EVP | Fast Company

CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY | Comment

Doing Good Without Spending More

BY Ruth ZiveWed May 12, 2010

People are still reeling from the impact of the recession and businesses are cutting staff, production and corners. It is challenging to factor philanthropy and corporate giving into the equation when resources are limited and ...READ»

CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY | Comment

How Can Social Media Save Print? With A Simple iPhone App

BY Chris JarvisWed May 5, 2010

Social Media and print are at odds - and as we know, social media is on its way up while print is on its way out. A recent development, however, may provide print its most powerful platform yet..... (Just scroll down to skip to the solution.) READ»

CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY | Comment

Corporate Volunteering: Top 7 Requests & the Bad, Better and Best Responses (2 of 7)

BY Chris JarvisFri Dec 25, 2009

Companies want to engage their communities through employee volunteering programs. For most, this means calling a non-profit and scheduling an activity. But how should non-profits respond? Is there a “best” answer for everyone? (Part 2 of 7)READ»

CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY | Comment

Corporate Volunteering: Top 7 Requests & the Bad, Better and Best Responses (1 of 7)

BY Chris JarvisFri Nov 6, 2009

Companies want to engage their communities through employee volunteering programs. For most, this means calling a non-profit and scheduling an activity. But how should non-profits respond? Is there a “best” answer for everyone?READ»

CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY | Comment

Where To Find "Sustainable" Employment?

BY Chris JarvisThu Oct 22, 2009

The idea of employment being sustainable has a lot of appeal in this day and age of job insecurity. Now there’s a whole new meaning to the term. “Sustainability” these days means your job involves green, environmental initiatives, or else falls under the umbrella of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR). It’s a great new way for you to increase your marketability. You can differentiate yourself as a capable employee who can also get profit-enhancing CSR done. But don’t just take it from me.READ»

CORPORATE VOLUNTEERING | Comment

Want Good Volunteers? Forget The Altruistic, Find The Self-Interested (Part 1 of 2)

BY Chris JarvisWed Sep 2, 2009

Many argue that volunteer rates are falling. They complain that people today (usually young people) won’t make commitments to a cause. The problem, people tell me, is that volunteers want to know what’s in it for them. Yep, it’s true. But self-interest isn’t the problem. It’s the solution.READ»

CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY | Comment

The 3 Basic Steps To Create Trust Through Corporate Social Responsibility

BY Chris JarvisMon Aug 3, 2009

If business wants to regain the public’s trust, they’re going to have to be trustworthy, and employees are the key. Here are three basic steps to engage your employees, build social capital, and win stakeholder trust. There's a lot here, so take your time with it, read it in pieces, and as always, share your thoughts and insights.READ»

CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY | Comment

What is Social Innovation? Reflections from the National Conference for Service and Volunteering

BY Chris JarvisFri Jul 3, 2009

After three days of celebrating, learning and sharing with exceptional service advocates from around the world, I left the conference energized and inspired to make a more significant impact in the communities in which we live and work. We all had access to tools and resources that have better equipped us to enhance our volunteer efforts, measure our impact and further develop meaningful relationships that will prove to be pivotal to building a nation committed to service.READ»

CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY | Comment

How Do You Serve?

BY Chris JarvisTue Jun 23, 2009

  Michelle Obama, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Maria Shriver, Nancy Pelosi, Arianna Huffington, and Bon Jovi all told us how they serve yesterday at the National Conference on Volunteering and Service, the world's largest gathering of volunteer and service leaders from the government, non-profits, entertainment, academia, business and the media.   READ»

BARACK OBAMA | Comment

Six Essential Strengths Of An Employee Volunteer Program; An Interview With Shannon Schuyler of PricewaterhouseCoopers.

BY Chris JarvisWed Jun 10, 2009

Looking for some insight on how to create an outstanding Employee Volunteer Program? Shannon Schuyler of PricewaterhouseCoopers offers six essential strengths to ensure success.READ»

BOSTON COLLEGE CENTER FOR CORPORATE CITIZENSHIP | Comment

What's the True Impact of Your Employee Volunteer Program? Glad You Asked

BY Chris JarvisTue May 19, 2009

Almost every conversation we have regarding employee volunteer programs involves a vigorous discussion of metrics. Business managers want to determine the value of hours contributed to the community via employee volunteers. Non-profits are trying to assess whether or not it is worth the trouble organizing massive employee volunteer events for corporations. Stakeholders question whether business should be distracted by activities that seem to offer little to no bottom line impact. READ»

CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY | Comment

MBA Program Trashed on Harvard Business Podcast

BY Chris JarvisTue May 5, 2009

What does it take to create an outstanding leader? Apparently, not a Harvard MBA. Based on a study by Henry Mintzberg of 19 Harvard trained CEOs identified as superstars in 1990, ten were outright failures and another four are mediocre at best. Only five of the 19 seemed to be doing all right. This year alone, another 150,000 MBA's step into leadership positions in corporate America. How do MBA's become leaders we can trust?READ»

CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY | Comment

How Good Is ‘Doing Good’?

BY Chris JarvisWed Apr 29, 2009

As my readers know, I am a strong proponent of good data collection. What’s more, I firmly believe that unless employer-sponsored volunteerism is tied to the functional strategies of business (such as HR or Marketing), it can easily be relegated to peripheral niceties. In order for corporate volunteering programs (and Corporate Social Responsibility as a whole) to fully realize the associated costs, they must begin to function as a business strategy - not as philanthropy.READ»

BARACK OBAMA | Comment

Canada: Conflicted On Volunteering?

BY Chris JarvisMon Mar 9, 2009

Having won the Oval Office, the Obama volunteer revolution is just picking up speed. Due to financial constraints, Corporate America intends to grow their volunteer efforts by a whopping 45%. From Washington DC to Mumbai; London to Dubai, volunteer activity is on the rise. Communities endorse it. Companies infuse it. Governments champion it....Except Canada. With no national policy or formalized system, Canuks are living in the stone age of civic duty. Why? Good question.READ»

CORPORATE RESPONSIBILITY | Comment

Corporate Volunteering Becomes Popular: There’s Good News, And There’s Bad News

BY Chris JarvisTue Mar 3, 2009

Corporate donations to charities in the US are about to plummet by over 50 percent. Corporate America intends to make up the difference by growing their volunteer programs by (a staggering) 45 percent. That might do the trick, except...few businesses know what to do or how to do it well. On top of that, managers don’t know how to measure success. The world of business is facing significant challenges - and under the merciless scrutiny of the public, there is little room for misstep. READ»

CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY | Comment

Social Media and Volunteering: Blessing or Curse?

BY Chris JarvisWed Feb 25, 2009

I write this blog with three groups in mind; volunteers, non profits, and companies with volunteer programs. For these three audiences, social media continues to expand its importance, taking a central role in the success of any ...READ»

EVP | Comment

CSR and Employee Volunteer Programs: How to Make the Business Case

BY Chris JarvisWed Jan 21, 2009

“The business doesn’t need to understand social impact; social impact needs to understand the business,” said Saul. “In other words, social impact needs to prove its value to the business.”The following is an expert from a ...READ»

VOLUNTEER | Comment

Is Your Corporate Volunteering Program a Success? Find Out Here

BY Chris JarvisMon Jan 5, 2009

Ever find yourself wondering how your corporate volunteering program is really going? How does it compare to other programs? Are participation rates where they should be? Is your program....good? Effective? Worth it?Now there’s a ...READ»

CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY | Comment

Corporate Social Responsibility Reports Fail to Prove Business Case

BY Chris JarvisTue Dec 16, 2008

Corporate Social Responsibility reports almost never include data that supports the business case for CSR strategies. Unless business can tie the benefits of CSR to the bottom line it will be jettisoned during tough financial times. ...READ»

VOLUNTEER | Comment

Why Volunteers Don’t Come Back

BY Chris JarvisMon Dec 1, 2008

Nonprofits tend to see volunteers as necessary, but not strategic. Attitudes towards volunteerism are simplistic and out of date. The result? A loss of 1.9 billion hours of labor year to year. Corporate Volunteer programs can remedy ...READ»