-point lead over government in competence” and “29 points ahead on ethics.” Edelman CEO Richard Edelman declared: “The increased perception of business as ethical brings with it higher than ever expectations of CEOs to be a leading voice on societal issues. By a six-to-one margin, on average, respondents want more societal involvement by business on issues such as… economic inequality and workforce reskilling.”
Another Edelman article, albeit from the height of the pandemic, stated: “employees are now considered to have unprecedented material impact on a business,” even more so than customers, shareholders and communities the business serves. Referencing the
, the article stated that a staggering “90% of consumers in 12 markets said that brands must do everything they can to protect the well-being and financial security of their employees, even if it meant suffering significant financial losses; otherwise, their brand loyalty would be impacted.”
So, how can companies meaningfully support their employees, who are now at an all-time high value, as well as address the dual issue of employment and wages, of which they are a central player? In our report on
, 75% of global respondents and 72% of U.S. respondents agreed that seeing a company treat its employees well and provide fair pay and good benefits, including paid sick and parental leave, would help increase their trust in that company’s social issue efforts.
See how Daily Point of Light Award honoree Victor Rivera is enabling low-to-moderate income people and communities to improve their quality of life through his work with organizations focused on education, financial literacy and entrepreneurship.
SMALL BUSINESSES, OUTSIZED IMPACT
Small businesses, with their personability and local connections, are particularly well-positioned to move the needle on employment and wages. Points of Light’s report
found that the majority of the public shops at small businesses (nearly two-thirds of respondents purchased from a small business within the last month) and 40% of individuals “often” look for information on a small business’ social issue involvement.
We believe that – regardless of size – companies, their employees and their stakeholders can drive transformative social change when they work at the intersection of community needs, employee interests and company resources and priorities. Small businesses are built to wield influence at this intersection. For instance:
Today’s small business owners are already engaged in supporting social issues.
These small business owners are already exceeding whatever expectations the public has of them to be involved in the social issues of our time.
Small business owners are highly trusted individuals in their communities.
People are open to learning about social issues from small business owners.
Small business owners believe speaking out has the most influence on initiatives important to the public. Half of the public and two-thirds of small business owners ranked speaking out as “pretty important” or “essential.” Providing resources or opportunities for the community to learn about social issues is important to the public and essential to small business owners.
The public and small business owners agree that supporting local issues through both volunteer and non-volunteer (informal) activities is important. Small business owners felt slightly stronger about participating in supportive social issue activities than the public, though both groups said it was important.
The same goes for encouraging others to vote to influence local social issues. Both small business owners (61%) and the public (51%) generally agreed that small businesses should encourage people to vote as a way to influence local social issues, ranking this action as “pretty important” or “essential.”
HOW COMPANIES AND INDIVIDUALS CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE
The best way for companies to prove their commitment to the causes of employment and wages is to show, not tell. Raise wages, at the very least enough to cover inflation and provide a living wage to workers. Provide strong benefits that empower employees to learn and grow on the job and to carry out their work responsibilities with peace of mind for their personal lives. Broadcast actions taken and encourage other companies to follow suit. These actions will compound to create competition for high-quality, low-turnover jobs held by productive, engaged and fulfilled employees.
And for individuals: listen and learn, use your voice, donate, volunteer and vote. Every one of us has the ability to be a point of light in creating a better world for employment and wages, and every other issue we care about.
Share Points of Light’s Deep Dives on Employment and Wages with those in your life who want to learn more about these issue areas and join in making a meaningful impact.
Key CSR Insights from The Civic 50 Honorees of 2023
honors the most community-minded companies in the nation that are leading the way across four dimensions: investment of resources, integration across business functions, institutionalization through policies and systems, and impact measurement. The 2023 honorees top the charts on all fronts, and there’s much to learn from them.
4 key CSR insights from The Civic 50 to bring back to your organization:
1. Financial Generosity
In terms of financial and in-kind donations, The Civic 50 honorees have gotten more generous over the years, contributing an average of .55% of revenue in 2023 (up from .34% in 2019). By comparison, data from CECP find that most U.S companies, on average, donate the equivalent of .18% of revenue. Not every organization will have equal capacities for generosity, but you can explore more intricate approaches to philanthropy.
2. Internally Oriented Programming
The Civic 50 have steadily increased the percentage of employees participating in internal company volunteering, such as employee resource groups and green teams, from an average of 33% in 2019 to 54% in 2023. Conversely, lockdown and other factors reduced the average percentage of The Civic 50’s employees involved in external volunteering, such as packing meals at a soup kitchen or serving on a nonprofit board, from 40% to 31% during those same five years.
3. Strategic Integration of Community Efforts
Community engagement has become more central to business management. The percentage of The Civic 50 honorees that discuss community engagement in corporate board meetings has steadily increased from 86% in 2019 to 98% in 2023. Similarly, 2023 is the first year in which a majority of The Civic 50 honorees leveraged community engagement to support each of the 11 major business functions, including purchasing, skill development and marketing. The takeaway: corporate social impact is at its best when it is fully integrated with business operations.
4. Commitment to Social Justice
The percentage of honorees that focused their community involvement on civil/human rights, equality, equity and inclusion increased from 24% pre-pandemic to 52% in 2021. It’s now at 60%, making social justice that number one cause area. Similarly, the percentage of The Civic 50 that formally consider the diversity of board and staff in selecting partner nonprofits increased from 44% in 2021 (the first year this data was available) to 64% this year. If the increased attention to social justice (and disaster response during the pandemic) has reduced focus on other cause areas, it appears to have done so only modestly. Research has shown that both your employees and the general public care more than ever about not only whether but also how your organization takes a stand.
The Civic 50 honorees demonstrate deeper and more sophisticated corporate social impact. Learn more about how to take your company’s strategies to the next level by downloading the full
Dollars for Doers Programs: A Guide to Employee-Driven Contributions for Nonprofits
Imagine a program that transforms every moment of employee volunteerism into an additional catalyst for impactful change. That’s the power of a “Dollars for Doers” initiative, which some companies might call volunteer or community service grants. Not only does it amplify the positive footprint of your company’s corporate social responsibility efforts, but it also ignites a virtuous cycle of employee engagement and community upliftment.
With Dollars for Doers, you’re not just recognizing volunteerism, you’re supercharging it. By converting every hour volunteered into monetary support, your employees are doubling down on turning goodwill into measurable impact.
As CSR leaders, you’ll witness the ripple effect firsthand: increased employee morale, stronger community relationships and a tangible demonstration of your company’s commitment to creating a better world. It’s more than just a program; it’s a dynamic expression of corporate values that has the potential to improve the lives of both employees and recipients. Let’s take a deeper look at this employer-sponsored but employee-driven program.
A “Dollars for Doers” (D4D) program in its simplest form is a corporate philanthropic initiative that encourages employees to engage in volunteerism by providing monetary donations to the nonprofit organizations where they volunteer their time. It’s part reward and part incentive by allowing the employee to donate their time to an organization, while the company acknowledges its employees’ dedication by donating cash to the same cause, therefore allowing the employee to theoretically “give twice.” It’s becoming increasingly popular among companies and
tells us that 59% are offering this as part of their social impact strategy.
Dollars for Doers: What to Know
Advantages
Provides employees with a way to direct company dollars to causes and organizations they support.
Recognizes and reinforces employees’ contributions of time and energy for community organizations.
Provides data for tracking volunteering involvement, which is helpful in developing new programs and communicating the program’s success.
Can be used to support specific company-sponsored activities or partners.
Disadvantages
Requires the development, implementation and monitoring of specific company policies and procedures.
Depending on employer-defined guidelines, it can be difficult for employees to hit thresholds and take advantage of the program. In fact, though widely offered, it’s rumored to be one of the least utilized community engagement offerings due to high thresholds, restrictions, communication challenges and lack of supportive policies to enable its use.
Running the program may be costly and requires a strategy for determining qualifying organizations and activities.
The specifics of a Dollars for Doers program varies from one company to another, including factors like the donation rate, maximum contribution limits, eligible nonprofit organizations, eligible activities, and reporting mechanisms. Some companies tailor their programs to align with their focus areas and strategic partners while others allow Dollars for Doers to support the causes that employees care about personally.
Here’s a general overview of how it often works:
Eligibility Requirements: Consider the types of organizations and activities that you want to make eligible for the program along with any restrictions on employee eligibility. Use this time to also determine the value of a volunteer hour and any miniums or thresholds.
Budget: Determine how much money to set aside to fund the program by analyzing your current volunteer efforts, participation rate and the grant dollars you can allocate. This should also include the use of technology to support administration of the program.
Build Awareness: Provide information on the program in recruitment efforts and in new hire onboarding. Communicate this opportunity to employees throughout the year.
Volunteer Hours Tracking: Employees volunteer their time with eligible nonprofit organizations. They log their volunteer hours through the company’s designated system or online platform.
Submission and Verification: Employees submit their volunteer hours to the company along with relevant documentation or verification from the nonprofit organizations they serve.
Donation Distribution: Once the submitted hours are verified, the company calculates the total donation amount based on the accumulated volunteer hours. This amount is then donated to the respective nonprofit organizations. Turnaround time for the donation varies and could be processed at set times during the year.
Recognition and Reporting: Employees may receive recognition for their volunteer efforts within the company, fostering a culture of service. The company might also report on the impact of the program by sharing the total number of volunteer hours contributed and the corresponding donations made.
A “Dollars for Doers” program serves multiple purposes. It promotes employee engagement, increases corporate social responsibility, strengthens ties between the company, the employee and the community, and provides much-needed support to nonprofit organizations. Additionally, it can enhance your company’s reputation and brand image, showcasing its commitment to social causes beyond its core business activities.
3 Ways to Approach Meaningful Work
Although Labor Day in the U.S. falls on the first Monday in September, in many other countries around the world, it’s celebrated on May 1. No matter where it’s celebrated, the holiday recognizes the historic achievements of the labor movement, which fought to improve work conditions in factories, railroads, mills, mines and beyond.
When Labor Day was first introduced in the late 19th Century, wages were low, and employees, including children, were often required to work 12 hours a day, six days a week, in crowded, poorly ventilated spaces. Thanks to the tireless efforts of the labor movement, we now have the 40-hour work week, benefits, paid time off, sick leave and safe working conditions.
Today, we know that strong employment opportunities and healthy wages have a singular ability to transform the lives of individuals, their families and communities at large. They can boost local economies, create safer neighborhoods, increase civic engagement and foster more prosperous societies. With many more basic needs being met in workplaces than in times past, today’s employees are now exploring more about the meaning and purpose that lies in their work.
So, if you had to define “meaningful work,” what are some of the characteristics you might think of? Does meaningful
exist when employees feel valued and have ample opportunity to thrive in their careers? When they feel connected to their coworkers, clients and customers? Is work meaningful when the service or product is ultimately contributing to social good? Or when the employer prioritizes social and environmental responsibility in philanthropic efforts?
Any one of these aspects – or all of them, in tandem – might make an individual’s work feel meaningful. According to
in the United States, two-thirds of Americans believe companies should be involved in social issues. Around 20% of respondents reported applying for a job with a company or organization specifically because of its social responsibility stance.
How employers, employees and job seekers can foster a sense of meaningful work
Employers: Look Beyond Profit in the Workplace
Employers have an immense amount of power when it comes to making work more meaningful for their employees. Depending on the resources a company has, they may have the opportunity to establish a
.
Companies might consider sponsoring or hosting volunteer events or food and clothing drives throughout the year. An increasingly sought-out benefit for employees is paid volunteer time off (VTO), which empowers employees to get more involved in contributing their time and talent – without the risk of losing income.
Companies should, at the very least, examine their workplace culture to ensure that they’re doing everything they can to create a safer, more inclusive environment. Consider hosting “lunch and learns” to bring in experts on social justice or environmental issues – whether in-person, virtually or simply through a TED Talk – and welcoming dialogue among employees. When people
and are educated about it, they can make more informed decisions about how to get involved.
“Pressure and expectation for companies to be socially responsible has never been higher. Points of Light’s research offers some insights into those expectations and can help business leaders identify where to start as they align employee engagement and retention with CSR and talent development programs.”
— Katie Stearns, chief global corporate solutions officer at Points of Light
Establishing and reinforcing a zero-tolerance policy in regard to discrimination is also critical. Helping employees feel welcome to share any concerns is also important, as companies may unconsciously silence their workforce if they don’t explicitly invite
about issues in the workplace.
Committing to being more socially responsible starts with taking care of your workforce. And employers may find that the more power they put behind these efforts, the more talent they can attract and retain. In fact,
Points of Light’s research shows that 86% of Millennials – the largest generation currently in the United States workforce – consider it a major priority to work for a company that is socially responsible and ethical.
And 41% of Gen Z have considered applying for or taking a job with a company specifically because they believe it is committed to being socially responsible.
Employees: Create Meaning Where It May be Missing
While employers are ultimately responsible for establishing inclusive, supportive environments and taking care of their workforces, employees have both the responsibility and the opportunity to be the change they wish to see in their workplaces. This means that even in circumstances where employers are still working to ramp up civic engagement opportunities, employees themselves have the ability to advocate for social good efforts.
If you’re an employee looking to ramp up your levels of engagement, first recognize that doing good comes in many forms. Yes, an employer-sponsored volunteer program is ideal, but if you don’t have this resource, you can explore the
to dive into nine different vehicles of social impact – including donating, listening and learning, using your purchase power for good and more.
You might also consider ways you can utilize your professional skillset for good during your free time – known as
. This can include things like helping a nonprofit with budgeting or accounting, helping recruit more volunteers to a cause through social media marketing, teaching language or literacy through tutoring children or adults, or helping with the upkeep of a shelter through plumbing, HVAC or IT services.
Within your workplace, you might consider establishing an annual corporate volunteer event once a month or a few times a year. Keep in mind that to do this, management buy-in will be essential. You’ll need to have support from your higher-ups to form a volunteer team,
, and get the word out to the workforce.
Finally, recognize how you can do good by being an ally for any underrepresented groups in your place of employment. This might involve recommending a colleague from a minority group to lead a project. It could be ensuring that women and people of color are represented in speaking engagements – like panels and conferences. It might mean reporting discrimination to your Human Resources department. Or it could simply look like thoughtfully listening to an underrepresented coworker share their story or experience.
“We know that measuring and reporting on your CSR program is key – it’s how you make an internal business case and tell your story. Beyond measuring volunteers, hours, and community outcomes, don’t forget the other types of impact you might measure, such as changes to employee skills or engagement.”
— Katie Stearns, chief global corporate solutions officer at Points of Light
Job Seekers: Seek Out Companies That Share Your Priorities
If you’re currently seeking employment, you have a unique opportunity to vet potential employers and discover what they’re doing to further social good. If you’re currently employed and looking to make a career move, or you otherwise have the luxury of time, consider seeking out employers that align with your top values.
Start by clarifying your priorities and which cause areas you’d most like to focus on. (The Personal Action Plan in the back of the
can help get your wheels turning!) Keep in mind that no one employer is able to address every social issue, so having your top cause areas at the forefront of your mind can help you better narrow your search.
You can check out resources to determine how you’d like to show up for social good in your current or future place of employment. Bea Boccalandro’s book, “
” can help you flesh out tangible ideas for making meaningful contributions to others or a societal cause – an effort she deemed “job purposing.”
The B Corp movement was established to define social, environmental and governance best practices for businesses – and to make businesses that meet these standards known with a B Corp certification. You can search the
, a Points of Light initiative recognizing the 50 most community-minded companies in the nation each year, as determined by an annual survey administered by True Impact.
Spark the Change Colorado Energizes and Equips Volunteers in Community Service
Nonprofit organizations can thrive on their own, but we are even stronger when we come together to share ideas, inspiration and methods that have been proven effective. The
seeks to bring nonprofits together, operating with more than 145 affiliates across 39 countries around the world. Together, we are inspiring, equipping and mobilizing more people to use their time, talent and resources to create positive change in their communities.
We spoke with Madison Taylor from
, a Points of Light affiliate operating statewide in Colorado. We discussed training and equipping volunteers, and tools that the organization uses to keep volunteers engaged.
Spark the Change Colorado exists to spark change and inspire a movement of good through the power of volunteerism, service and civic engagement. The organization envisions a world with stronger, more resilient, equitable and connected communities through the power of volunteerism. Its values are community, collaboration and courage.
Get an exclusive sneak peek into Spark the Change Colorado in action. Points of Light will be capturing the UPS Day of Service on our
How are you engaging with volunteers to inspire them to participate in community service activities?
At Spark, all of our work centers around volunteerism. We provide direct service programs— like our Mental Wellness, Senior and AmeriCorps Programs— that recruit, train and engage volunteers to solve community problems. We provide education and training courses for other nonprofit volunteer programs to create a stronger and more equitable volunteer environment across the state.
We also operate an online database platform that connects volunteers anywhere in Colorado with our nonprofit members who post hundreds of volunteer opportunities readily available for sign up. We are also beginning to integrate
in all that we do, recognizing that the community service industry is changing and that individuals, groups and companies are giving back every day in a variety of innovative and impactful ways— not just volunteering.
What resources or tools are you providing to volunteers to help them get involved in their community?
is a key resource for volunteers to find and engage with volunteer opportunities from, not just Spark, but a variety of nonprofits all across the state. We operate a monthly Volunteer Newsletter called “
” that is packed with different ways to volunteer and engage all year long.
Our direct service volunteer programs engage skilled volunteers directly, particularly seniors aged 55 and better, mental health professionals practicing in or entering the field, and individuals seeking board service opportunities. And our courses for education and training make it easier for participating nonprofits to engage volunteers in new and innovative ways.
What role does volunteerism play in your organization’s overall mission and objectives?
Our mission and objectives are 100% centered around and rooted in
. Everything we do comes back to volunteering! Our mission is to SPARK CHANGE and INSPIRE A MOVEMENT OF GOOD through the power of service, volunteerism and civic engagement. We have direct service volunteer programs, support other nonprofit volunteer programs and provide tools and resources for anyone— individuals, nonprofits or corporations— looking to lend a hand and make an impact.
Share one success story of a volunteer (or a group of volunteers) in your community who have made a significant impact.
I would love to mention our Mental Wellness Program volunteers and all the amazing work they do. Our Statewide Mental Wellness Program is fully volunteer driven. The way it works is that we engage fully licensed and insured therapists as volunteers, and they dedicate their time to see clients pro bono, completely free of cost to the client. One specific story is that of our volunteer, Sofia Webb, MSW, LSW, CTP, being named a
What are some future plans for your organization to continue promoting volunteerism and civic engagement?
We will always promote volunteerism and civic engagement in all that we do, but we are planning on increasing the use of The Civic Circle to frame engagement in a way that is easy and accessible to all. We love the framework of The Civic Circle and are finding so many new ways that each element applies to the services and programs we already provide, but also ways we can start integrating multiple elements to make our services and programs more well-rounded and impactful.
Can you share any tips or best practices for other organizations looking to recognize volunteers?
Center the storytelling! People love to hear about other people, seeing pictures of people that look like them and hearing stories from people that sound like them. We are always looking for exciting ways to tell our volunteers’ stories, but also just share about them as the amazing humans that they are!
What’s one piece of advice you’d give someone who’s looking to get more involved in their community through volunteerism?
! Why reinvent the wheel? We put so much time and effort into gathering resources, building programming and finding the best tools to make volunteering and engaging in your community easy! Sign up for our newsletters and visit our websites. If you start with “
