I was reading our upcoming chapter and it discussed corporate volunteerism/civic duty and how this can be pushed upon employees in a negative way (Read more pg 431). The discussion reminded me of another side of this issue I had read about which I think the book has neglected, which is that there are often harms for the non-profit that corporate workers are volunteering at.
Great piece by the Boston Globe Business Section with comments from the COO of YMCA Metro North about the pressures non-profits feel in catering to businesses looking to "do good".
Are these complaints justified? Should non-profits be grateful for any and all help or are corporations asking too much?
I think the complaints are justified. I agree that companies should first ask what is needed, and not assume that their planned activities are the best. An example may be a company that may decided to pick up trash in a certain area, when clothing may be a higher necessity. There is the argument that some help is better than no help, but in many cases the "help" provided does not make much of a difference.
ReplyDeleteAdditionally,I don't think people should be forced to volunteer. I think that if you really want to help, you will do it without having others telling you to do it. This is another reason for complaints. Volunteers may show no effort or commitment to an activity. This may be frustrating because those who are meant to help don't really care about their impact, but rather the hours they "contribute."