Employee volunteering has evolved from “once-off charity days” to structured programmes that create lasting community impact. One of the projects I supported was a release for FirstRand’s Beyond Painting Classrooms initiative, where leading South African corporates explored how to shift their social investment strategies using the Asset-Based Citizen-led Development (ABCD) approach. This piece not only positioned the initiative as innovative but also showcased how corporate volunteering can be reimagined to drive long-term sustainability.
The Press Release:
SA CORPORATES SHIFT EMPLOYEE VOLUNTEERING STRATEGY FOR LONG-TERM SUSTAINABILITY
Johannesburg, 28 May 2018 – To create truly empowered and successful corporate employee volunteering programmes that create influence and impact within the communities they are deployed, several South African corporates are collaborating with and engaging their employees, using the ABCD approach, which allows them to act as facilitators and foster community ownership of initiatives that ultimately translates into long-term sustainability.
This paradigm shift was highlighted at the FirstRand Beyond Painting Classrooms (BPC) workshop held for corporates and NGOs to take them through a short introductory Masterclass of the Asset-Based Citizen-led Development (ABCD) approach, which focuses on identifying and mobilizing the assets, strengths and gifts already available within communities, and encourages active participation by citizens in their own capacity.
Hosting the event, FirstRand Volunteers Manager Desireé Storey said; “Our aim is to share a new approach to employee volunteering that shifts from a needs-based, problem-solving approach to one that uses the existing strengths and capacities of communities as the starting point for social investment engagement, policies and practises. Through BPC, FirstRand is committed to forming collaborations and building systems for action orientated volunteering, participation-learning practise and the strengthening of the corporate communities value-add.”
Facilitating the session, Space4Impact Director Janine Ward said while many organisations might talk about corporate social investment, few rarely do it authentically. “Too often, traditional approaches place professionals in positions of power determining what the community needs are and determining how investment will proceed.
“Through ABCD and other strength-based approaches, the community remains in control and the professionals act as facilitators and we’ve seen the results. Community ownership of initiatives directly translates to sustainability. This is because using the ABCD approach within communities, we can identify concrete opportunities to strengthen collaboration and how those communities can buy into the investment programme.”
Speaking from an NGO perspective, Ikhala Trust’s Ninnette Eliasov said, “As corporate social investment currently stands, the wheels are falling off. Community expectations are not being met and volunteers are not adequately trained. On the ground, we’re seeing dependency entitlement, opportunistic leadership, manipulation and communities unwilling to pitch for corporate media displays as it deteriorates into an ‘us and them’ scenario.
“We find the ABCD approach offers a solid solution as it brings money into communities in a more sensitive and cautious way and builds trust as funding follows positive initiatives. It’s the best way for brands to find authentic relationships for co-investment in training, financial or material support which instead leads to a win-win impact for both parties and at half the budget.”
Representing successful integration with ABCD engagement, LegalWise’s Corporate Social Investment Manager Lesley Haynes said; “Statistically, 1% of employees will willingly participate in corporate social initiatives yet, using the ABCD approach, we have found our employees to be our biggest asset. LegalWise now claims 90% participation for our employee volunteering programmes. It’s no longer about the CSI department trying to convince staff to support social development, it’s about our own colleagues encouraging and involving each other to be there. Working from the inside-out, ABCD has helped us to create authentic relationships within the communities where we work where their existing assets are leveraged and we engage and form partnerships with the stakeholders.”
But, warned Haynes, “Implementing ABCD is tough, you need patience, and you need to allow communities to lead their own development, which can be hard for corporates as we think we know everything.”
Administering corporate social investment initiatives, CAF Southern Africa’s Judith Mtsewu, made a plea to support the BPC platform by inviting more corporates into the discussion so as to build momentum around the Asset-based Community-led Development approach. “It is only once there is momentum around it, that it can become a ‘lived’ approach in employee volunteering and CSI.”
ABOUT:
The Beyond Painting Classrooms initiative was established by FirstRand in 2012 with the support of Charities Aid Foundation South Africa (CAFSA). CAF Southern Africa (CAFSA) is an NGO which promotes philanthropy, volunteering and corporate social investment in South Africa. Beyond Painting Classrooms provides opportunities for people passionate about corporate employee volunteering to learn about good practices in the field, share success stories, discuss challenges and build knowledge collectively through critical and respectful engagement.
CONTACT:
FirstRand Volunteers Programme, 2nd Floor, 4 Merchant Place, Corner Fredman Drive and Rivonia Road, Sandton, 2196. T +27 11 282 1773 F +27 11 384 3450
Email : beyondpaintingclassrooms@firstrand.co.za
Results & Impact
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The release was distributed across national business and NGO news channels, securing coverage in multiple CSR and corporate investment forums.
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It positioned FirstRand as a thought leader in sustainable employee volunteering.
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It generated further conversations among corporates around ABCD and long-term social impact models.
Crafting press releases like this demonstrates the power of clear messaging in sparking conversation and shifting perception. If your organisation is looking to reposition its corporate responsibility strategy or needs support in shaping narratives that resonate with both media and stakeholders, I’d love to explore how we can collaborate.