How Nonprofits and Companies Are Changing the Script
Corporate volunteer programs are undergoing a transformation. Gone are the days when volunteering meant getting up early on your day off to volunteer at a non-profit.
Today, companies are actively collaborating with nonprofits to create meaningful volunteer opportunities during regular work hours at work- benefiting employees, organizations, and the communities they serve.
If you build it, we’ll come
The recent ToolBank project in Dallas involved UPS volunteers assembling benches and picnic tables. Instead of asking volunteers to show up at a sight away from work, ToolBank brought the project to UPS, and UPS funded the project. It’s ingenious and a win-win for non-profits and companies.
“It was a great experience learning how to build picnic tables and benches from scratch,” said UPS volunteer Bader Abusad. “I learned a new skill while giving back to my community, without having to worry about commuting.”
Building places to come together
In total, 27 picnic tables and benches were built and delivered to various community gardens and farms in at-risk and low-income neighborhoods including Mill City Community Garden, Joppy & Bonton Farms, New Friends, New Life (NFNL) Liberty Street Garden, Young Women’s Prep Network and Vecinos Unidos.
“We’re thankful to ToolBank and UPS,” says Bianca Davis, CEO NFNL. “The benches and tables will become places for our members and volunteers to connect for years to come.”
Investing in communities
With a $15,000 donation from The UPS Foundation, ToolBank provided expert instruction, tools, and materials for the project. While it might be possible to purchase these items for less, UPS, says there are greater benefits.
“By providing meaningful volunteer projects for our employees in a manner that makes it easy to show up, we’re educating participants about non-profit causes in their community,” says Dora Zapata UPS Foundation- Dallas.
UPS says, giving means more than writing a check. It means combining employees’ skills, passion and time with the company’s logistics expertise, transportation assets, and charitable donations to make a measurable societal difference.
Cultural Impact
Companies with robust volunteer programs tend to have lower turnover rates. Even employees who don’t volunteer themselves feel better about working for companies that prioritize philanthropy and volunteerism. Regardless of their own individual volunteer commitments, they feel proud about their affiliation with a socially conscious company.
UPS is providing ToolBank with a larger grant of $335,000, which will support disaster services, network expansion, and the facilitation of volunteer projects in multiple cities.
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About New Friends New Life (NFNL)
New Friends New Life offers services deemed necessary to move a victim from exploitation to self-sufficiency. While the sex industry is often glamorized, the teens and women who self-select to seek help from New Friends New Life are broken, distressed, and living in the margins of society. They and their children are constantly on the precipice of homelessness because of lack of education, community support, and sustainable employment. Due to the stigma of being exploited, many teens and women are often too embarrassed to enter other agencies for help, thus they remain in the cycle of poverty and abuse. These teens and women need a way out, and New Friends New Life exists to help and serve as a gateway for them and their families to receive social services.
Teens and women served by New Friends New Life are called members. Since most of the members became trafficked at the age of 12-14, they have little to no education or life skills so, New Friends New Life assists with housing, food, clothing, as well as counseling, life-skills development, and mentoring. These services are also provided for their children who have often experienced trauma and need restoration and support.
About UPS
UPS (NYSE: UPS) is one of the world’s largest companies, with 2023 revenue of $91.0 billion, and provides a broad range of integrated logistics solutions for customers in more than 200 countries and territories. Focused on its purpose statement, “Moving our world forward by delivering what matters,” the company’s approximately 500,000 employees embrace a strategy that is simply stated and powerfully executed: Customer First. People Led. Innovation Driven. UPS is committed to reducing its impact on the environment and supporting the communities we serve around the world. UPS also takes an unwavering stance in support of diversity, equity and inclusion. More information can be found at www.ups.com, with more information at www.about.ups.com and www.investors.ups.com.
