Corporate community engagement: A win-win

I will never forget the first time I volunteered as an employee to help in the community. I was fresh out of college working for an accounting firm in Washington, DC. The firm organized a group of employees to work with Special Olympics at an athletic event on the oval at the White House. That day, our team partnered with Special Olympic athletes to raise money and awareness and I was hooked.

CLICK TO TWEET: Community engagement is a win for both employees and the company. Kris Kozamchak explains in this blog.

I later transferred to Florida with that company and ended up volunteering outside work with Special Olympics and was eventually asked to join the local board. When I moved to Texas, the first thing I did was contact the local Special Olympics organization in my community and get involved. I ended up coaching for several years and was on the local board and eventually the state board for public relations. And now I am an advocate for community involvement at my current company and proudly participate in activities.

My story is not unique. Studies have shown that “companies who sponsor volunteer activities offer a better overall working environment than those who do not.” In fact, a Boston College Center for Corporate Citizenship survey that found an 89 percent positive correlation between participating in volunteering and higher engagement on the job. A win for both the employee and the company.

Recently, I sat down with Luis Santeliz, project manager for CommScope’s global quality group, to talk about a community involvement project that he is leading in Richardson, Texas for CommScope.

Drop me a note in the comments below to tell me about your experiences with corporate sponsored community involvement.